Verdict
Little Nightmares 3’s multiplayer aspect feels like a natural progression for the series, and it’s genuinely fun to play with another person, though the AI leaves a little to be desired. The world itself is eerie and atmospheric, while the puzzles are exactly what you’d expect from LN, albeit a bit repetitive.
Little Nightmares 3. Those three words continued to excite me all year, especially as I went hands-on with the game at a live event a few months ago to experience a chunk of one of the chapters - that encounter cemented Bandai Namco's horror gem as one of my anticipated games of the year. So you can imagine my excitement at getting the opportunity to review the game in its entirety. I love the first two games, but how does the third fare? Especially as it introduces a first for the series.
Multiplayer is a massive part of LN3, with the game centering on two protagonists: Low and Alone. They need to work together on their harrowing adventure, where danger lurks around every corner, and big bad enemies attempt to chase them down in sequences that may leave you on the edge of your seat, but more on those in a bit.
You get to pick whether you play as Low or Alone, with both of them having a different role to play when solving puzzles - Alone, my character of choice, has a wrench that she can use, while Low utilizes a bow. If weak boards block your path, it's up to Alone to use her wrench to clear the path forward, while Low is good at shooting things like ropes to create new platforms and ways to go - you need to keep an eye on your surroundings to deduce how you proceed.
Playing with another player can make the experience a bit easier. Two heads are better than one, after all, so I'm just echoing the same sentiments I had in my Little Nightmares 3 preview, where my buddy and I sped through the Carnivale chapter at a record pace. The same is true for the rest of the game, as one of you is likely to spot something that the other is missing. Plus, it's just fun to see each other fail sometimes - I've certainly had my share of laughs.
However, if you prefer, you can play solo by picking which character you want to be and having AI take control of the other. This does mean you need to use your own noggin to get the job done. The AI can sometimes give a hint on what you need to do, particularly if you play as Alone and Low gets into position to give you a boost up, you mostly need to work out what to do while the AI stands there taking in the sights - not that the dark and dismal areas offer much to stare at, if I'm being honest. Still, if you're familiar with the previous two puzzle games, you already have experience with solving puzzles.
I must admit that the AI can be irritating. For example, you sometimes need to jump together on a trap door to fall to the area below, and syncing up with the AI for this can be a little nightmare - heh, get it? Seriously, with another player, you can do the count to three trick and nail it first time, whereas with the AI, you may be jumping so much that you resemble a toddler throwing a tantrum. I have found myself growing frustrated numerous times. So, if you want fun, bring a friend; if you want to pull your hair out on occasion, play with the AI. I hate AI at the best of times these days, but Low does have me questioning the 'intelligence' part.
There's a heavy emphasis on teamwork in Little Nightmares 3; even the brief combat segments littered throughout require you to work together, with Low stunning them with his bow, and Alone going in for the killing blow with her wrench. There are also plenty of puzzles where you heavily rely on each other, as both characters are pivotal to solving the puzzle. Again, this is where it's nice to have another player, as communication is key in places, and it can be confusing when the AI doesn't come with you - there's usually a puzzle-related reason, and a player can tell you this.
The world itself is very atmospheric, something the series is renowned for, and Super Massive Games does a respectable job of keeping that alive, which isn't much of a surprise given its prowess with horror games and multiplayer games. The areas are creepy, the puzzles are well-designed, if a bit repetitive, and the sound design is fantastic. Little Nightmares is a quiet series, featuring no voice work, relying entirely upon the sounds of the environment, and LN3 does this very well. The squelch of the intestines in the Carnivale chapter still lives rent-free in my head.
Overall, the game has four chapters, each taking place in a different location, which helps to keep things interesting, as each instalment features a different 'big bad' and they usually end up chasing you in high octane sequences. It's where Little Nightmares 3 shines, in my opinion, as each one has me on the edge of my seat, though I have to give extra props to the Candy Factory chapter - the antagonist there is creepy. Don't wake Grandma, kids, especially if she doubles as an insect-type thing.
While the gameplay is good, and the friendship between Low and Alone is adorable and charming, the performance of Little Nightmares III on the Nintendo Switch 2 makes me sad. From the outset, it suffers from stuttering and frame rate drops. Additionally, after a couple of chapters, I noticed some rendering issues as well. It's nothing a patch can't fix, but the frame rate drops are frequent enough to be a bit of a nuisance at times. These problems persist in handheld and docked, so I can't advise on one being a better way to play.
All in all, it's a worthy horror game to add to your collection. Little Nightmares 3 is an enjoyable experience, featuring two new enigmatic characters that display what it means to have a true friend, with multiple chapters that feature eerie atmospheres. The multiplayer feels like a natural progression for the series following Little Nightmares 2, but there are some teething issues if you're relying on the AI instead of a friend. Furthermore, I'd advise trying it on PC or PlayStation, where I'd likely score the game higher, instead of Nintendo Switch 2 for now.
If you want to learn more about the development of LN3, make sure you check out our Little Nightmares 3 interview, where we discuss it with the global producer for the series.