Little Nightmares II preview – Leave the light on

Just when she thought she was out, they pulled Six back in! Despite escaping The Maw at the end of Little Nightmares, Six once again finds herself in a gigantic amount of danger. Little Nightmares II looks and plays almost identically to the first game and we got to check out a demo that shows off some of what it has to offer before its February debut.

Although Six is back, she’s not the player character this time. That role falls to a boy named Mono who wears a bag on his head. I’m not sure why he does this, but I’m gonna guess it’s because he ain’t got no alibi. The demo begins during an unspecified part of the game with no context whatsoever. Mono and Six appear to be in some sort of hospital occupied by terrifying mannequin creatures that can only move when the lights are out. There’s nothing freaky about that. Not even a little.

Just like the first game, Little Nightmares II is graphically excellent as well as equally unnerving. It’s once again played in full 3D from a side-scrolling angle and focuses on horror and puzzle-platforming. And some serious trial and error that really trialed my patience. Heh. Okay, I’m done. Fans of the first game have very little to worry about, as this certainly appears to be more of what they loved with some slight wrinkles. The controls are exactly the same too, although Mono uses a flashlight instead of matches. I don’t know what he would have done without that flashlight, though.

Come at me, bro

The section of Little Nightmares II that the demo focuses on is that Mono and Six need to find two batteries to power an elevator. They need to go right to grab the first one, then they need to use that to power a door to the second one. Mono can hold Six’s hand, and she’ll occasionally help boost him over an obstacle or help out in some other way. At one point, she holds a drawer shut to keep a murderous hand from getting out. The hospital is extremely eerie too. Getting the first battery required me to deal with one of the aforementioned hands. Mono can’t fight with his bare hands, so he typically needs to run. But I found a hammer! And you can beat hands to death with those! Huzzah!

Little Nightmares II is very much built around climbing and crawling under things, which served the first game so well. I really didn’t care for much of the demo’s second part, though. Once you meet the mannequins, you’ll find a room full of them and you have to use your flashlight to keep them at bay while they chase you. The first time, only a few come to life. Later there are a lot more. These sections are very trial-and-error focused, and the game has the habit of teleporting you into the mannequin’s hands even if they clearly don’t touch you, which kills Mono and requires a restart.

The game is certainly looking like it’ll give fans more of what they want and the spook factor is still strong. We have four months to go until the game releases, but this demo has certainly caught my attention. I don’t ever want to see one of those mannequins again, though. Don’t you dare hide one in my room, that’s just cruel.