The “Little Nightmares” franchise is a widely loved series of indie horror video games initially created by Tarsier Studios and Bandai Namco Entertainment. The game focuses on facing your childhood fears in increasingly atmospheric and surreal levels, uncovering mysteries and solving puzzles along your journey.
In December of 2019, Tarsier Studios was bought out by Embracer Group. On Feb. 19, 2021, Tarsier confirmed it would no longer be working on the “Little Nightmares” franchise, leaving fans concerned about the state of the series.
In August 2023, Supermassive Games, a subsidiary of Bandai Namco, announced it would be taking the reins on the third mainline installment of the series, “Little Nightmares III.”
The game was initially intended to release in 2024, but was delayed to October 2025. To build up hype for the game, Supermassive released a 30-minute demo of the first level.
The demo has you take the shoes of one of the two main characters of “Little Nightmares III,” Low and Alone. Whichever character you choose, either a computer or a friend will take control of the other. This is the first game in the series to include cooperative mechanics, which was one of the main selling points of the game.
Once you select your character, you are plopped down into a place called the Necropolis, a series of dilapidated buildings covered by a raging sandstorm. With no objective given, you and your companion traverse through the city, solving simple puzzles and avoiding the gaze of a massive baby doll that roams the streets.
The controls of the game are simple yet sluggish. Movement includes walking, sprinting, jumping and crouching. Each character can also grab onto objects in the environment. There is a bit of built-in delay between the initial input and the character’s action, which can be annoying the first time you experience it.
Low and Alone also come equipped with unique tools specific to them. Low carries a bow and arrow used to shoot ropes and flying enemies. Alone carries an oversized wrench, which she uses to destroy walls, turn dials and attack grounded enemies.
The artificial intelligence used for the companion character is not too intense. Unless it has a specific action to perform in a puzzle or set piece, it will just stand somewhere out of the way while you handle the problem at hand.
If there are other things it can do alongside you, usually the AI will wait for you to act first, before doing it themselves. This can lead to some issues in one section where you have to escape a collapsing building, wherein the AI might be just a tad too slow and accidentally be crushed by the rubble, forcing you to redo the encounter.
The puzzles presented in the demo aren’t too complex. They mainly act as a way to teach you the game mechanics. Shooting a rope down here, moving a box there, nothing too complex and intense to start the game off.
The aspect of the game that seemed to have the most effort put into it was the atmosphere. The whole world is a vibrant yet suffocating orange haze when you start, then shifting into a deep tan city where everything seems worse for wear. Stone walls erode in the constant sandstorms and rotting wood creeks underneath players’ feet as they move through this dead city. The simple and quiet music adds to this, adding a layer of unease to every set piece.
Overall, the fans of “Little Nightmares” seem to be unimpressed by the demo. Players said it "wasn't all that exciting,” and it was “nothing the first two games hadn’t done.” Others remain more positive, praising the game for its cooperative mechanics and set design.
“Little Nightmares III” is set to officially release next week, Oct. 10. In the meantime, if you’re a longtime fan of the series or are just now getting into it, now is the perfect time to try out the demo and see what the game has in store for you.
