Highlights
- Little Nightmares 3 introduces new playable characters, Low and Alone, and fans are excited to see how their skills and personalities differ from previous protagonists.
- The world of Little Nightmares is vast and the lore behind the games runs deep, with the sequel serving as a prequel to the original game, explaining how Six ended up alone.
- The franchise is expanding beyond the base game, with DLC, animated comics, and an audio-fiction series called The Sounds of Nightmares, all adding to the immersive experience for fans.
Since Little Nightmares 3 was announced at Gamescom 2023, there has been a lot of speculation as to what the narrative will focus on. It is fun to predict whether fans will see the return of Six, the main character of the first Little Nightmares, for example, now that two entirely new protagonists are shown to be taking the stage. The trailer gave players the first-ever glimpse at Low and Alone, the game's two playable characters.
The reveal of Little Nightmares 3 is incredibly exciting news for fans of the series, especially since the sequel came out over two years ago. It hasn't been confirmed if this will be the final addition to the franchise, but it could be if it decides to close out the storyline of Six for good. To assist with world-building, Bandai Namco is borrowing a fun idea from The Callisto Protocol.
The World of Little Nightmares is Vast
For those unaware, the lore behind the games runs quite deep. Little Nightmares 2 was actually a prequel to the events of the original game which explained how Six ended up alone. Some have theorized that Little Nightmares 3 could follow the same trend, but based on the information available so far it appears that it occurs after Six and Mono's journeys. Still, it should be compelling to see how Low and Alone's skills and personalities differ from previous protagonists.
Interestingly, the backstories of this horror setting are constantly being explored outside the base game. For example, Little Nightmares' Secrets of the Maw DLC introduced a new protagonist, the Runaway Kid, while teasing the sequel. Free comics for Little Nightmares also exist and at the moment these animated comics have six episodes. While it may be a coincidence, this could be because of Six's name.
In addition, the franchise will build upon the foundations of these other mediums with an audio-fiction series called The Sounds of Nightmares. This technique is reminiscent of The Callisto Protocol's podcast, Helix Station, which debuted on Apple Podcasts in November 2022. Helix Station takes place before the events of the horror game and describes the adventures of a skip tracer, the game's version of a bounty hunter.
Though it hasn't been said for certain, The Sounds of Nightmares seems like it's also a prequel. The main character of the podcast, Noone, wasn't shown in the trailer for Little Nightmares 3, which could imply that she existed before the third game. Additionally, some people suspect one of the villains, an eldritch god-type being, is responsible for the current state of the world. The universe of Little Nightmares is strikingly dark and depressing for the children who live in it, and something may have happened to cause this.
At the moment, only two chapters of the audio-fiction series have been released, alongside a teaser for Chapter 3. The podcast can be found on various platforms, including the official Bandai Namco website, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. What new details the podcast can give to continue the hype for Little Nightmares 3 is still to be seen, but so far it's been well-received by the community.
Little Nightmares 3 launches in 2024 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
