Little Nightmares 3 might still be some way off - it's due to arrive in 2024 - but, in the spirit of this spookiest of seasons, Bandai Namco has shared 18 minutes of co-op gameplay.

Announced back in August, Little Nightmares 3 marks the first time a mainline entry in the series won't be handled by original developer Tarsier Studios. Instead, Supermassive Games - the team behind The Dark Pictures Anthology and Until Dawn - is at the helm, taking players on an adventure following two new protagonists.

Our spooky new pals are Low and Alone, both trapped in a world known as the Spiral - a "cluster of disturbing places" that includes the sandy Necropolis, home to a monolithic (and far from friendly) creature known as Monster Baby. An extensive look at the Necropolis and its perils can be found in the new gameplay trailer below.

This is, as far as I can tell, the same sequence previewed to press when Little Nightmares 3 was announced earlier this year, so you might get a touch of déjà vu while watching. It begins with our heroes (either controlled individually by two players using online co-op or solo with AI) tumbling out of a magic mirror and into a raging sandstorm before finding their way into the Necropolis itself.

Before long, one of Little Nightmares 3's new additions comes into play: Low's bow and arrow, which he uses to split a swinging rope, releasing a crate that can be used to scramble to a higher ledge. Alone's unique ability, a wrench, puts in an appearance soon after, used to manipulate a contraption and raise a platform enabling passage deeper into the level.

As things progress, Monster Baby makes a dramatic entrance, but I'll leave you to discover the rest on your own. Little Nightmares 3 launches for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PS4, Switch, and PC some time next year.