Have you ever been playing a horror game, and only after the high-pressure quick time event or chase scene is over do you realise you were gripping your controller way too tight? Or maybe your stomach lurches at a jump scare, and you find yourself lifting your feet off the floor, instinctively protecting yourself from imagined ghoulish beings beneath your couch.
That feeling is exactly what Little Nightmares managed to capture, bottling creeping fright into a truly immersive horror experience. With Little Nightmares 3 out now in time for spooky season, you can get ready to indulge that very same visceral gameplay.
To get you ready for this reeling new release, we’re going to give you a refresher on the past two games and share what you can expect from the third instalment.
Little Nightmares: A Boat-Bound Bloodbath
The first instalment of Little Nightmares came out in 2017, and it gained an almost immediate sacred spot amongst beloved indie horror games.
In the original Little Nightmares, players play as Six, a little girl clad in a distinctive yellow raincoat with a hood that covers her face. Awakening in the depths of The Maw, a vast, creaking, underwater iron vessel, Six embarks on a journey to escape. Armed only with a lighter, she navigates through unsettling environments, evading odious entities like the blind Janitor and the monstrous Twin Chefs.
The game’s minimalist storytelling, dialogue, and unique art style immersed players in a nightmarish world where every corner hides a unique terror. Personally, this was my favourite instalment of the game. The eerie ambiance and haunting visuals gave The Maw an overall feeling that you’re sifting through rotting secrets.
Little Nightmares 2: A City of Mist and Malice
Little Nightmares 2 is actually a prequel. You play as Mono, a young boy with a paper bag over his head. He awakens in a world distorted by a mysterious signal, joined by Six, now an AI-operated companion. Mono traverses through The Pale City, shrouded in mist and filled with malfunctioning televisions, which offers a haunting backdrop.
The absence of dialogue and reliance on environmental storytelling again deepens the sense of isolation and dread. This game’s design and pacing maintain the series’ signature tension as you uncover its secrets. More plot points are revealed about the origins of Six, and a shocking discovery is made about Mono.
For me, the slivers of information we gain through this game provide an intriguing clarity to the universe of Little Nightmares, giving fans much more to chew on than the previous game while maintaining some ambiguity.
Little Nightmares 3
1. New Protagonists and Setting
Meet the new (obscured) faces of fear: Low and Alone. Low sports a creepy plague-doctor mask and carries a bow, perfect for triggering far-off objects or picking at enemies. Alone, on the other hand, is seen in knitted overalls, using a wrench for defence and puzzle assistance. True to the series, their faces remain hidden, keeping the mystery protagonists.
They navigate The Nowhere, a twisted, almost dreamlike landscape that somehow looks to be both vast and claustrophobic. Previews have shown a demonic carnival and ‘Necropolis’, both packed with weird contraptions, shadowy corners, and misty areas that will make your stomach drop as you try to sneak past whatever’s lurking around the next bend.
2. Gameplay and Puzzle Design
For the first time, Little Nightmares goes co-op. Low and Alone aren’t just running side by side; they appear to split up, regroup, and solve puzzles together, often under pressure. Like all games in this series, timing, coordination, and trial-and-error seem to be key. If you still prefer a solitary experience, you can even play with an AI.
While weapons exist, don’t expect Little Nightmares to go full action game. Low’s bow and Alone’s wrench seem to be tools for manipulating the environment more so than killing enemies. So hopefully you’ll still feel that heart-in-your-throat vulnerability that makes the series so addictive, this isn’t about mowing down ghouls.
3. The Threats and Enemies
From what we’ve seen, the enemies in Little Nightmares 3 are just as malformed and unnerving as ever, from oversized, lumbering foes to tiny, doll-like creatures. The game continues to play with scale as it always has: facing off against disproportionately sized enemies and tiptoeing past creeping carnival figures. As always, they seem to have wonderfully combined the subtlety of creepy with the affronting nature of grotesque.
It’s that feeling that you’re never fully in control that keeps you on edge, whether you’re alone or navigating this nightmare alongside a friend. Little Nightmares 3 seems to keep this spirit alive.
4. Fans Are Cautiously Optimistic
Change always stirs debate, and this time it’s the new developer (Supermassive Games), co-op mechanics, and weapons. Some fans worry it could lose that indie horror charm that made the first game so special. But the vibe previews show is still unmistakably Little Nightmares: eerie, unsettling, and gorgeously creepy.
Many fans hope the co-op doesn’t dilute fear, with some saying it may add a layer of frantic problem-solving and teamwork, keeping that sacred tension alive. With how true to form the preview is looking, you could say there’s a sense of wary optimism.
Little Nightmares 3 is out now and you’ll be able to sneak, problem solve, and dash your way through The Nowhere on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 & 5, Xbox One & Series X/S, and PC. This new nightmare is shaping up to be an atmospheric new addition for both longtime fans and newcomers alike!
