I felt concerned heading into Little Nightmares 3. I know Supermassive Games is capable of great things. I loved what Tarsier Studios did with the series and how it wove narratives and lore into titles that relied heavily on our observations. Little Nightmares 3 isn’t bad, but it lacks the same cohesive structure and challenging puzzles and encounters of its predecessors.
Word of god essentially says our latest kids trapped in the Nowhere are Low, a child with a bow and arrow that wears a plague doctor style mask, and Alone, a kid with a wrench wearing a full bodysuit and aviator style hat with goggles built into it. The two are attempting to escape and get to safety and home as they travel through different areas, avoiding the monsters and hazards surrounding them. The two depend on one another, with interactions showing clear care, and there are infrequent, interesting insights into the world’s lore.
The gimmick behind Little Nightmares 3 is that this time since two children are attempting to escape and survive, it’s possible to ask a second person to jump in and assist. (Little Nightmares 2 had moments with two too, but didn’t include the mechanic.) If this was actually a challenging game or one with thought into it, I’d appreciate that opportunity! Except it isn’t. It is exceptionally easy. There aren’t as many boss encounters as the previous two games, and those instances that do appear aren’t making very good use of the fact that potentially two people are present. Even the regular puzzles, which aren’t challenging or satisfying, often consist of one throwing switches or triggering something so the other character can get past and then give the first a chance to reunite. It is incredibly easy, with low-stakes puzzles and encounters.
I will say the areas can instill a sense of dread at first glance. On the Switch 2, I noticed that more often the level design would lead to frustration than fear. There are many locations where what I needed to accomplish wasn’t entirely clear due to big, empty spaces, lighting design, and color choices that kept things I needed from immediately “popping.” There were a few situations where what to do next wasn’t difficult, but I needed to adjust the brightness and add the accessibility highlights to objects I could interact with in order to see what I needed to grab. I’m not sure if this is an issue on other platforms, but I was disappointed to see it was needed here. Perhaps if space was used more effectively and the lighting design better matched previous games, it wouldn’t be as much of an issue?
The accessibility options are great, though! I loved that you could add color-coded outlines to things. There are even separate ones for things like objects you can interact with and threats. It’s thoughtful!
But back to the game. Another thing that keeps it from feeling scary is that it doesn’t all flow together as well as previous games. In Little Nightmares, we saw Six make her way through the Maw and deal with threats while making her way toward the “big bad” of the area who acts as its commander and head. In Little Nightmares 2, a young boy named Mono and Six explore the Pale City and attempt to deal with its Signal and ominous Thin Man. Everything we do brings us closer to answers. While Low and Alone are trying to get to freedom here, the locations feel more thrown together, without a sense of cohesive ties, and there isn’t any main opponent we’re rallying against. It doesn’t feel like enough motivation or proper pacing sometimes to ensure the suspenseful ambiance and areas do enough to make things actually feel scary, eventful, and meaningful.
All that said, I do like some of the lore elements that come up here. It does help set up more of the Nowhere and establish more of this region. The relationship between Low and Alone is interesting, and I liked seeing its progression. I also wonder how some of the lore-related elements at the end will affect future entries.
I don’t think Little Nightmares 3 is one of the best games in the series, even though it absolutely looks ominous. I appreciate elements of the tale that it tells. Especially the dynamic between the leads Low and Alone. There are even some enemy designs I really like. It even offers a bit of a lore implication that I’d like to see addressed in the next entry with Six. The problem is that it sometimes doesn’t feel as cohesive due to the lack of a central villain, setpieces that sometimes make it difficult to see what you need to interact with or do to move forward, and co-op elements that don’t feel all that necessary or valuable. Little Nightmares and its sequel feel far more interesting and essential, with this third entry feeling more like optional supplemental material.
Little Nightmares 3 is available for the Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC.
Little Nightmares 3
I don’t think Little Nightmares 3 is one of the best games in the series, even though it absolutely looks ominous.