Little Nightmares III (2025)

There is nothing better than a spooky game in October, and this year’s release of Little Nightmares III was such a delight to see on the calendar. I have been enamored with the series ever since the first one came out. Normally I’m not one for “scary” games, but the more twisted and macabre sensibilities that this series showcases leaves me wanting more with every single game.

The now full blown franchise is steeped in large set piece chaos, bittersweet moments of tenderness and even the odd bewilderment of the spectacle. With what initially seemed to be little in the way of story at first glance, over the games and DLC, the lore has become somewhat legendary, although I’ve never been much of a fan of having to go outside the game itself to piece together information and even character names.

But that's the awkward beauty of Little Nightmares, it always seems to be marching to the beat of its own drum, and the third installment sadly feels like it tried to course correct with the departure of its original studio and handing development to SuperMassive Games. A studio with a more plotted out narrative design philosophy, and that shines a bit too brightly for this dark and dour franchise.

Immediately, I felt something was “off” about the game, as I was forced to have a tag along character akin to the escort missions in the days of the much beguiled Ico from PlayStation 2. I quickly felt dragged down by the secondary character, having to wait for them to get into place to hoist me up to grab a lever. Most of the time I left them in the dust, only to put the controller down for 60 seconds at a time to wait for them to play catch up.

Both characters have a unique ability. One has a wrench and can bash walls or split open things. The other has a bow and arrow allowing him to shoot buttons and kill enemies. Splitting up the character’s mechanics into two different and separate ones left me just watching boss battles half the time. They do balance it out, so one character gets one, the other gets the next one. But for what was always a single player game just feels weird and removes the fun. There is one boss battle near the end of the game, that I just watched happen, and made it less enjoyable.

Besides the frustrating helper character, I felt the whole game seemed to play the greatest hits and really missed what the Little Nightmare series really is at its core. While I do think they got the setting, atmosphere and character down well enough,it felt odd, like I was walking through exhibit set pieces instead of playing a game.

Sadly Little Nightmares III loses the magic by sticking too strictly to a formula of what the series is known for. Large, creepy ugly horrifying creatures to chase and hit down the main character. The whole thing felt like a fan game with exceptional polish, but didn't add or put their own unique spin on the game. And that's where the game fails at being a game. Instead, it feels like an interactive experience that you do “play” but in the loosest interpretation of it.

Maybe I was expecting too much, because what is there is done well. The scale of the world is large and lumbering, with a feeling of foreboding around every new corner. The art direction and style feel cohesive within the overall series, and the character design is top notch, with some of the more unique boss characters I’ve seen in the last half decade.

However, that wasn't enough for me to overlook the very basic and common gameplay loop with some of the lightest puzzles, and that uses the term extremely loosely. I found myself barely doing more than moving the stick forward with an occasional jump and grab. While the $40 price point is a kind gesture, this roughly 5 hour game is still maybe priced a bit too high for the little amount of real gameplay there is.

I only wish that SuperMassive Games didn't feel the need to return to a formula so much throughout the entire game, and instead would have felt more comfortable redefining the series with their own unique style, and branching out more. With that said, it was a fun experience and did end up featuring my favorite setting in the whole franchise, with the circus section. It's a very solid game that builds up that forgotten and missing “B” tier gaming catalog that we so desperately need.