Little Nightmares 2 is similar to the original game in its staging; but his intentions, the presentation of his characters, the way he shows us their surroundings and how they relate to our little heroes, shows us that he wants to tell us something different in a different way. And works.
What I have played in Little Nightmares 2 I really liked. The twist that Tarsier Games has given to its game is amazing . The way I have titled this trailer is no coincidence because in this sequel I have not walked alone . I have done it accompanied, in silence and with my heart in my fist. My little protagonist has run, jumped, collected weapons and objects obeying my orders, but at his side there was a frightened, thin and silent companion whose hand to take, whom to protect and accompany .
Sometimes she would pluck up her courage and give me advice, pick up something essential from the ground, tell me that a log had to be pushed to use it as a parapet or that the light on the wall was not there by chance. As Fumito Ueda envisioned for Ico , Little Nightmares II builds a conversation by constantly employing mechanics and dynamics without saying a word . The result is that you end up loving whoever goes with you more than your own life. If they take it from you, you get angry. If a monster with voracious intentions appears, you fear for it. Imagine how well this works in a title as rugged, terrifying and cruel as Little Nightmares 2 . Tarsier Games was absolutely right in making this bold design decision.
The start of the game only gives you control of your little hero. Little Nightmares 2 is very smart in the way of generating a powerful bond with the girl. As Ico does with Yorda, you rescue her and quickly both realize they need each other . Jump by jump, jump by jump, flight after flight, you understand that you will not get out of here alive without her, and that she wants to show you something of the place where she has been rescued. Little Nightmares II makes you understand this fast, and puts you to the test. If something stood out from the original it was its chilling artistic section. His use of light and shadow served to further deform the chilling inhabitants of his world .
Little Nightmares 2 is very smart in the way of generating a powerful bond with the girlThe heroes they play with are not just children, they are tiny creatures fleeing through a universe full of cruel, huge, deformed and humanityless adults. This second part is even more correct in how to combine these elements so that you do not fear only for you, but for her. There is no penalty after dying, you wake up and keep moving, but when something happens to her, when these terrible humans catch her and take her away, you get terribly scared . Getting that feeling is the ultimate goal of the game. And he does it over and over, over and over again….
Much of the credit also goes to the ideation and structure of its settings and scenes. Little Nightmares was a game of small closed spaces; the idea was to be claustrophobic. But here too an agoraphobic fear is achieved. The boys come to huge places and it is as if the surrounding architecture will crush them; as if you, being them, need to hide and take refuge somewhere to feel safe. There are many more passageways loaded with tremendous narrative intent. Now the video game takes more seriously that it wants to tell something by taking the time it needs. The problem is that these shelters are full of monsters, of course, and those places where nothing happens a priori, you are told about them; of his tremendous cruelty. Because of how well this is accomplished, I am eager to enjoy the full game now and see how this adventure ends. To achieve all this, it is noted that the study now has more resources.
The scenarios are more generous and deep, the puzzles of the game have gone from being the typical ones of moving boxes and hiding ones that remind both Ico and The Last of Us. The interaction between the kids is the key . The original game was guilty of abusing trial and error to solve certain situations. This is an all too common problem in games without HUD, without texts or words. Here that is solved in part thanks to our partner. If she detects that you are slow to realize what to do, she comes forward very naturally and helps you. But although Little Nightmares II is better technically, in its proposal, in its approach and in the experience it offers, it still carries some problems from the original game .
Take me by the hand
The actions that you can carry out in Little Nightmares II are similar to the original game, only one more is added here: holding hands . This tender gesture allows you to pick up our friend’s palm and push her into the unknown. After a few hours of play, you will find yourself looking for his hand when you suspect an enemy is nearby, again and again. The problem is that to take it you have to press the button with which you take anything from the stage. Many times you will want to take it but you will end up with a shoe off the ground . This really messes up that tender dialogue between the two protagonists. This, Ico, solved it making the button to call Yorda was the same as the one to hold her fingers, so that the voice was passed to the warmth of touch naturally.
These types of clumsiness are seen in other sections of the game. As was the case in the original, every time you meet one of those adults you have to hide from, a series of pre-set sequences are started. You have to do exactly what the game wants you to do, and the whole set design is stiffened and strapped so that you do just that and nothing else. Do not think, that is prohibited. Just do what it takes. If you have to hide behind a box at a certain time, you will not be able to go around it even if common sense tells you yes. If you think you can dive so your enemy won’t see you, but the game wants you to use an item for cover, you’ll have to take cover with it. This, again, takes away a lot of spontaneity and naturalness from the action. It is as if managing two children is asking the game to be more playful in these moments, more organic and natural. It is not.
The dynamics are not very fine either. In Little Nightmares II there is a lot of leap into the void; leaps impossible to give. However, if our friend stands on the other side of the cliff and stretches her hand, suddenly you will be able to jump much farther and catch it, safely bridging distances. Also, the game has too many puzzles and situations with too much trial and error; they are better resolved than in its predecessor, but they are still there. They kill you and then you learn not to have it happen again. But all these drawbacks were already in the previous game. Little Nightmares was never characterized by having a fine and precise gameplay, but by its presentation, by what it wants to convey with its environments and with what it does with its silence. All that is much better in this second part and, to be honest, everything it teaches you, the monsters it makes you fight,does not live up to its references . And if you have played the original, and therefore know who is the person who accompanies you, you will hallucinate.
It can be perfectly enjoyed without having played the original gameThe Tarsier Studios video game arrives on PC, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PS4 on February 11 , and by the end of the year, it will land on Xbox Series and PS5. Despite these problems that I have cited, which are more than just problems that subtract an elegance that would be great for the game, Little Nightmares II is promising, you drink it. I want to know how the relationship between the two children will evolve, what more terrifying secrets I will find with them on their journey, what chilling new situations I will have to face and how much I will continue to suffer each time she leaves my side. To complete the information in this advance, I have to say that I have tested the game on PC and it looks and moves fabulously, it is in full Spanish, it can be enjoyed perfectly without having played the original game and, although there are two characters on the screen, It is a single player title . The little nightmares begin.
