SHARE THE SCARES

Little Nightmares III is so charming you'll want to bring a friend

- CHRISTOPHER BYRD

This gorgeous, unexpected transition is a callback to the opening of the first game, which saw Six emerge from what appeared to be a ship into an incongruous space absent of water.

The two will journey from the desert to a candy factory, carnival and asylum. Gameplay is divided among light puzzles, chase sequences and brief combat encounters.

My friend and I did run into a couple of frustrating sequences where a running jump was required and we watched our feet bounce off the edge of an object. But those moments were exceedingly rare. The puzzles are clever and legible. Combat sequences are short. Thank goodness for a horror game that privileges flow over grindy challenges.