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Back in 2021, I walked into my local electronics shop looking to treat myself, saw Little Nightmares 2 Special Edition sitting on the shelf, and bought it on the spot without ever having played the first game. That impulse buy turned into one of the most memorable horror experiences I’ve had on Switch by far.
Five years later, Little Nightmares 2 is back as a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, called Little Nightmares II Enhanced Edition, offering sharper visuals, faster loading times, and smoother performance than the original port ever managed.
I saw this version on Xbox Series X|S when I used to own one, and, for multiple times, I almost bought it. However, something was telling me to hold off and just wait a bit more.
Fast-forward to 2026; this version was made available on Nintendo Switch 2, and after seeing it heavily discounted, I finally decided to add Little Nightmares 2 again to my collection.
I would’ve done it sooner, but there is no upgrade path, and I wasn’t going to pay $29.99 for this game again, even though it’s one of my favorite games of all time.
But now that I’ve seen what this Enhanced Edition has to offer, allow me to tell you whether what it promises is present or not and if Little Nightmares 2 is a game worth investing your time and money in 2026.
What’s New in Little Nightmares 2 Nintendo Switch 2 Edition?
Sharper Visuals
I played the first game with my girlfriend, despite the lack of a co-op feature, and the moment I bought the game, I called her without telling her I did. Then I loaded up the first level on my Switch 1 and let her get accustomed to it for a minute.
Then I booted up the Switch 2 version, and she was as impressed as I was.
On the original, everything is so blurry and grainy (which I honestly thought added to the creepy atmosphere back in the day), but the enhanced version is just beautiful to look at. Its crisper textures, higher resolution, and better lighting turn every single part of this game into a desktop wallpaper.
So on this end, I can confidently say that it delivers what it promised, but I remember the Switch 1 version having the performance issue, mainly with the loading times that impacted the gameplay a bit.
Performance: Finally Steady
In Little Nightmares 2, you will die a lot, and when you do, the game needs to load again, and this took a while on the Nintendo Switch.
And again, the enhanced version, combined with the Nintendo Switch 2’s more powerful hardware, resolves this issue entirely, and loading after death will take maybe 5 seconds.
I would be happy with just this, but it also offers something that you don’t know you need until you see it in motion. Little Nightmares 2 runs at a mostly constant 60 FPS, with perhaps a dip or two when transitions happen that is barely noticeable.
This is true for either handheld or docked, and it makes the entire gameplay feel more fluid, especially in the sequences where you need to run, dodge, and slip past certain enemies.
This, combined with the visual upgrade, makes for a great Nintendo Switch 2 Edition that I can wholeheartedly recommend, with just a small caveat I’ve mentioned previously.
The No-Upgrade-Path Problem
As mentioned, there is no upgrade path for some reason, and I’m not even asking for a free upgrade path like No Man’s Sky or even Hollow Knight. Give me a $5-10 upgrade option, and I’ll buy it immediately.
I already beat this game back in 2021, and I refuse to purchase it again at full price, especially since this isn’t the longest of games. Back then I played it for 10 hours and 100% completed it, but the new run I did only took me 4-5 hours since I already knew how to solve every puzzle. Asking existing owners to pay $30 again just doesn’t sit right with me.
But when I saw it on sale for roughly $10, it was a no-brainer, and never in my life have I purchased a game so fast, because I knew how great this game truly is.
Is Little Nightmares 2 Still Worth Playing in 2026?
This section is a bit of a recap of my 2021 review with some newer and fresher insights on why I think Little Nightmares 2 is a fantastic game:
Mono, Six, and a World Gone Wrong
In this game you play as Mono, a small boy, who eventually saves Six from captivity and joins together through a twisted and corrupt world. Sometimes there are puzzles you must complete in which you need a helping hand, and this is where Six will give you a hand by boosting you up to higher ledges or pushing heavier objects.
Unfortunately, she is mostly AI-controlled, and the only thing you as a player can do is call her next to you or grab hands. While having co-op would be great, I still feel it would’ve changed the atmosphere of the game, and the experience would’ve been completely different.
