If you thought that after leaving the Little Nightmares franchise, Tarsier Studios would decide to make something positive, you were sorely mistaken. REANIMAL is the quintessence of everything unsettling, terrifying, and grotesque that we’ve come to love about the Swedes, but taken to a whole new level of scale and brutality.

In this review, we’ll explore whether the developers have managed to outdo themselves and why this game will make you look at pets in a whole new light.

Plot: In Search of Lost Hope

The plot of REANIMAL revolves around a brother and sister who embark on a perilous journey across a hellish island to rescue their missing friends. But this is no ordinary “journey”: the world around them is a living nightmare filled with twisted, grotesque versions of animals.

Key narrative features:

  • Fragmentation themes: As in the studio’s previous works, the story is told through environmental storytelling. You’ll have to piece together the puzzle bit by bit.
  • Personal Drama: The focus is on the bonds between the main characters, who must overcome their deepest fears.
  • Symbolism: Every monster in the game is not just a monster, but the embodiment of a specific trauma or sin.

Gameplay: A Co-op That Changes the Rules

The main difference between REANIMAL and its conceptual predecessors is its full-fledged local and online co-op. Although the game can be played solo (with an AI partner), it was originally designed for two-player interaction.

Research and Mysteries

The game has become more open-ended. Characters move around the island not only on foot but also by boat, which adds dynamism and a sense of scale. Puzzles have become more challenging and often require coordinated actions: while one character distracts a terrifying centipede, the other must activate a mechanism.

The Camera and Immersion

The filmmakers retained the signature “side-front” perspective but made the camera work more dynamic. It masterfully chooses angles, emphasizing the characters’ insignificance against the backdrop of gigantic, flesh-pulsating sets.

Graphics and Atmosphere: A Visual Triumph

Visually, REANIMAL looks both stunning and terrifying at the same time. The use of Unreal Engine 5 has made it possible to achieve incredible detail:

  • Textures: Mud, monster fur, and rust look tactile.
  • Lighting: The interplay of light and shadow here is a matter of survival. Dark corners make you peer at the screen with bated breath.
  • Monster Design: This is Tarsier’s “calling card.” The monsters in REANIMAL evoke a genuine sense of physical revulsion and anxiety—they look like something halfway between taxidermy and a nightmare.

Pros and Cons

ProsCons
Incredible atmosphere: A 10/10 immersion into a nightmare.High learning curve: Some puzzles may seem illogical.
Co-op: The perfect game to play with a friend.Unique style: The grotesque and body horror elements won’t be for everyone.
Sound design: The screeches and moans of the monsters chill you to the bone.Duration: You’ll want to stay in this world a little longer.

Is REANIMAL worth playing?

REANIMAL isn’t just “Little Nightmares 3 under a different name.” It’s a more mature, brutal, and technically polished game. It’s perfect for fans of atmospheric horror games that focus not on jump scares, but on a thick, clinging sense of primal fear.

If you’ve been missing high-quality surreal adventures, REANIMAL is a must-play. Tetsuya Nomura once said that games should evoke emotions. REANIMAL evokes them in abundance, even if those emotions are horror.