The series Little Nightmares has earned a reputation for its somber and tender atmosphere. Its third installment maintains its essence but brings the feature most requested by fans: cooperative mode. Although its release has been delayed until 2025, we have already had the opportunity to preview the game during the Bandai Namco Latam Showcase in September.
Cooperation and shared terror
In Little Nightmares 3players take on the roles of Low and Alone, the protagonists seeking to escape the mysterious world of Nowhere. Unlike the previous games, this one is developed by Super Massive Games after the previous developer was acquired by Embracer Group.
The inclusion of the cooperative mode is, without a doubt, the most important novelty of Little Nightmares 3. In the demo we tested, one of the players controls Low, who is equipped with a bow and arrows, while the other takes the role of Alone, who uses a wrench to interact with the environment. Both skills are complementary and essential to progress, forcing players to collaborate to overcome the obstacles that arise during the journey.
In the test we had access to, we had to go through a ruined candy factory, a setting that disturbingly combines the childish and the macabre. Low fired his bow at switches and mechanisms that Alone couldn’t reach, while Alone activated levers and buttons. This dynamic makes teamwork vital and adds an extra dose of tension when precision and coordination are required to avoid being captured by the creatures lurking in the shadows.
Harder and more tense
The most notable change when playing with another person is the feeling of shared vulnerability and where one’s mistake ends the game for both of us. The stealth sections are more challenging, as both players must move in unison to avoid detection. One of the most tense moments in the demo was a sequence in which we had to escape from a multi-armed office worker who was obsessively patrolling the area. Coordination was key, and a mistake by either of us could cost us the game, which is what happened to us several times during our time playing.
Despite the new cooperative dynamic, the game retains the essence of the saga. The tension in the environment remains a central component, and the need to work together does not diminish the sense of imminent danger. The adrenaline increases when both players must go through a level with a monster on their heels, which makes the experience even more intense although the joy of overcoming the section or finding where the path was is also exciting.
Platforms and puzzles
As in previous games, making precise jumps or movements on “platforms” is an important part of the gameplay and this remains intact in Little Nightmares 3. Players must make precise jumps and avoid fatal falls as they progress through of each screen and taking into account that there is a partner and that the spaces we occupy can also affect their movement and space.
The puzzles have also been adjusted to take advantage of cooperation. In one of the sections of the demo, Low had to cut ropes with his bow while Alone manipulated levers and buttons to open doors. These challenges require constant communication between players to advance although, at least in the demo, the mechanics were somewhat predictable.
Does Little Nightmares 3 have local co-op?
Although the cooperative mode is the great novelty, the truth is that It has only been announced that the game has an online cooperative mode. Although we still do not understand this decision, in the demo we tested we did not see any type of impediment to leaving aside cooperative on the same console, even without split screen.
It must also be clear that Little Nightmares 3 Allows you to play alone. If you choose this mode, the artificial intelligence is responsible for controlling the character that you did not select. This mode is very reminiscent of the gameplay of Little Nightmares 2in which Mono and Six had to collaborate to advance. Although we were not able to test this mode, we imagine that it will be very similar to the previous game.
Still without an official release date, Little Nightmares 3 It is scheduled for release in 2025 on PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.
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