"...if there's one thing I've learned, it's this: nobody knows what's gonna happen at the end of the line, so you might as well enjoy the trip"

Reasons to play:

• Greatest adventure game ever made
  
• Huge cast of memorable characters
  
• Terrific voice actors
  
• Immaculate worldbuilding
  
• Creative and multifaceted puzzles
  
• Expansive story stretched over 4 years
  
• Bicultural setting, architecture, narrative and themes
  
• Witty dialogue and plenty of laughs
  
• Film Noir mystery and grit
  
• Great art still holds up (character models and lightning remastered well)
  
• One of the best soundtracks of all time, now remastered with a live orchestra

Negatives:

• Plot lacks direction sometimes through the gameplay (progress is far-fetched and difficult)
  
• Couple of logic puzzles ruins the cohesion
  
• Change of camera angles might be disorienting for some

My pick for the best game ever made

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Steam Reviews could not fit this many characters so if you like to read my full review I link it here as a guide. Upvotes and comments are appreciated.

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2360276353

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10/10

Little Nightmares II is a masterpiece

Reasons to play:

• Jaw-dropping concept
  
• Fantastic character designs
  
• THE STORY
  
• Immersive world
  
• Beautiful graphics
  
• Thrilling gameplay
  
• Excellent puzzle platformer
  
• Flawless sound design and music
  
• Captivating horror elements and carnal themes

Negatives:

• Trial and error
  
• Partially inconsistent and unfair gameplay
  
• Some game breaking bugs (that they've fixed since I played it)
  
• Prohibits you from playing on Win7 (even though it's still possible by altering the files)

Some gameplay fallacies stops it from reaching the upper echelons of the medium

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In our day and age of bloated RPGs, stale shooters and an overabundance of indie copycats that pinball between either opaque walking simulators or too "on the nose" narrative drivel, Little Nightmares II (and the franchise as a whole) is truly a shining light, a beacon of hope for games as an art form. Little Nightmares II shook me to the core, both as a visceral experience and a cerebral story it delivers an A-game in visual concept and auditive design. Little Nightmares truly embodies the feeling of a movie classic, on the fringes of mainstream but deeply rooted in the sentiment of excellency in the craft. What a story, what a design and what a perfect usage of the medium.

Getting my initial gushing out of the way, Little Nightmares II (LN2) might at first glance come off as a rather cut-and-dried indie platformer but could as a complete piece just as well battle it out with the AAA titles in terms of intriguing yet easy-to-follow storyline, adventurous and thrilling gameplay paired with a distinct visual style. Problem with mainstream appeal when it comes to games is the re-playability aspect. As suspected this isn't a game you can grind, master or in any way quench your competitiveness, neither is it a mastodon practice in versatility and endless possibilities of role-playing. It is a concise game, with a wonderfully presented story and exquisite game mechanics to deliver said story.

LN2 is very similar to the first installment, so if being stale is a worry when picking this game up I can assure you that it blows the first game out of the water with everything the developers have learned and keeps things fresh in terms of level design and cinematography while still not forgetting about the core concept. The only thing that could be argued is if the respective settings suit the style going for better, where the first game delivered the doll-house perspective to a tee through the setting of the fantastical yet intimate The Maw while the second game has "outdoor" acts where the "cutting of the forefront" doesn't benefit the immersion at points (for example, pools of water in a forest that are cut for the viewer in an aquarium sort of way). But I think this is more or less a matter of taste, as the whimsical Spirited Away feel of the first game is countered with the bleak Blade Runner or Se7en reality of the second.

If it's something the Little Nightmares franchise succeed in it is its iconic imagery. Both in literal iconography and setting but of course most prevalent in its character designs which feeds into the gameplay. The long neck of the Teacher that follows your every step, the imminent danger of the Doctor that is ready to snatch you up or just the simple trick of playing into the most mundane features with the terror of a Thin Man. Most impressive is the combination of characteristics that invoke horror but never disgust and gore such as: porcelain and bullies, mannequins and prostheses, apathy and disfigurement. Little Nightmares nails it all and does so with a beautiful way of setting the tone, creating a world and downright great graphics.

The puzzle platformer aspect of LN2 is killing it, both through innovation and immersion. It never truly challenges you, but more often than not tend to surprise you through it's practicality. This said, the only weak point of LN2 that can in my eyes be claimed is in fact the gameplay, though brilliant in it's simplicity it now and then falls victim to either frustrating trial and error or inconsistent design. The more evident of these being the addition of "battle" with a "weapon" that can be found lying around in a room for you to bash your enemies in the area with. This first comes down to maneuvering the said weapon and more importantly time your swings correctly which will take some deaths to figure out. But then the game present curve balls with some enemies (although identical in appearance) starting to juke your swings making the experience actually unfair on the initial encounter. This did not annoy me that much, but more so the fact that you keep on replaying certain parts because of your own incompetence, which is a shame as it ruins the flow of the game. The more egregious fallacy of the two is instead the matter of punishing level design and inconsistent windows for errors, as in several chase-esque sequences I managed to get caught even though I think I am on the right track. This made me reconsider the choices I've made which ultimately turns out futile as all I needed to do was make a jump at just the right time or make sure I don't bump into a single corner etc. At least two times I thus became stuck as I thought the game wanted me to look for another solution when in fact all I needed to do was perfectly execute said chase sequence.

The sound design and music is perfect, making use of themes from the previous game but buffing them to create an even bigger scope and urgency which really encapsulates the seriousness of the game compared to it's predecessor. The story is one for the ages and further develops the dark world Tarsier has created. The horror is more prevalent in this game than the first and it does have more disturbing imagery and settings, but never hits you with modern jump scare tropes. You always know why or when something is scary, it is just a matter of powering through and stay for the amazing game. I did have my share of chills, but I never felt betrayed or attacked as the developers have created a scary game that isn't an unbearable effort to play. One of the unironically best aspects of the game is the fact that you can hold hands. I never thought such a trivial thing would be so comforting yet immersive. Bravo.

LN2 is a masterpiece, but a somewhat flawed one. With some tweaks here and there I would have hailed this game as the best one I've ever played, but as it stands now, some annoying nuisances stops it from reaching the upper echelons of the game medium. As an experience, it is on par with the best work of cinema, the most captivating of books and my most beloved pieces of music. That is Little Nightmares II.


9/10

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My review of Little Nightmares