In 2017, platform puzzle games underwent a dramatic change with the release of Little Nightmares. After its wild success, the prequel was released in 2021, and nearly five years later, Bandai Namco and Supermassive Games finally released the third instalment, which takes players back to Nowhere. I’m honored to have been personally contacted to review Little Nightmares III, and I would like to extend a huge thank you to Bandai Namco and Supermassive Games for the review opportunity.
Little Nightmares III follows best friends Low and Alone, two children searching for their way out of the delusional world of Nowhere that is filled with monstrous adults.
Now, onto the game itself! Little Nightmares III‘s controls are responsive and quick to learn. I’ll admit this is the first Little Nightmares game I’ve played, so I can’t really compare it to the others. I find it adorable that you can make Low and Alone hold hands and run together, and that they can call each other with little whispered “hey!”s, given how the game looks, which leads to the next thing.
I LOVE the art and world that’s built here! The design of Low and Alone’s appearances, the monsters, the levels, the lighting, and the backgrounds and foregrounds, dude! I think it’s the details of the levels and backgrounds that I fell in love with the most because they tell a story without saying anything, the living embodiment of the creative phrase “Show, not tell.”.
Gameplay is fun and adds a twist to the platform genre by making the entire level itself platform and interactable. The puzzles are fun, and the AI of the other character is responsive to aid you if you’re playing solo. The “OH SH!T!” moments in the game help with the game’s pacing and add a hint of peril for players, which helps break up the experience so it’s not boring. In fact, I never once got bored playing during my playthrough.
Overall, for my first experience in the world of Little Nightmares, I think I may have to go and try the other two now. I can’t believe I slept on this series, and thanks to Little Nightmares III, I’m not a fan. On my scale of 1-10, no surprise, it’s a 10!
Little Nightmares III is out now for PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, and PC.
