Review – Little Nightmares III

has arrived to rekindle your childhood memories and deepest fears, perhaps it’s the chance to face them once and for all or continue feeling those butterflies in your stomach. The dark look, with its distortions of shapes and sizes, makes this game a beautiful horror scenario, one that can make us hold our breath. The good thing is that you are not alone, as now you can face this “twilight” with a friend online.

The third title in the franchise has a new home: now in the hands of Supermassive Games (from Until Dawn and The Quarry). The change of studio brought curiosity and some distrust, as Tarsier Studios, creator of the first two games, had established its own identity. Still, Little Nightmares III maintains much of the characteristic style, but adds the possibility of cooperative mode, which can help or cause even more fear – it depends on the courage of whoever is playing.

The mirror of our own fears

The game continues to be known for its enigmas and abstract representations, but the question remains: what’s new and which path will the new developer take the series? Right away, we know that this is not a direct continuation, but rather a new story within the same universe. Despite this, there is a lot to discover, which will encourage fans and players to face all these new nightmares.

As usual, the story is not told clearly – there are no dialogues or introductions. What we get are the characters’ own actions in the shadowy world known as Nowhere. In the role of Low or Alone, we go through four chapters: The Necropolis, The Candy Factory, The Amusement Park and The Institute. The goal is to escape these sinister places, and your portal of transportation is the mirrors.

Interpretations, as always, are up to the player. But you can see that the story of Little Nightmares III is more about Low, what we see throughout the narrative seems to reflect his childhood traumas, and the way in which these fears are represented is one of the most valuable hallmarks of the series. In this title, however, things don’t seem to have the same depth and complexity as previous games – or perhaps they’ve become even more subtle, which is a real shame.

Still, it’s agonizing to think how a child’s traumas could lead to such sinister nightmares. Without giving spoilers, Low is the one who imagined and got involved in all of this. He suffers not only from fear of these figures and places, but also from love for his friend Alone. Clearly, he wants to break free, but he wants to take her with him – and that’s where one of the game’s biggest mysteries begins.

Honestly, the story is worth knowing. It is enigmatic and dark as the series seeks to be and, if we leave aside the more explicit philosophical and critical layers of the previous games, we realize that the proposal remains interesting enough to yield good surprises – and scares.

Medo you do the Little Nightmares III

The game allows you to choose between playing as Low, who carries a bow and arrow, or Alone, who has a wrench. Throughout the game, both also use an umbrella to glide, a flashlight and, closer to the end, a special doll that creates a zone between the present and the past simultaneously, a very interesting visual and mechanical effect, which promotes more elaborate puzzles.

The second child will always be present and can be controlled by the AI ​​or a second player via online multiplayer. The game also features a “friend pass”, where only one of the players needs to have the full game, while the other enters by invitation – something similar to the . Both, however, must have an online subscription. It’s a good way to share the horror and enjoy the experience as a couple, but it’s worth saying that the puzzles are simple, and anyone who has played the previous titles will quickly understand what to do.

Troublesome nightmares

There are times when you get stuck for a few minutes without knowing what to do, which would be great if it were on purpose, but most of the time it’s due to collision errors or AI failures, which sometimes stays still or doesn’t respond until you call it manually. These moments are frustrating and can cause unnecessary deaths or force a checkpoint restart.

When everything works well, the mechanics are solid, and the puzzles bring the same kind of tension and rhythm as previous games. There are echoes of everything we’ve seen before – including enemies and situations that remind us of the hospital, for example. Fortunately, the emotional impact of these scenes remains strong.

Little Nightmares III is beautiful. The sets and design, reminiscent of a touch of Tim Burton, make Nowhere a frightening spectacle. The journey through the Spiral takes us to breathtaking locations: from the Necropolis, an abandoned and melancholic city, to the feared Institute. Each phase holds disturbing moments, but also scenes of morbid beauty – a merit of the excellent art direction.

The soundtrack maintains an intimidating tone, with bizarre and subtle sounds that make us sigh with every step. However, the game relies more on silence, which can break some of the immersion, especially when combined with bugs or AI glitches.

The duration of the main campaign is around 6 hours, which generated some controversy among players on the internet. The feeling is that the game ends before exploring its full potential. On the other hand, there are collectibles scattered throughout the levels such as dolls and spectral echoes, which encourages replays and extends playing time.

Let’s face it, no game in the series is that long, in addition, Supermassive confirmed two planned DLCs, which could expand the narrative and deepen the theories left open. And it’s worth mentioning that the game also features alternative costumes for Low and Alone, although it’s just cosmetic, they’re pretty cool. The point is that this content is paid, but perhaps it could be worth the wait and investment – ​​I’m rooting for it.

Even with technical stumbles and relatively low difficulty, Little Nightmares III is a disturbing and visually striking journey. It’s a good game if analyzed in isolation, offering intense and beautiful moments, but within the series and considering everything it represents, it loses some of its strength and can leave long-time fans with a bittersweet taste.