Games are often our escape. They let us live out power fantasies, conquer battlefields, build empires or simply switch off after a long day. But every so often a game comes along that does not want to help you escape at all. Instead, it pulls you somewhere darker, more intimate and far less comfortable. Reanimal from Tarsier Studios, the team behind the first two Little Nightmares games, is exactly that kind of experience.
It’s the kind of game does not just unsettle you, it lingers long after the credits roll.
The Feeling of Wrong
From the moment you take control, something feels wrong. You play as a boy and girl trapped in a decaying world that is both industrial and organic, yet disturbingly familiar, as though the environment itself is rotting from the inside out.
There is no lengthy setup and no guiding voice explaining events. Much like Tarsier’s earlier work on Little Nightmares, the storytelling is environmental, subtle and left for you to interpret.
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The world of Reanimal is extremely oppressive. Twisted structures loom in the distance, machinery groans somewhere out of sight and warped creatures stalk you from the shadows. These are not monsters built for cheap jump scares. They are malformed, oddly tragic things, once familiar shapes twisted into something almost feral.
The horror is not loud or explosive. It is a creeping, unknown fear that builds slowly and tightens around you as you move through each new area.
Co-op At Heart
Gameplay sticks to the formula Tarsier has refined over the years. You run, climb, push objects and work together to solve environmental puzzles. The co‑op dynamic adds an extra layer, forcing teamwork and timing rather than letting you simply push through alone.
The puzzles are rarely taxing, but they demand attention. Every movement feels deliberate and every mistake can be fatal. Failure is often brutal and sometimes a little unfair, with certain moments feeling designed to catch you out before you learn the pattern.
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I played the full game in online co‑op with a friend, and credit to Tarsier Studios for offering a free friend‑pass system so only one of you needs to buy the game. However, the journey was far from smooth.
We ran into frequent bugs and glitches, and we could not load the final section together, leaving me to finish the last fifteen minutes solo. It is a shame, but with some patching these rough edges can hopefully be smoothed out.
Haunting Beauty
Visually, the game is hauntingly beautiful. There is a grim elegance to its art direction. Muted tones dominate the screen; this is anything but sunshine and rainbows.
Sound design plays a huge role in shaping the mood. Dialogue is minimal. Instead, you hear distant metallic shrieks, muffled cries and the unsettling squelch of something moving just out of sight.
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When music does swell, it is restrained and purposeful, heightening tension rather than overwhelming it. What you do not see is often scarier than what you do.
The Opposite of a Cosy Game – An Uncomfortable Game
Reanimal is not an easy play. Its themes are dark, its imagery disturbing and its tone relentlessly bleak. Some players may find it emotionally exhausting. It is also not a sprawling epic; it respects your time. None of this feels like a flaw when you look at the whole picture.
This is a game that trusts you to interpret its horrors, fill in the gaps and draw your own conclusions. It is unsettling, oppressive and at times shocking, yet masterfully crafted. Good horror fades once the credits roll. Great horror follows you into the quiet moments days later. Reanimal firmly belongs in the latter category.