Pretend being a small kid in a building walking, with only being able to hold one thing at a time, resulting in them mostly running to survive. Then there’s a sound. A slow “thump, thump” which is the kid’s heartbeat warning the player. The surroundings aren’t what it seems. As soon as the kid tries to run a monster appears with its arms stretched out, trying to catch them. As the music increases and the kid is caught; my sister jumps and screams in terror for a split second right next to me. She is used to horror movies, but not games like these. My heartbeat was also thumping fast since the music was loud and it was stressful. Strange enough, there was a part of me that loved it. My sister and I took turns playing, but she often got the good parts because I already knew the spoilers for the game from social media. It took us a long time to finish it because we were new to the game, but we couldn’t stop playing it. Even after it was done, we went back to recover some collectibles that we left behind. This video game that we were playing is called “Little Nightmares II” by Tarsier Studios. This game opened our eyes to a new genre of video games to play. We ended up getting some more creepy games like Among the Sleep and “Little Nightmares I” which is fun to get together and play with my sister. I do plan to find more games that are even scarier, but I have always come back to “Little Nightmares II.” It’s a great game that became my top favorite after my sister and I finished it. This is because of what I would split into three unique aspects of the game. The gameplay and designs are both excellent. The one thing that this game is highly recognizable for though, is its storyline.

“Little Nightmares II” was released after the first game(Little Nightmares I), but it was said by the creators that it’s actually a prequel. When the game was released, it gained popularity and fans found it better than their expectations. One huge aspect of the game that many found really creative was its storyline. It seemed simple at first, but fans soon discovered that there was a lot more hidden behind the screen. When playing, people find themselves playing as a little boy whose name is Mono in a huge world sometime back in the mid to late-1900s. When playing Mono, the player has a limited amount of things to be able to interact with and hold, because most of the items are huge. After getting to know the controls, the player meets an old friend, Six who joins Mono throughout the game. Six is the female protagonist, who is also a kid in the first game. Once the player gains her trust, she joins them throughout the rest of the storyline.

After meeting her; the player finds themselves walking through this dark and mysterious world, doing anything they have to do in order to survive. The storyline is simple, so players aren’t confused, but that’s not what makes this game very memorable. There are questionable things here and there that players start to pick up on, especially at the end which is one of my favorites. The ending is unpredictable and concludes the game very well by answering some questions people are left with, by adding more. Another thing that people may notice when playing “Little Nightmares II” is some interesting things around them. This may be photos not matching, some areas seem mysterious, and more. Tarsier Studios did an excellent job at hiding secrets and making players guess without giving them answers. That’s what makes the game so memorable to players because of the excellent storyline. Another important thing that a lot of people find themselves enjoying is simply the gameplay itself. Unlike the storyline, it isn’t as popular, but it’s still found to be really fun for players.

One thing that a lot of gamers look for in a video game is the gameplay. It helps attract people and to show the storyline. “Little Nightmares II” shows this perfectly. The creators made it unique and sometimes challenging which made players get hooked into it. Many people would identify this game as a creepy, action, and puzzle-like game. The mood of the game is set to be dark and there are a few small jumpscares that are either visual or audio. The game also tries to pace the player’s heartbeat to make them feel stressed out when playing, so it isn’t boring. I wouldn’t consider “Little Nightmares II” as a horror game though, since there aren't that many scary aspects, and few jumpscares. Instead, I would identify it as a thriller. When it comes to the action part of the game, the players will find themselves fighting monsters using weapons, or running away from the monsters. This video game did really well with this, to keep it fun and stressful for players. One issue though, that a lot of players experienced in the game are glitches. The monsters can often glitch into a wall and Mono can get stuck. This can be annoying to some players, but I find it funny especially in a game like this where it’s meant to be scary. the difficulty of the puzzles in the game can depend on each person’s knowledge. These puzzles can consist of how to avoid the monsters, get up to the roof, or really any other unique scenario. “Little Nightmares II” is really fun and entertaining, but there are puzzles and action. This means that the game can be time-consuming. The game itself takes around four to nineteen hours, and it’s split up into chapters. There are side missions that players can go back to get later if they missed them on the first round of playing, The side-missions consist of hats and glitching remains that players can collect along the way. The hats are for Mono to wear while playing, and the glitching remains open to a secret ending if all of them are found. Another thing in the gameplay that’s very noticeable is the designs. “Little Nightmares II’s” designs are so pretty that fans of the game love it almost as much as the gameplay and storyline.

A few weeks ago, I got two games to play and something that I noticed in them was that the designs seemed similar to “Little Nightmares II.” This made me realize that this game has such special designs, that it’s recognizable for all players. The main character Mono wears a paper bag over his head, and Six wears a yellow raincoat to stand out. Some monsters meanwhile, may have something covering their face, but they all are human-like which adds creativity to it. The monsters also have special abilities, which I can’t specify because of spoilers. Since this game is made to have a creepy setting, the developers made the mood and designs dark, and unsettling. The developers focused highly on each design and color to make the timeline match the buildings, technology, and clothing. The buildings are worn down, the technology isn't as advanced, and the clothing matches the timeline. This gained a lot of respect from me, since I love stories set back correctly and makes sense.. The game’s design’s are so unique that I love them, as well as other fans. It’s creepy, creative, and it can invest players into the game.

“Little Nightmares II” by Tarsier Studios was a gift to my sister that I got, and since then we have played it together and enjoyed it so much. Even when my mother would stare at the TV with a blank stare and hear us scream, it’s always been worth it. The game is only $29.99 on the Nintendo Switch, so it’s definitely worth the price, and it’s available on Steam, Xbox, PS4, the Nintendo Switch, and a few more devices. “Little Nightmares II” brought my sister and I closer, since it was a new thing to bond over. The storyline, gameplay, and designs are all really creative, which is the main reason why it’s my favorite game. It’s really fun as it’s eventful, challenging, pleasant, and mysterious. Even if I wouldn’t consider it a horror game, I would still suggest it to people out there who love horror, or even want to try out a new game genre. “Little Nightmares II” is a great starter game for people who want to start trying out horror games as it’s creepy and stressful, but not terrifying. Obviously, it isn’t for people who get scared easily, but I would recommend it to everyone else. All of its aspects make it so fun and I definitely think more people should try it out. In my opinion, I think anyone should play it with some friends, a relative, or even by themselves. “Little Nightmares II” is a really good game to scream at, stress at, and to even just have fun playing.