Spooky season approaches, so why not jump head first into some unsettling, atmospheric horror in an all new outing in the Little Nightmares franchise. New characters, locations and an entirely new development team bring the nauseating world of Nowhere back to life. We’re here to tell you all about it in our Little Nightmares 3 Review.
Note: Unfortunately, Xbox Review Code was not available until Launch for Little Nightmares 3, so for this review, I played through on PC via Steam using a controller. With the game releasing on everything, including last-generation hardware, I don’t have any concerns on performance on console.
Out with the old, in with the New
Little Nightmares is an incredibly popular franchise, but I have to admit I approached this latest release with more than a little trepidation. The first two games in the series were developed by Tarsier, and I was a big fan of their previous work. This time around they’ve moved on to work on new things, so Publisher Bandai Namco have brought in the team at Supermassive Games to helm the development of Little Nightmares 3.
A highly requested feature has been implemented for the first time, with full two player co-operative play available at launch. You can still play the game solo, with the game taking control of your partner throughout, much the same as in Little Nightmares 2. There’s even a Friends Pass, just like in EA’s Split Fiction, so you can pull in a pal to join you.
Full fledged co-operative play of course brings with it a whole host of new design challenges that the team at Supermassive Games had to tackle, alongside making a brand new entry in a beloved franchise. I’m pleased to say that for the most part, they’ve succeeded, but sadly the game isn’t without its flaws – I’ll get into those in a bit.
Feeling Low and Alone
In Little Nightmares 3, you will primarily play as ‘Low‘, a young boy trying to find his way out of ‘The Spiral‘, a bizarre and frightening concoction of environments within the world of Nowhere. You’re joined by a girl named ‘Alone‘, your best friend in this horrible, awful place. There’s more to the relationship between these two characters – and the worlds in which they travel – than meets the eye, but to tell you more would be a disservice to you. So too, would be sharing or spoiling too many details of some of the inhabitants you’re going to come across, so if you’re looking for a mostly spoiler-free review, you’re in the right place.
Though Little Nightmares has always flirted with limited combat, this time around both characters are permanently armed. Low carries a makeshift bow and arrow, perfect for hitting switches placed out of reach or snapping ropes like Robin Hood in Prince of Thieves. Alone wields a half broken wrench, which can be used to smash apart rock and splintered wood, or bash buttons that are too heavy-duty to simply push. These tools bring with them a little more player agency, which is no bad thing.
Over the course of 5-6 hours, Low and Alone will traverse a variety of unusual locations, from a twisted fairground populated by a large, melted group of fun-seekers, to a desolate, dystopian town patrolled by a seemingly enormous baby that’s searching for its next plaything. There are hidden collectibles to find, and different outfits to wear. The chapter-driven structure is very similar to previous games in the series, though this time I don’t feel it’s as narratively powerful. It’s told in the same style, with no voice lines or lengthy character exposition. It plays out with some nice animation and environmental story-telling, but the plot felt disjointed overall.
Trial and Error, Error, Error
Visually, Supermassive Games have taken the mantle from Tarsier rather well here. The environments of Little Nightmares 3 feel just as detailed – as grimy and twisted as anything that’s come before in the franchise, with a suitably unsettling cast of unnerving creatures to avoid and outwit. They introduce some smart new game mechanics (that I don’t really want to spoil) in addition to some welcome returning ones like the torch, which was used to great – and moderately terrifying effect in Little Nightmares 2.
It leaves me really wanting to love Little Nightmares 3 in spite of some of the pretty frustrating issues I came across, from poorly signalled visual and design cues that let a player know what to do, and when to do it, to some incredibly inconsistent event animations that left me yelling at the TV in a disgruntled rage (and apologising to my teammate for my foul language – sorry DeadlyHeadley).
Trial and error has been a staple part of the Little Nightmares series, tasking players with figuring out very quickly on what to do to escape or avoid capture, and punishing you swiftly should you make the wrong choice. While these mechanics are present and accounted for in , I’m of the opinion that the various cues to nudge players in the right direction are severely lacking this time around. These issues are also compounded upon by creatures that seemingly change their animations and scripted event cadence at random, meaning sometimes it’s literally impossible to escape, and others it’s a walk in the park. This was apparent again and again throughout my co-op sessions, and became a source of very real frustration.
Bad Dreams
Other issues are also apparent. While characters felt more responsive overall this time around, there were occasions where the controls didn’t seem to want to respond at all. Equally, the same problems of perceiving depth in the 3D environments were also still readily apparent, meaning that desperate jump you make to escape and land where you need in order to survive frequently went wrong, and it’s not entirely the fault of the player. Combined, all these issues became so pervasive that they really took away from my overall enjoyment of Little Nightmares 3, and that is a massive shame, because there’s some really good stuff here.
As always when it comes to what I play versus what you’re going to play, some of these issues may be patched out or improved by the time you’ve got the game in your hands. It’s also worth mentioning that while I’ve played the previous two games in the series solo, I did play this one in co-op throughout. While that’s all great and lovely, I do feel that it takes something away from the game in a way. The banter and conversation you’ll have with your pal detracts from the usual uneasiness and palpable atmosphere of the series, to its detriment. I wonder if the bond between Low and Alone would have been more in focus if I’d been playing solo rather than with a friend. I sense a replay of the game on my own ahead of me in the future, to see if it makes me feel differently when the credits roll.
A Frustrating Journey
If not for some of the problems I encountered, Little Nightmares 3 would be a rock solid continuation of the franchise from Supermassive Games. While it doesn’t quite hit the narrative and atmospheric highs of Little Nightmares 2, it brings in some smart new ideas, two player co-operative play and makes for another wonderfully sickening time in Nowhere. It’s just a shame it was such a frustrating journey.
Review Code provided by Bandai Namco for this review.
Little Nightmares III
Played on
PC
PROS
- Great atmosphere and art, worthy of the franchise
- Some cool new game mechanics
- Spooky audioscape
- Felt more responsive to play
CONS
- Trial and Error gameplay rears its head far too often
- Some frustrating animation events seemed random
- Poor player signposting
