Little Nightmares 3 Preview: Supermassive takes over from Tarsier in an authentic-feeling threequel

Let's waste no time getting to the point here. With Tarsier Studios surrendering the reins to the Little Nightmares franchise and Bandai Namco handing the duties to steward it forward to Supermassive Games, you might be a little concerned about what this means for the upcoming third game in the series. Will there be creative liberties taken, will the gameplay play differently, will the ambience and setup be adjusted due to the fact that a different creative hivemind is behind the project? I've had the chance to play through a short portion of Little Nightmares 3 during my time at Gamescom and I can tell you with the utmost confidence that none of this is the case. Little Nightmares 3 is Little Nightmares as you know and love it at its best.

Supermassive may be the name on the tin for this third instalment into the series but if you peel off the British studio's name you'd find Tarsier Studios scratched into the surface beneath. Little Nightmares 3 feels like the right evolution and step forward for the series, with a premise and gameplay that perfectly nails the Little Nightmares ingenuity and unsettling factor. You'll still wander through a 3D world from a side perspective, evading monsters and large villains by hiding and avoiding their line of sight and at the same time solving environmental puzzles and challenges and platforming to new areas along the way. The spirit of Little Nightmares has not gone anywhere in this threequel.

But anyway, let's get to my experience with the game. I had the opportunity to play through the Candy Factory level in cooperative mode alongside another journalist. The aim was the same as every other Little Nightmares level: to reach an endpoint without being found and savagely killed by a core villain, which in this situation ended up being a twisted woman that could best be described as the school headmistress of your nightmares. As this was a cooperative demo, I took on the role of Alone, a young boy who could use a spanner to smash things and even open new areas by removing any bolts in my path. The other protagonist, the one my co-op counterpart took control of, is known as Low and is a young girl that uses a bow and arrow to activate buttons out of reach, as an example. Working in tandem we overcame many obstacles, be it an electrified water leak, a beetle-infested dark room, and the awful twisted woman who whenever she spotted either of us would launch into a manic state and charge towards the spotted protagonist to snatch them up.

The gameplay came across as quite straightforward but with a lot of complexity and nuanced difficulty in the timing windows associated with how to conquer each of the respective puzzles and challenges. When first meeting the twisted woman, the immediate thought is to run to safety, but after a death or two, you learn her movements and find ways to navigate the room by hiding under desks and in boxes to avoid her gaze and sneak through the room without arousing any suspicion. Again, it's all very traditional Little Nightmares. And this applies to the fear-factor and unnerving nature too, as Little Nightmares 3 isn't scary or frightening but it is thoroughly unsettling and creepy, with an ambience that makes your hairs stand on air, more so when you come face-to-face with some of the horrors that Supermassive has cooked up.

The attention to detail is also there and unchanged from what we came to expect in prior instalments. The world is lovingly crafted and has so much depth despite playing from an angle where half of the world is never seen. The backdrops and backgrounds are some of the more impressive and complex parts, many of which have you asking the question of what exactly is happening before you decide to get back down to business and keep working forward in an attempt to continue and find an escape from the torment of the Spiral. And this is all simply an impression that I have gathered from my time working through the dark, dreary, and creepy Candy Factory level, which is why I'm now going to pass the baton over to Óscar to share his thoughts on the brighter (but no doubt equally twisted) Necropolis demo.

Thank you, Ben! I guess you got to be the lucky bastard trying out all the fresh content, while I was stuck with the game's first chapter. But hey, that's what happens when you're not the one in charge around here! No hard feelings, though—I'm just happy I got to explore the Necropolis level.

For context, this was actually the first game I got to play at Gamescom. It was at one of the Xbox Reception booths—which, by the way, I couldn't help but notice was utterly pitch black when I walked in. What better way to kick off a day at a gaming convention than by jumping into a horror game in total darkness? Alone, no less! Unlike Ben, I didn't have a journalist to toss at the twisted woman to buy me enough time to make my escape. Stuck there, all alone in the darkness, I couldn't think of a better way to set the tone for the day than by being so scared I might end up shitting myself.

Jokes aside, while the Candy Factory brought dark and twisted horror elements to the forefront, the Necropolis offered a different, but no less chilling, atmosphere. Necropolis is depicted as a ruined city, filled with abandoned gears and mills. The atmosphere in this chapter is dense and oppressive, accentuated by the constant sound of wailing mingling with the wind. Set against a backdrop of sand dunes and ancient ruins, this level managed to convey a sense of timeless dread and mystery, true to the unsettling ambiance Little Nightmares is known for. In this demo, you kick-off by waking up in a dazed state, and after a few meters of walking, you find yourself surrounded by nothing but sand and silence, except for the distant echoes of the wind and the eerie soundtrack.

To solve the puzzles, you need to switch between Low and Alone, each with unique abilities. Alone's spanner is used for mechanisms and breaking walls, while Low's bow facilitates reaching elevated spots, scaring away crows, and killing beetles. These mechanics emphasise the series' traditional puzzle-solving approach but integrate new elements to enhance complexity. For instance, in my chapter's demo I got a glimpse of future additions to the game, like crow feather umbrellas, which I thought were really cool.

One of the standout moments in the demo was the encounter with Monster Baby, the main antagonist in this chapter. As I mentioned before, unlike Ben, I didn't have a journalist at my side to toss to the giant devil baby if things went sideways. So, as the demo dragged on and that damn baby kept popping up more and more, the chances of me pooping my pants increased more and more. Something I truly liked was that this unsettling creature not only served as a fear-inducing enemy but also acted as a catalyst for the plot's development. In the final scene of the demo (which is likely the one that terrified me the most), we see Monster Baby in action: it destroys a wall and seemingly traps the characters, leading them to a new location. This is a compelling example of how the game effectively combines enemy design and jumpscares with narrative elements.

Anywhere you looked, you would find crows, their cages brimming with feathers and bones. Crows, traditionally symbols of death and omens across various cultures, added to the grim ambiance—every detail in the game, no matter how seemingly insignificant, carries a hidden meaning. And just like with Ben's demo, there were plenty of beetles in the chapter I played. Lots of them. For instance, beetles and their eggs are recurring elements, echoing the discomfort experienced in the first Little Nightmares game with leeches. This choice of recurring threats reinforces the series' thematic consistency and the sense of creeping horror. So I can't help but agree with Ben here, when he says that the spirit of Little Nightmares has not gone anywhere in this threequel.

And with that (we don't want to spoil where all the scares are coming from), I'll wrap up by saying this: if you're a fan looking for more of the eerie thrills you've come to love from the first two games, this one delivers on all fronts. During Gamescom 2024, we also got to play Reanimal (from the creators of Little Nightmares 1 and 2), where we saw a deliberate effort to elevate the Little Nightmares experience with new features (such as a much freer camera movement). It's difficult for me to see that same push for innovation with Little Nightmares 3. Perhaps, we'll write an article comparing the two games. For now, all I have left to say is that if you're a fan of the first two games craving that Little Nightmares vibe, this game hits the mark. It definitely does. And with that, Ben, I'll pass the baton back to you.

So clearly Supermassive has nailed the assignment to a tee with Little Nightmares 3. The question now is when we'll get to experience the full game, to struggle through the many additional creepy levels, running for our lives from a whole slew of other frightening antagonists in an attempt to escape this hellish limbo. As of now, Little Nightmares 3 is slated for a 2025 release, so no doubt stay tuned for more information and impressions on this terrific threequel in the months ahead.