GamesHorrorLittle Nightmares 3 includes a “melting pot” of fears to face, and after 45 minutes playing, I guess that includes angry office workersWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesHorrorLittle Nightmares 3 includes a “melting pot” of fears to face, and after 45 minutes playing, I guess that includes angry office workersWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Supermassive Games)
While both protagonists can run, jump, and climb in identical fashion, their two unique tools ensure that there are certain tasks that only one of them can do. There was one point where we needed to traverse a dangerous puddle with a live wire dangling into it, and as Low, I could use my bow to fire an arrow at a switch from across the room, turning off the electricity so we could safely pass. Similarly, there were some obstacles that only Alone could smash through using her wrench, so teamwork and cooperation is key.
A new way to play
(Image credit: Supermassive Games)
Gamescom 2024
(Image credit: Atlus)
Although my teammate was sitting right beside me for the demo, for the first time in the series' history, Little Nightmares 3 can be played from start to finish in online co-op. This is an incredibly exciting concept for any friends who don’t live near each other, and may end up making this a contender for one of thebest co-op gamesto play when it releases. Game producer Coralie Feniello tells me it was “really important” to include online play this time around, as it was the most requested feature from the community.
For me, there’s no doubt that the spookiest part of the demo was sneaking past the aforementioned enormous, animatronic-like secretary, who – to her credit – was just minding her business rummaging around in filing cabinets until Low and Alone entered her room. She doesn’t seem to be having a great day at work, though, because if she spots you, she charges at you, snatching you from the floor and forcing you to restart the section. As I snuck around the room, I noticed that getting closer to her prompted the feeling of a heartbeat in the DualSense controller to beat faster and faster, which definitely ramps up the tension even further.
This section wasn’t without its frustrations, mind you, as we ended up dying to that same enemy more times than I’d like to admit. Evading her means stealthily moving to different points in the room as she sashays around, but figuring out where to go and when is a real trial and error experience unless you get very lucky on your first attempt. I love solving puzzles, but failing again and again until we got this partjust rightpulled me right out of the immersion of the game, as I was quickly desensitized to the fear of dying, and the mood shifted from terror to annoyance.
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Scarily sweet
(Image credit: Supermassive Games)
Despite this, it’s hard to remain frustrated when underneath its unsettling surface, Little Nightmares 3 houses so muchcuteness. Even in this short demo, I saw the two pint-sized protagonists caring for each other with small, endearing gestures, like helping each other up from the floor and holding hands through passageways, which isridiculouslysweet to watch, and makes you care about them and their journey all the more. Feniello says striking that ‘cute but creepy’ vibe was “super important” as “it’s in the DNA of Little Nightmares,” which is ultimately all about being a “charming horror” experience.
“It’s like, charming with cute animations and cute relationships, but at the same time, the world you are in is really made for you to feel like you are not welcome in there, like it’s not a world where you want to stay – you want to leave,” Feniello says. “I think it’s one of the things that makes Little Nightmares really cool for me, because it’s not really a balance, it’s more like the way both of the two things are a bit contradictory, but at the same time work so well together.”
So far, Little Nightmares 3 is definitely shaping up to be a promising new installment in the iconic horror series, complete with all the unnerving atmosphere that fans of the first two will remember all too well. Much of Low and Alone’s upcoming adventure is still a mystery, but here’s hoping it’ll have what it takes to be one of thebest horror gamesof 2025 when it launches next year.
GamesRadar+ was in Cologne playing the most anticipatednew games of 2024, and speaking to the developers bringing them to life. For more of our hands-on previews and exclusive interviews, visit theGamescom 2024coverage hub.
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PRODUCTSLittle Nightmares 3Gamescom 2024
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
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3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
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3
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4
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5
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