But Bandai listened to how much fans wanted a co-op game; in 2026 we finally got Little Nightmares 3! A much-awaited game that I haven’t bought for various reasons that are better left mentioned in a future post.
Puzzles That Reward Thinking (Mostly)
This is a puzzle adventure game, and as such, you will be put in situations where you will need to assess your surroundings and find a path forward.
Most of the puzzles I encountered were genuinely satisfying since they relied on logic, exploration, and truly knowing every action your character can make in the game. I used to think that a few puzzles relied on trial and error, but I’ve shifted my opinion a bit to only include one certain elevator puzzle in the batch.
What still infuriates me, though, are a few action sequences where you need to run from big monster-like creatures, and every input you make counts. Some of these sections are super tight with almost no wiggle room for a single missed input. I understand it adds to the tension and atmosphere of the scene, but sometimes I start running immediately, and that freaking blob in the hospital is already breathing down my neck.
An Atmosphere That Still Works
The lack of dialogue is still the game’s biggest strength, leaving everything to your interpretation. And although nothing seems to make sense in the world of Little Nightmares, if you take your time to stop and explore, you will find something that will make you go, “Ahhh, I see what’s going on…”
You’re still exploring a world that looks familiar, everyday places twisted into something wrong, like a school filled with porcelain students or a hospital with walking mannequins.
The hospital bit is probably my favorite part because of these freaking mannequins. They only move in the dark, and to make sure they don’t move, you have to point a flashlight at them. Fail to do it, and you will immediately hear their deformed bodies creak while they approach you in absolute darkness.
This game is terrifying, and going through these places gave me chills in every single playthrough.
It’s the visuals, the art direction combined with its fantastic and out-of-this-world soundtrack, that make all of this work seamless.
If there’s a game that nails atmosphere, it’s Little Nightmares 2.
Length and Replayability
A first playthrough will run you somewhere around 7-8 hours if you’re taking your time and missing collectibles. There are 18 glitching remains and 12 hats scattered throughout if you want to fully clear it, and finding every glitching remain unlocks a secret ending. A cleanup run once you know the puzzles takes a fraction of that time, so there’s a decent reason to go back in even after the credits roll.
But honestly, the reason you will want to replay this game is to see all the details foreshadowing future events that you completely missed. So, before even thinking about going on YouTube to watch videos that explain everything about this game in detail, I urge you to try a second playthrough first!
While I think the game is expensive at full price these days, I’d confidently recommend it for someone in the $20 range if you’re someone that never played Little Nightmares 2 before.
Is Little Nightmares 2 Nintendo Switch 2 Edition Worth It?
If you’ve never played Little Nightmares 2, this is now the best way to experience it on a Nintendo console. The steady 60 FPS alone fixes my single biggest complaint from 2021, and the visuals are just top-notch.
Although you can play in handheld mode, this time around I decided to play almost exclusively in docked mode to immerse myself in the visuals, and it’s something I recommend you doing.
If you already own and finished the Switch 1 version, this version definitely deserves your attention since it elevates every single aspect of this game, and I don’t have a single complaint in this regard.
Although there is no upgrade path, Bandai sales occur quite often, and you’ll be able to find this game at a decent price if you wait long enough.
Little Nightmares 2 Enhanced Edition on Nintendo Switch is a game worth your time and money, and it reminded me why I love it so much.
I purposefully tried not to spoil the game during this review because this is a game that is best experienced when you have 0 knowledge about. Although, playing this enhanced version, there’s nothing that trumps that first playthrough of a Little Nightmares game. Go and play it!
Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you next time with brand-new content.
Great 9/10
Pros
- Locked 60 FPS in docked and handheld mode
- Noticeably sharper visuals and textures
- Faster loading times
- The story, puzzles, and atmosphere still hold up
Cons
- No upgrade path or discount for existing owners
- Full $29.99 price for the same 7-8 hour game
- Some trial-and-error puzzles are still more frustrating than clever
