With Halloween mere weeks away, gamers flock to the latest title that will send chills down their spine. The Little Nightmares IP has always provided a sense of isolation, helplessness and horrific wonder told through visuals rather than the spoken word. Little Nightmares 3 arrives with a new developer (Supermassive of Until Dawn fame) and enters the co-op space to build on the success of previous entries. Told through the navigation of two characters simply named Low and Alone, players move through four themed levels full of dark corners, grotesque monsters and puzzles to solve. With fantastic visuals and mysterious backdrops, Little Nightmares 3 looks nightmarish with an atmosphere of silence and shadows. Does the co-op approach work? Is the story connected to the previous games? Is this a move in the right direction, or a misstep? Read on.
My first memories of Little Nightmares is a collection of mental flashbacks to a child in a yellow coat navigating the Maw (a massive ship). The pure feeling of isolation causes most of the panic and fear in part 1, with the game gradually opening up to reveal a mysterious plot (with a devastating conclusion). Part 2 perfected the gameplay and introduced a second character, proving itself as a sequel that was bigger in every sense. The connected thread with part 1 was the highlight. With part 3, that sense of loneliness I remember from part 1 is altered through the dual protagonists. While their interaction is largely based on gameplay (Low uses a bow and can trigger hard to reach places, while Alone wields a wrench and can smash through barriers) having a friend makes the navigation feel less suffocating. An appearing monster will grab one of you, meaning the other realistically escapes even though the game resets to the checkpoint. The strength in this style really is in playing with another person rather than AI, leaving room for human fear and error in trying to press that switch before a demon spider devours you. At its best, dashing through levels or figuring out a puzzle is enhanced through co-op. On the other end of the scale, I noticed I was less fearful moving through factories, carnivals and the like knowing I had a companion. This push and pull will hit different with players across the game’s 5-7 hour runtime, depending on how you find joy in the series.
Gameplay is fairly similar to previous titles – walk, run, duck, grab, push and pull. The addition here is the weapons, though they are more for access than battle. I chose Low as the use of a bow sounded strong in a world where creatures scale all the walls. Wearing a cape and a mask with a beak, I could withdraw the bow and shoot unlimited arrows whenever I wanted. The limitation here is that the arrows are only useful when a button or rope is near the player. You won’t miss if close. Alone’s wrench worked the same way, and having some sort of weapon did make me feel more capable even if they weren’t mainly for the enemies. Other functions include using an umbrella to soar through vents and wielding a torch to shine a light on this bleak, dark world. Most of the time, Low and Alone are entering rooms seeking an escape through a tight opening. The most thrilling set pieces are the heart-pumping runs through levels when being chased by some form of monster. This is often the ‘boss fight’ of the level, ensuring anything learned during that time is put to the test. While nothing outside of the added weapons is changing the gameplay, Little Nightmares 3 is about barely scraping through while out of breath. The characters achieve this, and the actions usually serve this well.
Little Nightmares games live and die by their locations. Part 2 had the most happening from a story sense, and part 3 moves more towards part 1 as it is not connected to the previous titles. Just when the game finished, I found the story was starting to develop – I hope the upcoming DLC helps flesh this out. Locations really tell the story, and we start in a place called Necropolis with a gigantic baby doll smashing everything in grasp. The candy factory is next, followed by the Carnivale and finally the Institute. I expected the Carnivale to be my favourite from a mere theme perspective, but found the level to be much more walking and searching than a tighter level like the candy factory (which focuses more on the chasing creature trope the series is known for). All are dimly lit, full of subtle storytelling and with some sort of environmental movement to add fear factor. As mentioned earlier, I didn’t feel too much fear in my playthrough. When I did, it was usually something in a far-off corner like statue or flashing red light that harkened back to my childhood watching horror movies late at night in bed alone. There are minor throwbacks to the earlier games in level design, but nothing too substantial outside of puzzles operating similarly. The co-op gameplay and level design connect well, ensuring that players are working together to escape these strange, patrolled halls.
There is a heap of accessibility options to really help the player, such as highlighting parts of the environment that can be manipulated. Replay value is also available through the collection of dolls and other checklist-based tasks, utilising the chapter select function to make the sweep when the story is concluded. Costumes can be changed, really delving into your Halloween spirit. Platinum will likely take 10-15 hours, depending on how much you searched during your initial playthrough. I had no bugs in my PlayStation 5 playthrough, and the sound design continued to focus on the less-is-more approach in letting your mind play its soundtrack based on visual presentation. Little Nightmares has simply never looked this good, especially with the close-ups of anything planning to derail your progression. I had some minor frustrations with movement, such as precisely hitting a ledge or keeping my feet on a platform. Though after some trial and error, this usually solves itself. Their little running actions and ‘hey, over here’ calls are well tied to trying to keep quiet, enhancing immersion.
Little Nightmares 3 is a solid entry into the series that prides itself on visual storytelling, complete with new protagonists and a somewhat standalone story. While I did miss being alone (no pun intended, and noting part 2 already moved away from this) the expansion to co-op gameplay is a natural progression for the series (especially as your friends don’t need to purchase the game to play with you). The monsters are horrid in look and movement, the locations are full of puzzles to solve and collectibles extend the game’s otherwise short runtime – though all these notes align perfectly with the series. While I do hope future DLC and titles delve further into the horror aspect, the IP still has a niche in the nightmarish platforming genre and will continue to be a game that many use as their spooky experience. Whether feeling Low or Alone, Little Nightmares 3 is one to seek on those dark October nights awaiting a knock on the door…
Pros
- Fantastic visuals and presentation
- Chase sequences are full of dread
Cons
- Not quite as fear-inducing as previous titles
- Added weapons could have more use
