Among the announcements and gameplay reveals showcase throughout the course of the Geoff Keighley-hosted Opening Night Live event at Gamescom, Little Nightmares 2 the sequel to the critically acclaimed platformer, Little Nightmares, was announced.
Short of stamping Little Nightmares 2 with a definitive release date, Tarsier Studios confirmed the game would ship sometime in 2020. The developer behind much of the Little Big Planet fame franchise also brought along a stunning in-game engine trailer that does well to set the game’s unsettling atmosphere.
Tapping into the fertile topic of vivid childhood fears framed in its unique flavor of whimsical horror and bolstered by haunting music box-led compositions, Little Nightmares 2 looks to follow in the footsteps of its predecessor with a strong emphasis on navigating past and outwitting vicious dangers.
Tarsier has, however, spiced up the formula with a new mechanic that allows the player to arm themselves with kitchen utensils in what the senior narrative designer Dave Mervik playfully calls ”ladle combat”. Although combat won’t form a central pillar of the experience, it will add to the balance of stealth, platforming, and puzzle-solving that encompass the gameplay loop.
The protagonist from the original, Six, makes a welcome return as a sidekick of sorts, but this time her adventures through increasingly nightmarish levels are accompanied by a new playable character, named Mono.
While claustrophobic levels define the original, Little Nightmares 2 appears to venture into the great outdoors traversing wooded glades, a shadowy city, the environs of an abandoned shack, and an ominous Signal Tower as well as the familiar indoor settings including a terrifying classroom.
Little Nightmares 2 heads to PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch.