Little Nightmares III

Where each section in the earlier games was thematically coherent, now the parts have little in common

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One of our most persistent, and horrid, assailants in Little Nightmares III meets a sticky end. The terminus comes after a chase sequence, during which we're never more than a few feet and inches away from being slaughtered, until we enter a certain room and, well... let's just say the roles are reversed. It's a moment that unavoidably reminds us of our encounter with the hunter in Little Nightmares II. In that case, pursued by a maniac with a shotgun, by chance our pair of diminutive heroes end up holding a shotgun of their own, wrestling with its weight as the killer closes in and then: boom! The danger is gone. The difference between the two scenes, however, is in the emotions they provoke. In this new game, the impact is vastly diminished.

An obvious reason for this is precisely that we have been there, done that previously. But another, bigger reason is that new series developer Supermassive Games struggles to land its blows as Tarsier Studios did previously. The sequence with the hunter in the second instalment, for instance, is built on a tension that begins building well before you've met, in a forest strewn with snapping bear traps, and sustains its grip. The lead up this time is quietly sinister but comparatively gentle, avoiding fraying your nerves too soon. The chase itself is briefer and simpler to survive, and the punchline — the frantic juggle with the shotgun and the full stop of the bang — is replaced by one that lacks comic timing as you instead grab and pull a switch. Little Nightmares III is a followup that looks, sounds and acts the part, but without the devilry of design that once elevated our heartbeat and commanded our gaze.