Without having to fly to Gamescom!
Better late than never, the fine folks over at Bandai Namco recently provided me with the opportunity to play the same 15 minute hands-on build of Little Nightmares 3 that was recently featured over in Germany as part of Gamescom 2024.
Jumping in solo — though there was an option to play in co-op — I assumed the role of one protagonist named Low and let good ol’ AI handle the reins of my companion, Alone.
Upon starting, I was immediately immersed in the macabre world of Little Nightmares, highly stylised and, as usual, appearing as it was ripped directly from the mind of Tim Burton himself. The already eerie atmosphere was finalised by the sound of howling wind and suitably desolate soundtrack.
Perhaps due to the length of the demo — or because it may very well be a segment that appears remarkably quickly as you’ll boot up the full retail game — the single-player tutorial played as just that: a tutorial. I was slowing introduced to the abilities of my character, which included the basics of picking up, dragging, or throwing items, before extending into the reveal and usage of my unique tool of a bow and arrow.
While both characters possessed an umbrella, useful for catching air currents to lift yourselves up into previously unattainable heights, my bow and arrow was useful for loosening objects that had been tied to the rafters. My robot partner, meanwhile, wielded a mightly wrench that got us through a number of breakable walls.
If you’ve played Little Nightmares previously, than you largely know what to expect; if not, perhaps the name drop of Limbo will be helpful. Characters largely will progress from left to right, sometimes further or closer to your screen as they do so, and avoid terrifying traps and pitfalls.
The main goal of the level was to keep out of reach of a giant hand, and in doing so either keeping to the shadows and out of sight of searchlights, or by sprinting out of danger into safety. Death is swift, and just as swift is the level’s reset, allowing you to try a sequence in a different way using what you’ve just learned.
Puzzles that I encountered included picking up items and throwing them at hard-to-reach buttons, and others that required I pull out my bow to create new paths in the environment. At other times, my AI co-op partner started to solve puzzles before I’d even had the chance to identify them.
While that was a bit of a buzzkill, it was also seemingly welcome — beside me, I watched as a pair of real-life humans occasionally struggled to communicate with each other and progress.
Overall, the small portion of Little Nightmares 3 that I played proved to be very polished, but also very Little Nightmares. I’ve seen all that was on offer, and done it all before.
The end result is something that I’m, admittedly, not overly excited about. That said, I know that those who adore the franchise (or this specific genre) have something very special to look forward to.
Players can expect Little Nightmares 3 on Windows PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, PS4, PS5, Switch, iOS, and Android devices in 2025.
Stevivor was flown to Sydney, NSW from Melbourne, VIC for the purpose of previewing Little Nightmares 3. Non-alcoholic beverages and a light meal was provided, and transfers were paid for by Stevivor.
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Little Nightmares 310 October 2025PC PS4 PS5 Switch Switch 2 Xbox One Xbox Series S & X
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