Little Nightmares 3 May Have New Protagonists, But One Threat is ...

Little Nightmares 3 has been announced and is set to feature two new protagonists in a cooperative horror-platformer adventure. Serving as the first surprise in Gamescom Opening Night Live 2023, the title's reveal trailer caught fans off-guard with its unique style and industrial setting. While various returning elements such as puzzle-solving and otherworldly mirrors all appeared within the trailer's short runtime, Little Nightmares 3 gave no hint as to its deeper narrative. However, the mainline series' history suggests that players will cross paths with a familiar figure.

Little Nightmares 3's reveal came as a significant shock, as Gamescom Opening Night Live host Geoff Keighley had recently doubled down on the assertion that only previously announced titles would appear. The title's reveal trailer introduced fans to two currently nameless protagonists who must work together to navigate an expansive industrial setting while avoiding the horrors within. These horrors seem to include humanoid monsters, like the original title's Guests, a massive baby-doll creature, and the inhabitant of a mysterious mirror. Fans familiar with the franchise's prior offerings are sure to suspect the appearance of another threat, which has developed over the course of each narrative thus far.

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The Little Nightmares franchise boasts a story told across various forms of media, including console and PC titles, mobile games, mobile comics, and an official comic book series. Across its various game offerings, only one figure has been present in every entry: Six, whom players first met as the playable protagonist of the original Little Nightmares in 2017. Whether she is featured as the lead protagonist, a mysterious ally, or an endangered captive, Six has played a prominent role in each Little Nightmares title. That said, Little Nightmares 2 made it clear that there is much more to Six than meets the eye.

Little Nightmares 2 served as a prequel to the original title. Players were tasked with navigating an original protagonist, Mono, through various horrifying settings, while aided by an AI companion, Six. Over the course of the title's narrative, Mono and Six develop a bond, with each saving the other from a certain demise while pursued by the mysterious Thin Man. However, that all changed in Little Nightmares 2's third act.

Little Nightmares 2's final boss consists of Mono attempting to calm Six, in order for her to get back under control and return to her normal form. Mono is successful, leading the two to nearly escape the nightmarish realm they're trapped in. However, the title's final moments reveal that Six was only using Mono to escape. Once she is free of the facility, she allows Mono to fall into the fleshy abyss below. Abandoned, Mono is eventually revealed to be the true identity of the Thin Man, as his time alone shapes him into a monster.

While Little Nightmares 2 is the latest entry in the mainline series, the original Little Nightmares portrays the most recent depiction of Six chronologically. In Little Nightmares, Six is followed by a mysterious figure, seen at the end of Little Nightmares 2, while plagued by an otherworldly hunger. The title takes place in The Maw, a mysterious nautical vessel, and sees Six attempt to escape the vessel's Guests and various crew members. Across her journey, players see Six become more and more insatiable, devouring food, gnomes, and the game's final boss, The Lady.

The Lady is characterized by her aversion to mirrors, culminating in Little Nightmare's final confrontation, in which Six uses a large unbroken mirror to subdue her. With a similar mirror being featured in Little Nightmares 3's reveal trailer, it appears that players could encounter a new, more powerful threat in Six. As the character now boasts the supernatural gifts of The Lady, as well as her own monstrous abilities, Little Nightmares 3's protagonists might face the most frightening foe the series has seen yet.

Little Nightmares 3 is set to release in 2024.

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