That dream again. Little Nightmares III game review

It seemed that the third Little Nightmares should be somewhat different from the previous two. If only because the world of children's nightmares has changed the developer. The first two parts and the additions were created by the Swedish Tarsier Studios, while the triquel is responsible for Supermassive Games, the authors of the very successful Until Dawn, as well as The Dark Pictures Anthology and The Quarry. You know, the same interactive horrors with interesting plots, but not always the best dialogues. However, in Little Nightmares there is no dialogue at all, so there is nothing to worry about.

In addition, the game has a now-fashionable cooperative mode. True, only online. But did it help breathe new life into the series? Spoiler: no.

What are we playing at here?

Writing about the plot of the Little Nightmares series of games is both easy and difficult at the same time. On the one hand, it is a world in which not a single word is said, and events remain mysterious and incomprehensible. On the other hand, it seems that behind this silence there are many layers and meanings. So fans have created dozens of theories, and the authors throw kindling on this fire, emphasizing the freedom of interpretation.

In the first game, the main theme was pretty obvious, especially considering the working title of the project was Hunger. Many of the images there are associated with gluttony – not only physical, but also spiritual, as with a mortal sin.

Little Nightmares II has expanded the world and become more diverse. It's harder to identify one dominant idea here, but you can catch hints of social fears: escapism, addiction, pride.

But despite all this, the main thing in this series is the fears themselves. Children's nightmares in all their multi-layeredness. When the world seems too big and threatening, and you are small, defenseless and have to survive all the time: hide, run away, figure out how to live a little longer, given your own fragility. Although, to be honest, these fears are familiar to adults too.

In Little Nightmares III, the story is told through the environment, as before. Nobody says anything - only sounds, creepy creatures and children. This time we have two main characters at once – both new. We will not meet either Mono or Six from the previous parts here. We play as a boy Low (Low - "Small" or "Low") in a mask resembling a plague doctor or a raven, and a girl Elon (Alone - "Lonely") in a technician or pilot costume, with two red ponytails and a huge wrench.

These two are best friends who have been wandering the world of Spiral for a long time, looking for a way home. For me, this game is also about escapism. About loneliness and friendship, which remains important despite everything. About fantasy, which can revive the world around. And about loss.

Style, atmosphere and…

Visually, we have a typical Little Nightmares here. We will repeat the phrase about typicality more than once, but when it comes to style and atmosphere, it is even good. After all, the Little Nightmares series has always been distinguished by this, and not by some ingenious gameplay or overly tricky puzzles.

In an artistic sense, Supermassive did everything "right" – they preserved the recognizable style of the original. As before, the child is tiny, and the world is gigantic. Everything around is disproportionate: the figures of monsters are grotesque and creepy, crows circle in the dim sky, and elsewhere there are motionless mannequins, fragments of mechanisms and mysterious objects.

The world of Little Nightmares III remained grotesquely large, resembling a strange puppet animation – something between the cartoons of Tim Burton and Jan Švankmajer. Or between The City of Lost Children by Genet and Caro and Franz Kafka's nightmare. The same absurdity and hopelessness, against which you are powerless. Only in Kafka it is expressed in words, and here – in silence.

The first level, Sand Necropolis, turned out to be surprisingly beautiful: a sun-drenched desert that somewhat resembles the famous walking simulator Journey, only with the puppet aesthetic of Little Nightmares. A bright start that promises something new.

But then Little Nightmares III starts to sink: the pace slows down, and the sense of novelty fades – everything seems too familiar. Yes, yes, we've already seen that. But as soon as the Carnival level begins, the same one shown in the trailers, the pace suddenly increases. The colorfulness of the attractions, the music, the scale – after gloomy, similar locations, it feels like a breath of fresh air.

And the ending… no spoilers. I’ll just say that it’s worth getting to. Especially since it doesn’t take that long.

…and deja vu without fear

The Little Nightmares series has always been distinguished by its well-directed scenes that you remember for a long time. Like the grandfather with a shotgun, the scene with the chopping off of hands, the road along the tables with fat gluttons, the cruel teacher who seemed to have escaped from Pink Floyd's "The Wall"... The original and the sequel were filled with episodes that cut through the imagination like a sharp knife.

But in Little Nightmares III there are much fewer such scenes. And already in the first hour I kept catching myself thinking: "Wait, I saw that somewhere." Ventilation shafts? There were. Puzzles with light? Yes. Corks, TVs, boxes, shelves - that's it! Even the enemy with a fiery gaze, from which you have to hide behind objects, returns again.

There are several new interesting images: a giant doll monster, a carnival location with bright colors, a master with an aggressive doll. But this is not enough to compensate for the feeling of secondaryness. The second part was stronger, more massive, but what about it, that the original game had its core, its artistic nerve. But the third one does not have this core.

Is Little Nightmares III scary? I don't know what to say. Either I played too much Silent Hill and got hardened, or I was in a hurry to complete the game and in places I was more distracted by the not always convenient platforming, but the game wasn't always scary. Although maybe that's how it should be? After all, these are absurd nightmares. But as always, pursuers appear here periodically, and it is they, in my opinion, who create the most tangible horror tension in the game.

