LITTLE NIGHTMARES 2 PREVIEW for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch. In what is now my second encounter with this game, I spent a couple of hours exploring the first two levels. The first takes place in a wooded area inhabited by a monstrous hunter, while the second is based in a school infested by a hellish teacher and her terrifying students.
In at the deep end
As mentioned in my initial preview, Little Nightmares 2 is one of those games that teach through failure. This is a game that expects you to die tens of times throughout a playthrough, with horrible tricks and traps around every corner ready to end protagonist Mono and punish the player. Thankfully, there are a generous number of checkpoints and load times were fast on my PC’s SSD, so the lessons didn’t feel too harsh.
Rather than have a nice and easy tutorial section, Little Nightmares 2 chucks the player in at the deep end when navigating the deadly woods. There are steep drops and lethal beartraps to avoid, both of which teach brutal lessons. Though it takes a while for the main monster to appear, his eventual introduction quickly ramps up the action as Mono and their newfound friend attempt to escape.
Lore-lovers will appreciate the symbolism seen throughout this level and I’m looking forward to finally playing through the whole thing and piecing all of the clues together.
After the intense encounter in the woods, Mono and their companion come across a built-up city area, where they enter a school.
Worst. Teacher. Ever.
After being a little disappointed that there were no grotesque beasties in the levels I previewed back in October, I’m now sorry I complained, as the teacher monster in the game’s second level is just the absolute worst.
Armed with a very, very long neck and sharp teeth, encounters with the creepy teacher are always horrifying. Navigating around her requires stealth, though this often ends with quick sprints to the exit. It’s scary stuff!
The teacher is accompanied by violent students who will strangle Mono at any opportunity, forcing the player to use heavy melee weapons for defense. Good timing is required to dispatch these pesky hollow-headed kids.
The complete package
In the first preview, I got to check out the improved gameplay mechanics and spruced-up presentation. In this second preview, I encountered two terrifying monster characters that delivered on everything I loved about the creatures found in the original game.
So far, Little Nightmares 2 appears to be a very promising sequel and I look forward to seeing everything come together in the complete package.
We played a preview build of Little Nightmares II on PC (Ryzen 7 3700X, 32 GB RAM, RTX 2070). The game is set to launch on February 11, 2021.
