Gamescom 2023
We’ve seen Little Nightmares III, and it’s a wonderful nightmare
The creators of Until Dawn picked up Tarsier Studios’ baton and brought an extensive demo of Little Nightmares III to Gamescom 2023.
Tarsier Studios said goodbye to Little Nightmares after developing the second installment, but Bandai Namco doesn’t want to say goodbye and still has some spooky stories to tell. From the hand of Supermassive Games, which already participated in the sequel, the studio behind Until Dawn and The Dark Pictures Anthology brings back this nightmare universe and weaves a delicious web of night terrors. Little Nightmares III was just announced at Gamescom and we’ve already seen it at the show. Without further ado, this is all you need to know.
The Little Nightmares III demo, which the developers themselves have played cooperatively, is a pre-alpha build, although no significant errors have been noticed. Each one controls a character, so in the case of playing alone, the other protagonist is controlled by the AI. Both are trapped in a nightmare world, which is presented through different worlds. According to Supermassive, each of the locations has its own characteristics and a special and unique touch.
Little Nightmares III has a great novelty
The portal opens and Low and Alone find themselves in the dry desert, where only ravens seem to be alive. The wind whistles incessantly and hinders their progress, but the younglings manage to reach a wall. A ladder goes up to the top of the structure, so the protagonists take a risk and climb up the steep place. When going through a tunnel, a rock blocks the way, so one of the new features of Little Nightmares III comes into play: now it is possible to use objects. Alone, a girl wearing a pilot’s mask, uses a spanner to split the stone to its minimum expression. Welcome to Necropolis, a location as arid and cadaverous as its name suggests.
As in previous installments, the characters do not speak to each other, but they do communicate through guttural sounds and can get each other’s attention. First, they move a chest of drawers and climb up to go through a hole. After traversing a wooden plank that serves as a walkway, the duo stumble upon a blocked door, so they must find an alternate path. Later, a void and a puzzle: one of them activates the mechanism that deploys the bridge, and the other passes, to then fix the rudimentary wooden lever of the device.
Little Nightmares III preserves the essence of the originals and mixes exploration with puzzles. Of course, the important thing is to escape from the enemies, and avoid being seen. Activating a mechanism, moving a box to a certain place, or removing the wooden boards from a door with a partner are some of the actions they can perform. However, some novelties are added: Low has a bow, so he shoots an arrow at the raven that carries the key and gets the bird to drop it. Later in the demo, he fires at the beetles that attack him, while Alone finishes them off with her gun.
The bogeyman lurks and has giant dimensions
Unfortunately, we soon meet Monster Baby, a nasty creature with a giant body and killer hands. It goes without saying that we will have to avoid his watchful eye and escape quickly. The monster is one of those responsible for Necropolis having fallen into disgrace: footsteps are heard nearby as the beast approaches eager for a meal. Low and Alone hide behind a statue and step on quicksand. If they stay too long, they will be hopelessly gobbled up. A cupboard hides umbrellas, which flap in the wind and give us the opportunity to ascend and reach other parts of the stage.
In the end, Monster Baby detects the children and darkness closes in on them. A second later they wake up in bed, safe? The demo ends with a flash, which gives way to absolute blackness.
Little Nightmares III is in development for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Nintendo Switch, and PC. It will go on sale next year, 2024.