Gameplay: One step forward, two steps back

Usually Little Nightmares is a 2.5D platformer with moving objects, puzzles, stealth elements and chases. In Little Nightmares III, everything is pretty much the same. And yes, it feels like it's been there before.

I was really pleased to return to the world of little nightmares, but at a certain point it began to seem like I had already solved these puzzles, run through these corridors, and it was all too familiar. I was moving forward quite confidently. Even more confidently than I would have liked in a game about helplessness. It wasn't the plot or the puzzles that slowed me down a bit, but the platforming itself: not very convenient, and sometimes even annoying. Because of the three-dimensionality, sometimes it's simply unclear whether you can reach a certain place or jump to a platform. There was a moment when I couldn't jump onto one of them for a long time and began to suspect that I needed to look for another way. But no, Little Nightmares III is not about the variety of the passage.

The controls are practically the same as in the second part. Features (not parts, series) – you have to hold the "clutch" button when you crawl or jump somewhere. It's not the most convenient, but you get used to it.

The chase scenes are scary. And they can keep you in suspense. These are classic gotcha moments, when the right path and timing become clear only after a few deaths.

What about the new mechanics unique to Little Nightmares III? Formally, they are. Lowe has a bow and can shoot ropes or enemies. Elon is a serious girl with a large wrench that she uses to unscrew bolts, punch through walls or, if necessary, heads. And the heroes also get an umbrella for gliding. Sounds good, right?

Only the implementation of these mechanics is quite primitive. For example, the hero cannot aim. And the same umbrella could become a source of interesting platforming – for example, for flying over enemies or using air currents. But no: it simply transports you to higher platforms in the wind. And somewhere in the middle of the game it disappears altogether.

However, the umbrella is still a nice and cute thing. And there are also interesting moments, like the play of light with insects jumping on the heroes. And also – an object that changes part of the space around it. Now that's really cool.

In general, I thought the puzzles in the game became even easier (although they were not very inventive in the series, like in platformers Limbo or Hue, for example), too simple. Maybe the developers changed the balance, or maybe because of the same "it's been there before" I already understand the logic and rules of Little Nightmares well.

The only thing is that sometimes you can miss the necessary objects. But in that case you can always turn on the mode with backlighting of interactive objects. It is convenient, but it ruins the atmosphere a little.

Cooperative: great idea, average implementation

Let's start with the fact that there is no local co-op in Little Nightmares III. No split screen, no ability to play on the same screen. Most scenes take place in one frame, there are no large locations at all. So why didn't they make local co-op?

The developers explained this decision as follows: they say that splitting the screen would distract from the gameplay and negatively affect the atmosphere. Well, let's say.

On the plus side, to play with a friend online, you only need to have one copy of the game. You just send an invitation, they accept it, everything downloads and syncs – and there you are. It was really nice to play with my friend, whom I haven't seen for a few months. Now we live in different cities, but we still love scary games just as much.

But I have to be honest: I enjoyed playing, but there is not much truly creative cooperation between the characters in Little Nightmares III. Joint actions are reduced to simultaneously opening heavy doors, tearing off boards or jumping together to break through the floor. Or one shoots a bow and the other smashes something with his sledgehammer. Sometimes you have to wait a while until your partner completes his part of the puzzle.

If you play solo, you'll be joined by an AI partner. He's quite smart - he does everything quickly, so sometimes his actions even suggest what to do next.

However, sometimes you have to adjust the interaction a little. For example, there is an episode where one character carries a light source that drives away small beetle-like enemies. If you run too fast, your partner will be eaten. So you have to slowly wander together.

Conclusion: typical Little Nightmares, but… worse than the previous ones

It seems that Supermassive Games did not dare to do something of their own and simply tried to copy the formula of the original. As if we had already seen this dream before. Visually and stylistically, Little Nightmares III is beautiful. Some locations, Necropolis, Carnival, Institute, are truly impressive. The characters are charismatic, the atmosphere is disturbing. There is real heart in the story about two friends. Technically, everything is on the level. There are even interesting mechanics with space manipulation. But that's not enough...

Little Nightmares has always compensated for its awkward controls and shallow gameplay with a carefully crafted atmosphere, memorable scenes, and delicately presented lore. The third part has retained the style, but has become simpler in everything. The first half is boring, the second is better, but also not very original. Co-op is implemented mediocrely. There are few new mechanics, and most of them seem underdeveloped.

I think the starting price of Little Nightmares III will seem a bit high to most players. 1,199 UAH for the standard version and 1,799 UAH for the Deluxe version on Steam or PlayStation is, to put it mildly, a lot. Moreover, an experienced player will cope with the passage in about three and a half hours. It took me a little longer, about five. First of all, because I'm not very good at platforming. And also – I like to look around and stare at beautiful scenes.

So despite all the shortcomings and secondaryness, I was pleased to dive into the world of Little Nightmares again. Take a break from words, solve puzzles a little, suffer with platforming, run away from monsters, ponder meanings, admire the landscapes. Yes, Little Nightmares III noticeably loses to both previous parts, but it is still worth paying attention to if you like a similar aesthetic.