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When Little Nightmares II launched in 2021, we praised its haunting atmosphere and clever puzzles. Now, two and a half years following the release of the last mainline entry, fans of the first two critically acclaimed games have something new to be excited for. Bandai Namco has announced that Until Dawn developer Supermassive Games is developing a new entry in the Little Nightmares universe. Not only that, but we got our first look at Little Nightmares III.
Little Nightmares III gives players the story of Low and Alone, two children trapped within The Spiral, which is a cluster of disturbing places, and they need to work together to escape from a threat that is lurking in the shadows. Little Nightmares III is still playable as a single-player with a CPU-controlled partner, but you can also play with a friend in online co-op.
The gameplay demo takes place in the Necropolis, a desolate desert biome with limited visibility. According to producer Coralie Feniello, it is described as “a city of eternal energy and certain death.” The lack of music and foreboding soundscapes paints this as a place devoid of hope or vibrant life. As Low and Hope come to a tall structure, they scale a long ladder to enter into what appears to be a tomb of sorts. Each character holds a distinct weapon with unique uses; Alone has a wrench, while Low possesses a bow. Both of these weapons can be used to open new paths in very different ways.
With cooperative play serving as a core gameplay function, Low and Alone must work together to solve various puzzles. In one instance, Alone must rotate a mechanism to extend a bridge while Low runs across and shoots the counterweight with his bow to lock the bridge in place. The two characters can call out and gesture to one another, which seems to circumvent the need for voice chat in such a cooperative title.
As the two continue scaling, they find a crow that holds a key. Using his bow, Low shoots the key out of the crow’s mouth, and the two carry it forward to reach the next part of the Necropolis. As they continue, a giant hand sprawls across one of the rooms. While it at first appears to be a statue, it springs to life and reveals itself to be attached to a massive creature. This creature is named Monster Baby, one of the Residents of Little Nightmares III. The two characters continue progressing, narrowly dodging Monster Baby until they come into a room where the giant is peering through a hole in the wall. Monster Baby seems to have a stone gaze, so the two children would be wise not to get caught in the awful view of the creature.
The gameplay demo then skips ahead to Necropolis’ dimly lit catacombs. Monster Baby is still wreaking havoc and punching through walls. After solving puzzles involving large scarabs and wading through waist-high sand, Low and Alone emerge back out into the city. The two continue doing their best to dodge Monster Baby through the above-ground portions of the city, but at the end of the demo, it appears as though they fail, as the giant hand gets ready to grab them just as the gameplay cuts.
We also learned of The Sounds of Nightmares, a six-part podcast series exploring the lore of the Little Nightmares universe, with the first two episodes releasing soon. Little Nightmares III arrives on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC in 2024.