Little Nightmares III (PS5)

Following the success of Little Nightmares II in 2021, it was inevitable that publisher Bandai Namco would want to continue capitalizing on the series, with Little Nightmares III in development under Supermassive Games after original developer Tarsier was purchased by Embracer. Despite the change in hands, I wanted to continue supporting the Little Nightmares IP due to its more unique approach to horror. After waiting patiently for the long-awaited third entry, I found myself enjoying it at first, only to end up getting gated enough by the game’s own mechanics to put it down before getting the chance to finish it.

A boy named Low wakes up in a mysterious place known as The Spiral. After being joined by a girl named Alone, the two travel between locations through mysterious mirrors as they try to escape. Along the way, Low’s memories float back to the surface.

In many respects, the game builds off of Little Nightmares II, including having two protagonists, except this time both are playable and each have their own skills. Between them, Low has a bow and arrow that enables him to shoot things from afar, while Alone is more aggressive and possesses a wrench strong enough to break down walls. Whichever you choose (I chose Low), the other becomes an AI-controlled companion that can be called over when needed, or can be controlled by a second player through a new co-op feature. Another, much needed, feature is the ability to turn button holds into toggles, which can greatly relieve stress from one’s wrists.

 

Low and Alone must work together to escape The Spiral.

 

The quality of the AI companion, however, leaves something to be desired, While Supermassive did have some experience when making the Enhanced Edition of Little Nightmares II, which itself featured Six as an AI companion, the AI felt like a step down since there were times where I tried to call it over, only for it to not respond at all. Despite this, the AI didn’t seem too bad since it was still able to help when needed such as automatically hoisting to reach tall platforms or switches, and I partly got through the game by consulting a guide only when I felt it necessary. This would eventually come to a head in the final section of Chapter 3, which involves escaping via hot air balloon, in which the AI was suddenly brain dead to the point of preventing me from advancing no matter what I did (ex. swapping from Performance to Beauty to get a lower frame rate, turning off button toggles). After over a dozen attempts, I considered switching to co-op to see if that would fix anything, only to find out that the co-op is online only, and I would have to start over from zero on a new save, leading me to quit the game out of frustration before reaching the fourth and final chapter. I felt at least a little better after learning that there were other players were in the same boat, but perhaps if this particular issue gets fixed, I may go back and finish what I started.

Despite this, and a change in developer, the visual style and sound design feel very consistent with previous games, including maintaining the same camera angle as previous games. This is both a blessing and a curse, as there are more three-dimensional platforming sections that are made trickier by the fixed angle, which is especially difficult in a puzzle from Chapter 3 that involves navigating a spiral staircase of platforms. While it otherwise feels like a Little Nightmares game, I will admit I had difficulty pinning down the theme that ties everything together (the first game was ultimately about gluttony and the second TV addiction), though I don’t know if Chapter 4 would have enlightened me.

While it has all the trappings of a proper entry, Little Nightmares III is ultimately a step down from what came before, with AI issues being the worst offender. I still want to see its issues get fixed and for the series to continue back on the right track, but the game as-is makes me a little wary of the upcoming Secrets of the Spiral DLC chapters.