Tarsier Studios are back. It’s been five years since the release of Little Nightmares 2, and we’ve seen the developer move on from the franchise they created. Its spirit however – that unique combination of creeping dread, unrivalled atmosphere and jaw-dropping, gut-wrenching moments is alive and well, but it has matured into something fans of this style of game are going to adore. I’ll do my best to keep this spoiler free, and try to only really discuss and hint at things you’ve already seen in trailers and promotional material already released. I’ll avoid plot entirely, but will speak a little about world building and game mechanics in a general way. Welcome to the world of REANIMAL.
A Familiar Feeling
REANIMAL, in true Tarsier style, puts us once again in control of children, navigating a nightmarish and utterly enthralling world, the scale of which frequently surprised me. Our main protagonists are mask-wearing orphans (clearly someone at Tarsier has a ‘vibe’, and will not be dissuaded). A brother and sister who – over the course of nine chapters and around five hours of gameplay – will explore incredibly realised and atmospheric environments, packed with all manner of other-worldly horror, and a fair dose of intrigue and mystery.
The game begins with the brother, who of course is wearing a burlap sack to mask his face. Alone on a rickety boat out at sea, the fog is so thick we can barely make out the red glow of the lamps on the buoys ahead as they lurch back and forth on the surface. As we push our small boat forward, we come across what at first appears to be a body in the water. This is in fact, our sister, who we pull onboard.
While it’s fair to say that REANIMAL shares a lot of DNA with Tarsier’s ‘Little Nightmares‘ franchise, it’s also keen to set itself apart almost immediately. “I thought you were dead.” the boy mutters. Here’s our first surprise – voice acting. It’s used sparingly, and the tone of our characters often feels desperate – whispered, frightened and small. These kids have seen far too much.
A Sense Of Scale
For the first time for Tarsier, you can bring a friend along for the journey in REANIMAL, with the game supporting a co-operative experience throughout, available either locally or online. Fret not though – if you prefer to go it alone, you can – it works just like previous Tarsier games, where your sister will become AI controlled. The game has you playing on the same screen, and while you can sort of wander to the edges, you will risk death if you both stray too far from each other, the colour bleeding out from the screen.
Another notable switch up for REANIMAL is the move to fully 3D environments, and in turn the sheer sense of scale on display. While the ‘Little Nightmares‘ franchise dabbled in occasionally switching up perspectives, it mostly played in 2.5D throughout, which came with a fair number of problems when it came to making jumps, and adjusting to the various camera angles that the game employs for cinematic effect. For the most part, those issues are solved in REANIMAL.
Gameplay is presented entirely without a HUD of any kind, and in-game prompts are contextual appearing infrequently. Interactive elements are either highlighted for say, throwable objects, or a simple white diamond to indicate you can interact in some fashion. It’s all very minimalistic, and all the more immersive for it.
And oh my, that immersion! Tarsier pull out all the stops to surprise, scare and generally keep you on your toes in this adventure. The boat is a recurring feature, and our sibling duo will set out to rescue their friends, who appear trapped on this island and have seemingly given up all hope of escape.
What Happened to this World?
The story telling in REANIMAL is deliciously ambiguous. While our protagonists and the other children we seek to rescue have a few spoken lines, they’re often deliberately spaced out, and lacking for those who are seeking detailed exposition. There’s no ‘This happened, and now we must achieve this‘ in terms of structure. Instead, these kids – with us in tow – are running on pure survival instinct and perhaps a genuine sense of loyalty to their friends.
As such, the narrative that slowly pieces itself together is told primarily via environmental story-telling, and your own interpretation of the events that occur. Every new area you begin to explore feels like you’ve just missed some horrific, world-altering event, and the variety and depth of these locations impresses. There’s plenty of exploration too, with hidden concept art unlocking posters hidden around the levels, and animalistic statues to find – oh, and different hats of course.
Your adventure will take you from sandy shores, abandoned city streets, farmhouses and more. While colours are muted, the game is a cinematic treat, with incredible atmosphere and lighting throughout, and a soundscape to match. One particular shout-out goes to what felt like a World War 2 inspired battlefield, with lighting effects and a mood that evoked strong memories of that night-time scene in the film 1917.
No Guts, No Glory
As you might expect from Tarsier Studios, yes, there are monsters and other-worldly creatures to contend with here. The first we encounter is arguably the most ‘Little Nightmares‘ like in both tone and style – humanoid in shape, certainly – and yet something is clearly very wrong. That encounter finishes with a surprising set-piece that also reinforces your player agency. While we did get to wield weaponry in ‘Little Nightmares‘ on occasion, our diminutive size made combat a last resort. In REANIMAL however, we are not entirely defenceless.
Later in the game, both characters will be able to equip tools and weapons – a crowbar for the brother, which is also used to force open different doors and passageways – and a knife for the sister, who will happily back you up in a fight. There are also more contextual tools to use, like throwing spears and harpoons.
Combat, while infrequent, is a relatively simple affair, and provides at least some confidence when trapped in places we’d usually never willingly venture into. It also provides a nice change up from the traditional puzzling fare, which again doesn’t really do anything new per se – be it pulling levers, finding keys, unlocking doors and so on.
Where REANIMAL truly sets itself apart from other titles in the genre is in the world building and set-piece encounters you’ll experience throughout the game, and of course, those signature ‘Tarsier’ moments where you really do need to run away as fast as you possibly can. Sadly, that trial and error aspect of these sorts of games is back, present and accounted for, so be aware.
Performance-wise, I’ve played the game across PC, my ROG Xbox Ally X handheld and Xbox Series X. On PC the game played fantastically on my RTX4090 equipped rig, with everything set to Ultra and ‘Nanite Lighting’ set to on, though sadly no Ultra-wide support. Console is a slightly softer image, but seemingly a solid 60FPS in the performance mode – and it still looks gorgeous.
If you’re keen to play the game on the go, the ROG Xbox Ally X achieved a 60FPS target with a mixture of high and medium settings, and similarly okay-to-good performance using FSR with all settings at high, that saw the game hovering between 50-60 FPS. From an experience point of view though, REANIMAL all about playing on a big screen with the sound up high and a good friend beside you.
REANIMATED
Anyone that knows me is likely aware that I’m a big fan of Tarsier’s previous work. Little Nightmares II was my personal ‘Game of the Year’ back in 2021, and I’ve eagerly awaited REANIMAL since it was revealed. Did it live up to my expectations? It’s a resounding yes (I’ll certainly never count sheep to fall asleep again – ever).
REANIMAL doesn’t give us all the answers by the time the credits roll. There’s no comforting closure here – it’s a game and a world that lingers. I have so many unanswered questions, so many theories. Tarsier Studios have taken their signature DNA and refined it – it’s not perfect, but it’s a sharp, confident experience. Bleak, beautiful and deeply unsettling – Tarsier certainly haven’t lost their touch.
Review Code provided by the publisher.
REANIMAL
Played on
PC & Xbox Series X
PROS
- Incredible Atmosphere
- Gorgeous (though bleak!)
- Deeply Disturbing
- Great in both co-op and solo play
CONS
- An ambiguous narrative may leave players wanting more
- Relatively short if you're not interested in collectibles
