Tarsier Studios, alongside Playdead (creators of Inside and Limbo), is recognised as a trendsetter in the horror platformer genre. Its Little Nightmares series is renowned for being an atmospheric adventure that sparks the imagination of theory enthusiasts. However, Tarsier is no longer responsible for the series. Having gone independent under the wing of Embracer Group, the studio is preparing to release its new project, Reanimal. Bandai Namco Games retains the rights to Little Nightmares and has decided to turn the series into a large multimedia franchise. Supermassive Games (The Dark Pictures), a company specialising in interactive cinema, has been entrusted with releasing the games.
Supermassive Games, supported by Bandai Namco, has released Little Nightmares III, the latest instalment in the cooperative adventure puzzle horror series. On its first day of release, the game received almost 2,000 reviews on Steam, only 52% of which were positive.
As well as initial bug issues, gamers complained about the high price for such a short game (lasting about eight hours), empty locations, repetition of elements from previous instalments, overly simple puzzles, and a lack of creativity on the part of the developers. Many were also disappointed by the lack of local co-op.
It should be noted that the game was originally conceived as a co-op platformer, so local co-op is not possible — players would need to buy a second PC. However, it can also be played solo. Simply select one of the two characters, and the second will be ‘controlled’ by AI. However, there is very little interaction between players (or between the player and the AI). There are only a few puzzles in the entire game that require you to work together. Each character has their own weapon — a bow or a huge wrench — and depending on this, some ‘puzzles’ are solved by one hero or the other. That’s all there is to the co-op. If one character had both weapons, there would be no point in co-op at all.
Why did I put ‘puzzles’ in quotation marks? Because there are no actual puzzles. Seriously, a game that really required thinking has been turned into a three-button platformer. And a rather mediocre one at that. Sometimes the characters refuse to jump or grab, seemingly at random. Sometimes you can jump from a spot and not reach, but if you repeat the jump, you will reach. Why? Just for fun. Unfortunately, there are quite a few oddities and bugs.
There are no new concepts; everything has been seen before, either in the first two games or in similar platformers. In fact, the entire game boils down to dragging boxes, jumping onto ledges (if the character deigns to grab onto them), searching for batteries, and either being stealthy or running away from bosses. And there are plenty of flaws in all of this.
The game is simple and short, but the need for perfect timing and hitboxes stretches out the walkthrough. The first two games sometimes forgave mistakes and minor ‘blunders’, but you shouldn’t expect that here. This is exacerbated by the 2.5D camera and clunky controls, especially when using a keyboard. Additionally, the speed elements (chases) have become completely unintuitive. The game also has no tutorial. Add it all up: unintuitive gameplay, clunky controls, bugs with jumps and hooks, and a camera that gets in the way. The game can be really frustrating when you have to die several times before you figure out where to run. Then you have to die a few more times because the character simply stops running or refuses to jump.
The plot… Well, Little Nightmares never stood out for its great script; everything was based on hints conveyed through visuals. Here we have another set of ‘dog dreams’. More precisely, a certain boy (who is obviously black — where would we be without that nowadays?) is in a mental hospital and invents an imaginary girlfriend called One, with whom he will escape from his own nightmares.
The events of the trilogy unfold once again in Nowhere, a parallel world created from children’s dreams and nightmares. This time, the story follows two main characters: Low, a boy wearing a plague doctor’s mask, and Alone, a mysterious girl who hides her face behind a flight helmet with goggles. Together, they must overcome four locations, moving between them through mirrors while fending off monsters and grotesque local inhabitants.
The locations and enemies faithfully recreate Tarsier’s work. The carnival is a loose remake of the original’s Belly, and the six-armed boss at the confectionery factory is a loose remake of the teacher from the sequel. The environment feels rather dreary and monotonous. The heroes encounter many empty rooms along the way and must constantly open identical hatches in the walls to progress, which becomes tiresome by the middle of the second chapter.
Don’t expect any interesting details — there are practically no Easter eggs, and the overuse of the depth of field effect makes it extremely difficult to see anything in the background. The notorious Carnival suffered particularly badly.
The first chapter in the Necropolis, where a giant animated doll destroys the area, was the most unsuccessful segment. Although the developers depict ravens as a potential threat throughout the game, the heroes barely interact with the birds. Instead, there is a one-time skirmish with beetles. Even the level boss does not seem like a threat that needs to be fought off. In fact, there is no final battle with the doll, nor any victory over it — it simply leaves and disappears on the horizon.
For the first time in the series, I can’t praise the visuals. The locations are meaningless and, while the second chapter is still more or less enjoyable, the rest of the game is a monolith of greyness and shadows. There are moments when you just run through several rooms in a row without any puzzles or enemies and think, ‘Come on, add some cool stuff to the picture.’ But no — there’s nothing to catch your eye. Overall, I really missed the atmosphere present in the first two parts. This is supposed to be a horror game, but I felt no fear, no disgust, and no psychological weight. The only emotion the game elicited from me was rage at the clumsiness of the developers.
I want to blame the change in the development team for everything. This game was developed by Supermassive Games rather than Tarsier Studios, the creators of the first two games. The game has become more expensive and boring, with worse atmosphere and visuals and poorer mechanics, but it does have co-op.
Despite Supermassive Games’ efforts, Little Nightmares III has turned into a corporate product, lacking the features that millions of players around the world loved about the series. All the magic has evaporated, and there are no secrets left. It’s no surprise that user reviews on Steam are full of negativity and disappointment.
However, in its desire to turn the Little Nightmares universe into a mass-produced product, Namco Bandai is not ready to stop — the trilogy’s menu already has room for two DLCs, and a VR game, comics, and a cartoon are planned for the future. The rest of us will have to wait for Reanimal, which Tarsier is set to release in 2026.
The main legitimate complaint about Little Nightmares 3 concerns its length. In addition, paying $40 for three to six hours of gameplay in a popular series at current prices does not seem attractive to me. Many of my friends are waiting for discounts before buying the game.
Nevertheless, Little Nightmares 3 is a worthy continuation of the series. It will definitely appeal to horror fans, as well as those who didn’t particularly like the previous installments, and those who will play it solely for the co-op mode.
Unfortunately, the game doesn’t bring anything new to the series, but it’s still fun. And despite the overall critical tone, Little Nightmares III has its moments, and it’s really enjoyable to play with a friend. However, the game doesn’t stand out in any way, and with its relatively short 4-hour runtime, it’s more like a dream that will be quickly forgotten upon waking up.
