Little Nightmares 3 Review

It’s spooky season, and with so many big releases crowding the October calendar, Little Nightmares III still managed to grab some of my attention this month. Maybe it’s the series’ distinct art style, maybe it’s the promise of short, sharp horror over sprawling open-world chaos, but I was craving something eerie, something that would crawl under my skin for a few hours and leave me thinking about it afterward. And in that regard, Little Nightmares III mostly delivers.

What’s different this time around is who’s behind the nightmares. Tarsier Studios, the team that defined the series’ twisted tone with the first two entries, has stepped aside. Now, Supermassive Games, best known for Until Dawn and The Dark Pictures Anthology, have taken the reins. If you’ve played any of their previous horror games, you know they’re experts at slow-burn dread, cinematic presentation, and moral tension. So it’s actually a pretty natural fit. The result feels both familiar and fresh. It’s still unmistakably Little Nightmares.

Instead of the familiar Six or Mono, Little Nightmares III introduces two new protagonists, Low and Alone. It’s a clever move. Each character not only has their own personality and backstory, but also a unique tool that defines how you solve puzzles and interact with the world. Low wields a bow and arrow, while Alone carries a wrench. Neither weapon turns the game into an action experience, though, they’re more about problem solving than fighting. You’ll use Low’s bow to hit distant switches, shoot targets, or activate mechanisms. Alone’s wrench, on the other hand, is perfect for smashing locks, turning cranks, or prying open vents.

I liked that these items occasionally doubled as tools for survival. There are brief moments where you can use them defensively, knocking back a pursuing creature or clearing a path under pressure, but the focus stays firmly on tension, not combat. That restraint keeps the tone consistent with the series’ DNA. You’re small, vulnerable, and constantly improvising to stay alive.

As always with Little Nightmares, the story is intentionally sparse. You’re dropped into a mysterious new realm called the Spiral, a grim and distorted world where familiar shapes feel alien and every corner seems alive. The narrative unravels through your actions and through haunting flashback sequences that slowly reveal the bond between Low and Alone.

You get glimpses of their connection, small gestures, moments of hesitation, memories of loss. It’s not laid out plainly, but that ambiguity works in the game’s favor. It makes you watch closely, trying to piece together what happened to them and why they’re trapped here together. By the halfway point, I was invested in their relationship, even though neither says a word. There’s something deeply human about the way they rely on each other, trusting, failing, helping, and occasionally being separated in ways that sting. That relationship becomes the emotional core of the game, and it’s what kept me pushing forward. Even when I was stuck on a puzzle or a bit frustrated by a sequence, I wanted to see what would happen to them next.

This time, the series leans heavily into co-op design. The level and puzzles are built around the idea that you need two characters to move forward. Levers need to be pulled simultaneously, platforms require coordination, and certain areas demand one character boost the other to reach new paths.

You can play solo, with the other character handled by AI, or invite a friend online thanks to the game’s friend pass feature. It’s a great inclusion, your co-op partner doesn’t even need to own a copy of the game. That said, I was disappointed to learn there’s no local couch co-op option. It feels like a missed opportunity, especially for a game so focused on teamwork. This is exactly the kind of eerie adventure I’d love to experience with a friend or family member sitting next to me.

Playing solo works fine, though the AI companion occasionally lags behind or needs a moment to catch up. It’s never game-breaking, but it does slightly break immersion during some moments. Still, the concept of shared problem-solving gives the game a unique rhythm and adds a layer of strategy the series hasn’t had to the same degree before.

If you’ve played the earlier games, the structure will feel familiar, a mix of puzzle-solving, stealth, and cinematic escape sequences. You’re constantly on the move, sneaking past towering monsters, hiding under furniture, solving environmental puzzles, and pulling off last-second jumps. What stands out this time is how the levels make smart use of both characters’ tools. You might need to use Low’s bow to cut down a an item while Alone holds off a collapsing wall etc. These sequences keep things dynamic and keep both characters engaged in meaningful ways.

The horror is still grounded in atmosphere and suggestion, not cheap jump scares. You’ll feel the tension build through creaking floors, distant footsteps, and eerie silhouettes that twitch just outside the light. The game constantly plays with your sense of scale, tiny characters navigating enormous, decaying spaces. The world feels hostile and alive, every object slightly off, every noise a possible threat.

And visually? It’s stunning. Supermassive has nailed the cinematic framing. Every scene feels composed like a shot from a horror film, light slicing through fog, shadows creeping over warped furniture, camera angles that make you feel small and trapped. It’s unsettling in the best way possible. You never quite know what’s waiting in the next room, and that unpredictability keeps you on edge from start to finish.

Sound design has always been one of the series’ secret weapons, and Little Nightmares III might be some of the best yet. The way the audio builds dread is is really well done. Soft clattering in another room, a faint hum of machinery, whimpering echoing through a vent. Even silence becomes a weapon. When the music cuts out, you know something’s about to go wrong. I found myself holding my breath during certain sections, not because I was afraid of failing the puzzle, but because the sound design made me feel genuinely hunted. The music swells only when it needs to, punctuating moments of discovery or terror without overwhelming the experience. It’s subtle, but powerful.

If there’s one thing that disappointed me, it was the lead up to the ending. After a strong buildup and some truly gripping late-game sequences, the story seems to end just as it’s hitting its stride. There’s a final confrontation, a few symbolic moments, and then credits. It’s abrupt, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that a chapter was missing or that I’d made a wrong turn somewhere.

It’s not that the ending is bad, it just doesn’t feel fully earned and was pushed out quite abruptly. I wanted more time with these characters, more closure on their journey. The abruptness dulls some of the emotional impact that the rest of the game works so hard to build.

Final Thoughts

When the credits rolled, I sat there for a bit, letting it sink in. Little Nightmares III is not a reinvention, but it doesn’t need to be. It’s a beautifully made, tightly paced horror experience that understands what makes this series special, vulnerability, atmosphere, and imagination.

The co-op focus brings new life to the formula, even if it’s not perfect. The art direction and sound design are phenomenal. The puzzles are satisfying, the scares are clever, and the world feels every bit as disturbing and mysterious as you’d hope. My only real complaints are the lack of local co-op, a few clunky AI moments, and an ending that feels like it stopped one scene too soon. But those issues don’t overshadow what Little Nightmares III does right. It’s a short, haunting, and unforgettable ride, exactly the kind of game you can finish in a couple of evenings or a lengthy single play session and think about for days afterward.

If you’re hunting for something atmospheric to play this Halloween that won’t eat your entire weekend, Little Nightmares III is absolutely worth your time. It might not keep you up all night, but it’ll definitely make you hesitate before turning off the lights.

A PS5 review code was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.

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