Dead Space was a masterpiece when it was released in 2008, and somehow feels even more so remade in 2023, when engrossing singleplayer horror story games are so rare. It threads the needle by doing something original, meaningful, and memorable, while giving appropriate nods to the properties that inspired it. Sixteen years later, much of that quality still shines though, though the inevitability of progress has ground some of the luster off of this title and made the offering feel more limited than it once did.

‘The Bunker landed when I was far enough removed from the disappointment of Rebirth to approach with the enthusiasm warranted by a new entry in the storied series. Hoping for a return to form, I was granted something far more exciting: a new apex for my beloved Amnesia series. The Bunker reached such heights by the unexpected route of casting off the gothic, body, and cosmic horror of previous entries and going in a new direction: that of prey eluding the hunter. This title introduces a number of new gameplay elements, mechanics, and dares to discard long standing hallmarks of the series to great success.’

…the game is undeniably beautiful, and the artistic vision is comprehensive and complete from the first moment of the game up to its finale at the top of a tower at the center of the city. Some of the small details that go into designing an area players will pass through only once are deeply impressive, and every scene in the game has a hand-crafted feel that is almost never present in video games. Every piece of Little Nightmares 2 feels bespoke, and is a thoughtful, aware artistic representation that ties the imagery of a single scene to the wider work.

‘Little Nightmares is a game with a lot of blank space, where many of the expected systems, attributes, and mechanics of a title are simply absent. What remains is something pure, a pristine reminder of why people love video games, why the format offers something that can’t be replicated in other media, and like horror itself, why they should be taken seriously’