Little Nightmares III gamesom Preview: Trading Atmosphere For Online Co-Op

Soon after its release, 2.5D horror puzzle-platformer Little Nightmares , developed by Tarsier Studios and published by Bandai Namco, established itself as a cult classic. In particular, fans and critics alike appreciated its suspenseful atmosphere and strange world. This being said, perhaps due to the advent of co-op platformers such as Unravel Two and It Takes Two , players began to wonder : what would a Little Nightmares multiplayer experience be like?

In February 2021, Tarsier Studios and Bandai Namco released Little Nightmares II — a sequel to the original, which had the initial protagonist return as an AI-controlled companion. According to game producer Lucas Roussel, in an interview with GamingBolt, the team had considered a co-op title, but this idea was “quickly scrapped.” In any case, not long after Little Nightmares II came out, Tarsier, which was acquired by Embracer Group in 2019, announced that they would not continue further with the franchise but that publisher Bandai Namco might work on the series in the future.

As it turns out, Bandai Namco would give the reins of Little Nightmares to Supermassive Games, a studio most known for Until Dawn and The Quarry , who had experience with 2.5D worlds by way of working on LittleBigPlanet and even ports of Little Nightmares II for the PS5 and Xbox Series. This collaboration further materialized in what would become Little Nightmares III , the latest entry in the franchise — this time developed by Supermassive.

Announced at gamescom 2023 and poised for a 2025 release, Little Nightmares III features two different protagonists and boasts a brand-new aesthetic. Plus, the game will finally give people what they seemingly want: cooperative play. However, even though Supermassive is keen to remind people that the game will come with a friend pass , making it so that only one between you and a friend needs to own the game, Little Nightmares III will not support local co-op. As expected, this decision has proven unpopular with the community.

Making matters even worse is the fact that, during gamescom 2024 , Tarsier, now under the umbrella of publisher THQ Nordic, took the stage to reveal their new project: REANIMAL , a self-described “dread-filled tale” which, for all intents and purposes, seems to be a spiritual successor to Little Nightmares I and II . In a blow for Little Nightmares III , the kicker is that REANIMAL will feature both local and online co-op.

“I’m hoping big for Little Nightmares III.”

Nevertheless, at the same show, I got to play about 30 minutes of Little Nightmares III with another member of the press through online play. After my hands-on, I also got the chance to interview Coralie Feniello, the producer of the game, and asked her about the story she and her team are trying to tell, how adding online co-op has changed the core gameplay loop, and more; you can check out CGM for that interview tomorrow!

To get back to the demo, my fellow journalist and I were thrust into one of Little Nightmares III ’s levels called Candy Factory, a level which revolved around an animatronic lady of some kind running an extremely creepy lollipop-making operation. My description probably doesn’t do the look and atmosphere justice, but the whole stage reminded me of a grim and even more twisted Willy Wonka chocolate factory. In any case, from the get-go, I was happy to notice that Little Nightmares III seems to very much maintain the look and sound of the franchise — it’s suspenseful and perturbing in the same ways that the first two games are.

Unfortunately, the actual moment-to-moment co-op gameplay absolutely detracts from the unsettling atmosphere that Little Nightmares III successfully establishes. As soon as I picked up a controller and started to communicate with my fellow player through a headset, the immersion was completely broken for me. What would otherwise be horrifying moments if I were to play alone became silly, frustrating and almost funny when shared with someone else.

“There is, or there would be, a really good horror platformer in Little Nightmares III if I didn’t feel like it is tripping itself up in introducing co-op.”

In the interview I mentioned earlier, producer Feniello told me that, when playing in co-op, “things can get funny…but I think that’s also part of the game,” and yet, I’m not entirely convinced that it works for the kind of game that Little Nightmares III wants to be. Bonding with the person you’re playing with is a great experience in and of itself, but I am left feeling that the team at Supermassive may have taken the wrong lessons from titles such as Unravel Two, and It Takes Two.

In these games, it is both the characters and players that forge or repair a connection over the course of a playthrough, but I didn’t really feel the same way here: playing Little Nightmares III felt like playing a Little Nightmares game at the same time with someone else, but not necessarily together with them.

Maybe I also felt this way because the puzzles in Little Nightmares III were quite frustrating. On multiple occasions, my fellow player and I were left confused as to what to do next, even after banging our heads against the wall. I’d call what happened in our case a “skill issue” if not for the fact that everyone else in the media room seemed to get stuck every two minutes or so as well. Eventually, everyone started giving each other pointers, which totally deflated the atmosphere of the game, for it’s really challenging to stay immersed in—not to mention disturbed by—what’s going on.

When finishing the demo, I shook my fellow player’s hand, happy that we made good progress but mixed on Little Nightmares III overall. There is, or there would be, a really good horror platformer in Little Nightmares III if I didn’t feel like it is tripping itself up in introducing co-op. Solo play is not an alternative either, for whichever character you don’t choose will be controlled by an AI — arguably a worse fate than having someone playing beside you.

Despite everything, though, there is ample time until Little Nightmares III releases in 2025 for Supermassive to further tinker with the game and make sure that the trademark identity of the franchise is felt throughout. What I’ve played so far would suggest that I maybe shouldn’t, but I’m hoping big for Little Nightmares III .

Little Nightmares III will be available in 2025 on PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and X|S, Nintendo Switch and PC.