Little Nightmares 3 preview: A thrilling evolution that heightens the sense of risk and fun

As the old adage goes, all good things come to those who wait. I know that to be true. Why? Well, I’ve sampled Little Nightmares III.

It’s not been the smoothest road for this highly anticipated sequel. After leading the first two instalments, Tarsier Studios parted ways with the IP - the reigns passed over to Supermassive Games. Already, that left fans wondering what this shift would mean for the future of the franchise. Throw in a year long delay and you can understand why fans might’ve been feeling a tad concerned, but I’m here to quell any concerns you may have had.

Having been hands-on with Little Nightmares III for around 30 minutes at this year’s Gamescom, I can safely say that Supermassive Games has excelled in what they set out to do. This is a Little Nightmares game through and through. The defining qualities of the franchise are there but so too have they been evolved, helping Little Nightmares to fulfil a sense of potential that’s been bubbling under the surface for quite some time.

This time around, it’s not Mono and Six that we’ll be helping. It’s Low and Alone who find themselves trapped in a land known as Nowhere. Facing a number of childhood fears, it’s up to you - either alone or with a friend - to help Low and Alone find a path that leads to their escape.

Take a look at Little Nightmares III in action below.

As I said, the classic tentpoles of the franchise are all present and accounted for. If you want to help Low and Alone escape, you’ll need to contend with a number of platforming puzzles, plenty of which include sneaking and, yes, therefore timing your runs to perfection. In one section of the demo, I found myself in the office of what I can only describe as a full-bodied version of Little Nightmares II’s librarian. This file-keeping female individual was equipped with mechanical arms and a faultless sense of spatial awareness.

Escaping her clutches meant studying her movements, waiting for the opportune moment, locating the right hiding spots, outrunning her, and finding ways to slow her down. Largely, this was all the series’ typical affair but it was done expertly well and more of the same is never a bad thing when you’ve already tapped into a winning formula. Naturally, the relief I felt from escaping quickly faded as I soon discovered I’d fallen into an even more cursed underbelly of evil.

There is one key way in which escaping this individual, whose lore I’m desperate to learn more of, felt different. I wasn’t alone - and no, I don’t simply mean the second protagonist trailed behind me. Finally, Little Nightmares is embracing co-op. I played as Low while my co-op partner played as Alone. It totally revolutionised the experience just as many of us expected it would. When you’re playing co-op, you exchange ideas. There’s joy to be found in each other’s triumphs, and so too are there laughs to be had in each other’s failures. I’d not met my co-op partner before and yet, we shared a very wholesome 30 minutes together because Little Nightmares III is such an exquisite example of a co-op gaming experience.

Credit / Bandai Namco

We’ve all been there in prior instalments. You're dashing across a room, hoping you won’t get spotted, willing yourself on - whether that be in your head or out loud. Imagine that experience but with another. Your survival is no longer solely dependent on your own actions. You're relying on one another. It elevates the experience, heightening the sense of risk but so too the sense of fun.

It also means that Little Nightmares III can complicate its puzzles, and I mean that in a wholly positive sense. You see, Low is equipped with a bow and arrow whilst Alone carries a wrench meaning that this time around, certain puzzle solutions are dependent on a certain skill. You’ll have to work together with your partner to figure out exactly who should do what. It’s a nice change of pace for those of us who perhaps, until now, felt we knew the tricks that the franchise might have up its sleeve. As an added tidbit, I also felt like the environment was much more interactive this time around. I was able to pick up far more objects which made puzzle-solving all the more interesting. Do I actually need what I’d just picked up? Or was it simply placed as a red herring?

If you feel put off by the inclusion of co-op - after all, many people enjoy gaming solo - you needn’t be worried. Little Nightmares III can be played entirely solo. Here, like in previous instalments, the secondary character is controlled by AI following your lead when it comes to puzzle solving.

Credit / Bandai Namco

There’s still plenty more I’m keen to know about Little Nightmares III. Fair to say, many of us are wondering how this third instalment will develop the franchise’s combat, especially as Low and Alone boast their own weapons. Unfortunately, combat didn’t come into play during the demo I experienced. I’m also curious to learn more about the lore of this new locale but I’m imagining details of both of those aspects will emerge as we near 2025.

Until then though, I can leave you with the assurance that Little Nightmares III is exactly a step in the right direction for the franchise. The formula you know and love is here, but so too is there plenty of new material for you to sink your teeth into. Boasting a captivating new world, it didn’t take long for Little Nightmares III to grab my attention. The franchise is wonderfully elevated by the sense of risk and fun that co-op introduces, and it’s clear that Supermassive Games has an innate understanding of what it is fans are after. It appears as if an ever-reliable franchise is truly set to delight us once more.

Little Nightmares III is set to launch in 2025 on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and PC.