Little Nightmares 3 – The Backstage DLC is out now, introducing The Puppeteer

Little Nightmares 3 has its first DLC out now. The Backstage is the opening chapter of Secrets of the Spiral, a two-part story expansion from Supermassive Games and Bandai Namco, available on Nintendo Switch 2, PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and last-gen platforms.

The expansion introduces Dime, a new child companion wearing a torch helmet, who teams up with Low after Alone is captured at the start of the chapter. The two set off through the Backstage — the Puppeteer's workshop hidden behind the curtains of the Carnevale — to rescue her before she ends up as the Puppeteer's latest pincushion. The Puppeteer herself is a mechanically precise, unsettlingly perfect figure who creates the Puppets that populate the Carnevale. Her weapons include sharp scissors, long needles, and a petrifying glare that can freeze anyone in their tracks. Low and Dime's best defense is a pair of special helmets with bulbs that can be overloaded to produce a blinding flash of light. The Backstage also hides the Remains — shadowy child figures that attack in groups from dark corners, their eyes wrapped in cloth. The DLC costs £6.49 on console or £6.99 on Steam, and is included in the Secrets of the Spiral Expansion Pass.

Little Nightmares 3 launched as Supermassive Games' take on the series originally built by Tarsier Studios. Eurogamer gave it three out of five stars, noting that playing it safe led to familiar frustrations, but that the game's artistry and a stronger mid-game stretch kept it worth playing. The Backstage is the first additional content released for it.

The DLC was announced at Summer Game Fest just last week, so the turnaround to release was fast. No date has been confirmed yet for the second chapter of Secrets of the Spiral.