It has been about a year since Tarsier Studios has announced the much-anticipated sequel to one of the greatest creepy little indie platformers. Little Nightmares II is rumored to release December 2020 on all available platforms, just in time for a frightening holiday season. We may find the long-awaited release date on the Opening Night at Gamescom 2020. That’s when Tarsier is expected to launch the official gameplay premiere of Little Nightmares II.
Little Nightmares, paired with its shocking DLC counterparts, takes place on a large vessel that the Tarsier official website calls The Maw. The game quickly throws you into the body of a little girl named Six, garbed in only a lovely yellow raincoat and riddled with unrelenting hunger. As you explore the beautifully eerie atmosphere and encounter the grotesque creatures, you slowly start to grasp the dark, sinister universe you were hurled into. If The Maw really is “the only place that makes sense,” then what kind of place is the rest of the world?
From the trailer for Little Nightmares II, we see that the main protagonist is no longer Six, but a little boy with a paper bag over his head named Mono. Although Six will be accompanying Mono in this new story, she isn’t playable for co-op, in efforts to sustain that sense of loneliness during the game. A brand new component that will be utilized in the sequel is combat. Mono is able to wield various objects such as a ladle or pipe to be used in battle. This gives an exciting new aspect to the game, while still keeping its horror.
Developers have embraced the idea of “escapism” when creating this sequel. We will find out the true nature of the universe surrounding The Maw. With new darker areas to explore come new horrid creatures residing within them.
The Relentless Huntsman
Prowling the forest outside the city, The Huntsman awaits his next victim. He is a stocky being, equipped with a shotgun and a flashlight. Just like The Lady’s watchful eyes, The Hunter’s light is not to be trusted, unless you have a burning passion for taxidermy.
The Hunter resides in a small, dim shack, where his hobby truly takes form. It is speculated that it is here that you rescue a raincoat-less Six. From then on, teamwork becomes a prominent source of escaping The Huntsman’s grasp.
The Sadistic Teacher
With a huge head and grey sunken eyes, this new creature is indeed the face of a true nightmare. The Teacher is able to elongate her neck in efforts to seek out unruly children, which can be truly terrifying when paired with solving complex puzzles.
We see in the trailer that her class is filled with well-behaved children who look eerily similar to the “dolls” we see in the mobile game, Very Little Nightmares. However, those “dolls” were still inanimate. A few scenes later, we see a headless being horrendously rising from a bed. From this, we can assume that reanimation has been succeeded in this universe and may have been used to fill this Sadistic Teacher’s classroom.
The Broadcaster
Although he made his first appearance in the Secrets of the Maw DLC, not much is known about this long, slender being known as The Broadcaster. It is presumed that he will be the main antagonist in this campaign, awaiting Mono and Six in The Signal Tower. The Broadcaster seems to hypnotize adults throughout the city using television sets.
A theory that would be very interesting to unfold is the strange correlation between The Broadcaster and Mono. Just as The Broadcaster uses televisions to his advantage, we see Mono using them as well. In various shots, we are shown what seems like odd, random places for a TV. It almost feels as if Mono operates them as a source of communication or even teleportation.
Another association can be found within the Little Nightmares II main display art. The Broadcaster is standing tall in front of The Signal Tower, merging their shadows together and making its shape dubiously similar to Mono’s outline. A theory can be made that Mono is meant to replace The Broadcaster, similar to how The Pretender (Very Little Nightmares) was being groomed to replace The Lady (Little Nightmares). However, this would result in Mono most likely dying in the process or succeeding in taking The Broadcaster’s place. Either way, Six will end up just like she did at the end of Little Nightmares: alone.
Release Date?
As of now, neither Tarsier Studios nor Bandai Namco have disclosed any inkling of a Little Nightmares II release date. However, their official Twitter account recently posted that they will reveal gameplay on the opening night of Gamescom 2020 at 8 pm CEST / 2 pm ET / 11am PT. This is going to be a very exciting snippet, so be sure to tune in on OpeningNightLive.com.
Developers have done a fantastic job of keeping their fans in the dark about the sequel, only adding more and more mystery to this amazing universe. It’s going to be an exhilarating next few days for Little Nightmares fans. I can already hear them hammering away on their keyboards with theories and secrets.
- Little Nightmares II Gameplay Premiere at Gamescom 2020 - August 26, 2020