Summary
Debuting back in 2017,Little Nightmaresquickly made a name for itself thanks in large part to its incredible art style that blended cutesy environmental designs with horrifying enemy models and striking lighting effects. A horror game truly like no other at the time,Little Nightmareshas gone on to grow quite the loyal fan-base over the last few years, withLittle Nightmares 2offering another short but horrifyingly sweet adventure in 2021. But now, it’s up to Supermassive to prove to the fan-base that it has the right stuff to take over, withLittle Nightmares 3set for release later this year.
After the Embracer Group acquired Tarsier back in 2019, theLittle Nightmareslicense stayed with Bandai Namco, and the publisher was pretty open about its desire to continue the franchise as soon as possible. Back in August 2023, that continuation was officially announced, with Supermassive developing the series' third entry. While it’s incredibly sad to see Tarsier leave its creation behind, Supermassive is a very capable studio, andLittle Nightmares 3’s first trailerlooked very promising. However, the introduction of co-op might end up beingLittle Nightmares 3’s downfall.
Little Nightmares 3’s Co-Op Could Undermine Its Tension
The Little Nightmares Series Relies Heavily on its Atmosphere
As mentioned up top, one of the defining features oftheLittle Nightmaresseries, and really the element that made it stand out in the first place, is the series' stellar presentation. BothLittle Nightmaresand its sequel manage to capture a truly unique horror atmosphere primarily through their use of lighting and art style, giving every inch of the game an eerie feeling. Even when the player is safe and there are no enemies on screen,Little Nightmaresstill evokes a sense of unease, and it’s that indescribable feeling that makes the series stand out so much among its competitors and its predecessors.
Based on the trailers and gameplay released so far, it seems as thoughLittle Nightmares 3is opting for a slightly new, yet familiar approach for its own presentation. Rather than stick with dark colors and stark light rays cutting through them,Little Nightmares 3appears to be using a much warmer color palette, albeit still a muted one. The vast majority of gameplay released so far showsLittle Nightmares 3primarily using orange and brown for its environments and lighting, which gives the game a less oppressive tone, but perhaps a more deceptive one.
That Same Atmosphere Might Not Be Achievable With Little Nightmares 3’s Co-Op
However, whileLittle Nightmares 3looks like it’s building its own unique atmospheric identity, that could all be for naught thanks to the new inclusion of2-player co-op. By its very nature, co-op paves the way for some atmosphere-breaking shenanigans, allowing players to mess around with the game’s various mechanics to elicit humor in an otherwise intense moment.
Hazelight’s recent gamesare the perfect example of this. Designed to be a gritty crime drama where the players' choices have a massive impact on the game’s narrative,A Way Outcan quickly devolve into comedic madness if the player’s co-op partner decides to play the in-game basketball minigame for just too long or deliberately fail a quick-time event to see what would happen, or any number of other mechanics that can be exploited for humor.
Unfortunately,Little Nightmares 3could very easily fall into this same trap. So much oftheLittle Nightmaresexperienceso far has revolved around a very defined feeling of isolation, and now that’s been completely removed, with the player being joined by a partner for presumably the entire length of the story. And then there’s the very real possibility of co-op shenanigans, which could threaten to turn this horror series into parody very quickly.
Little Nightmares III
WHERE TO PLAY
Embark on a new adventure in the unique world of Little Nightmares.In Little Nightmares III, you follow the journey of Low & Alone, as they search for a path that could lead them out of the Nowhere.Trapped within the Spiral, a cluster of disturbing places, the two friends will have to work together to survive in a dangerous world full of delusions and escape the grasp of an even greater threat lurking in the shadows.For the first time in the franchise, face your childhood fears together with a friend using online co-op, or solo with an AI companion.Face your childhood fears togetherChoose from two brand-new characters, each equipped with their own iconic items.Play solo with an AI or with your friend using online co-op and work together to solve intricate puzzles and defend yourself against smaller enemies .Navigate through a brand-new world of delusionsEmbark on an adventure through the Spiral, a cluster of dystopian lands.Discover places as diverse as the mysterious desert of Necropolis, an unsettling fun fair, a gloomy factory, and who knows what else.Run away from a new cast of foes ranging from ominous beetles to a giant baby, and so many more.
