Little Nightmares III

Little Nightmares 3 features little innovation, few scares, and limited appeal if you’ve already played the previous two games, unless you’re dead keen to experience the series’ signature brand of stop-start stealth with a friend in tow.

New developer Supermassive Games takes Little Nightmares in a familiar direction, though co-op does mix things up in a welcome way for the series.

Supermassive's decision to play it safe means too many familiar frustrations, but impressive artistry – and a mid-game uptick – makes for a grimly compelling adventure all the same.

Little Nightmares 3 adds a welcome online cooperative mode and some freshly bizarre environments, but the series' formula is becoming a little staid.

There were times in the final two chapters where I had to briefly put the controller down to give myself a break from the tension.

Little Nightmares III delivers on the original conceit of the series with a horror-filled adventure that feels like trying to escape a nightmare you desperately want to wake up from. Outside of a few noticeable, if underbaked, additions Supermassive has introduced, I’d welcome more variation to the game’s formula. However, even if Little Nightmares III offers more of the same, it’s hard not to smile whenever Low and Alone’s adventure sends chills down my spine.

Slightly above average or simply inoffensive. Fans of the genre should enjoy them a bit, but a fair few will be left unfulfilled.

Little Nightmares III is a nightmare worth having, even if you've dreamt it all before. Supermassive Games holds a mirror to the franchise, reflecting the series' charming horror, clever puzzles, and grotesque universe. But it plays it safe, adding little in the way of originality. Online co-op is the biggest change, but solo play remains the preferred experience. Overall, Little Nightmares III is unsettling enough to make your skin crawl - just not enough to wake you up.

Little Nightmares III faithfully preserves the oppressive mood, clever environmental puzzles, and visceral unease associated with the series, but feels like an echo of what came before. While its dark allure remains potent, the baffling absence of local co-op undercuts the game's most ambitious feature. Though its multiplayer concept shines in theory, the absence of a character-swap feature to enrich single-player mode feels like another missed opportunity.

Even if two friends can't experience Little Nightmares 3 in the same room, it's still a game worth enjoying. At the end of the day, it's sad that I can't share my awe and wonder to my partner personally in the moment, but at least I can share those feelings on Discord. And this tale of friendship is one that will definitely generate feelings.