Reanimal Reviews
Reanimal is an audiovisual masterpiece and in many ways more interesting than its twin game, Little Nightmares 3, but it doesn't quite reach the level of a classic status like the opening part of Little Nightmares.
Review in Finnish | Read full review
Reanimal is Tarsier Studios doing exactly what it does best: tense, physiological horror with a (un)healthy dose of gore and body-horror.
REANIMAL feels like the work of a studio unshackled. While based on the foundations originally designed and created by Tarsier Studios, the team has built on them with confidence and creative conviction. This is a game that understands what made the studio’s earlier work resonate, while refusing to be defined by it. Through its confident mechanical evolution, grounded and oppressive world design, and a thematic focus that’s as unsettling as it is confrontational, REANIMAL establishes its own identity; one that’s harsher, more ambitious, and more emotionally affecting than anything Tarsier has made before.
Tarsier Studios has crafted a work of art and a bigger, more dramatic, version of Little Nightmares that showcases how far this type of game can go. It's so disturbing in its themes, unsettling in its pivotal moments, coated in dreadful atmosphere, and mesmerizing from start to finish. It unfortunately fails in its gameplay elements, as it has no complex puzzles, boring combat encounters, and is just all around pretty simple.
Reanimal represents the natural and daring evolution of Tarsier Studios, taking the fragile and surreal essence of Little Nightmares and transforming it into a more expansive and explicitly horror-filled, disturbing, brutal, and relational cooperative horror game (without betraying its melancholic and childlike soul), perfect for those seeking shared tension on an island of living nightmares. Despite some narrative crypticism and minimalist combat that is not for everyone, the result is an unforgettable adventure (albeit rather short) that will appeal to fans of the genre. It is a title that is best played in pairs, where the tension of having to protect (and depend on) another person amplifies the journey.
Review in Italian | Read full review
After a long hiatus since Little Nightmares 2, Tarsier’s return is more than expected: Reanimal is an ambitious and disturbing horror adventure that pushes the studio’s creativity to its limits.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
"A terrifying yet captivating experience" REANIMAL represents a confident step forward for Tarsier Studios, deepening the philosophy of vulnerability and suffocation without falling into the trap of repetition. Through thoughtful collaboration and meticulously crafted visual and sound design, the game delivers a psychologically unsettling and artistically cohesive experience. A horror experience designed to disturb and linger in the memory.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
REANIMAL represents a step in maturity for Tarsier Studios. Although the first part of the campaign may feel overly familiar to those who have followed the studio's previous work, the experience grows consistently by introducing new mechanics, expanding the role of cooperation, and investing in a more raw and direct setting.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Reanimal is a fresh and distinctive entry in the lineage of horror games that Tarsier Studios is known for, featuring a more realistic approach alongside impressive cinematic and artistic direction. The game stands out for its deeply mysterious narrative, which gives players the freedom to interpret it in their own way, as well as for its varied gameplay, new ideas, and finely crafted sound design. While it remains faithful to the core essence that defines the studio’s work, the story’s heavy ambiguity may not appeal to everyone.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
REANIMAL is Tarsier Studios at their darkest, and at their most confident. It takes familiar ideas and expands them into something bigger, scarier, and more deliberate. It’s not perfect, but its atmosphere, co-op design, and standout set pieces left a strong impression. One of the most memorable modern horror games I’ve played in a while.
Tarsier Studios returns with a spiritual successor to Little Nightmares that captures everything that made those games special - and makes it even better.
Reanimal is a game whose greatest strength clearly lies in its atmosphere. The world feels denser, more oppressive, and emotionally more intense than in Little Nightmares III. Anyone looking for a horror adventure that prioritizes mood over complex puzzles will find a very compelling experience here. The varied and sometimes disturbing mask designs, the minimalist storytelling, and the charming German voice acting give the game a distinct identity. At the same time, technical shortcomings such as merely average visuals and somewhat imprecise controls prevent it from receiving a higher score. Despite these criticisms, Reanimal remains a remarkable game that stands out primarily because of its atmosphere and visual identity. It is not a perfect title, but one that demonstrates how powerfully atmosphere alone can carry a gaming experience. But to answer the initial question: even if the score doesn’t reflect it, I like this game more than Little Nightmares 3.
Review in German | Read full review
With Reanimal, Tarsier Studios builds on Little Nightmares, combining psychological horror with immersive cooperative gameplay. Polished visuals, cinematic pacing, and refined mechanics create a cohesive experience. Layered mysteries and an open-ended narrative hint at a larger world, making it a strong foundation for a potential series.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
While its gameplay remains familiar, REANIMAL elevates itself through its dense atmosphere, an unwavering commitment to delivering a consistently tense horror experience you cannot take your eyes off, genuine emotional weight driven by voiced characters with deeply personal stakes, and impressive technical polish, standing as Tarsier’s most cohesive and fully realized project to date.
REANIMAL is a high-quality horror adventure that elevates Tarsier Studios’ signature elements to new heights. Blending distinctive gameplay with deliberately cryptic storytelling, it delivers an experience that is both gripping and deeply unsettling. Grotesque design, meticulous direction, and a strong co-op mode enhance the formula, making this new IP a meaningful evolution and an essential addition for horror fans.
Review in Italian | Read full review
REANIMAL is a dark, unforgettable horror experience that showcases Tarsier Studios at their best, even if familiar frustrations and a steep price for its short runtime remain, making it an unleashed beast worth embracing if you can accept those flaws.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
REANIMAL is not a horror game you casually play on the side. It is an experience. One that gets under your skin, that suffocates you, and doesn’t let go even after you’ve turned it off. The Swedish studio impressively demonstrates how modern horror can truly work: relying less on cheap jump scares and more on atmosphere, psychological pressure, and a constant feeling of unease.
Review in German | Read full review
Ultimately, the game’s few technical issues are completely overshadowed by Reanimals' excellence across world design, environmental storytelling, and set-piece moments, not to mention its eerie use of audio, especially via headphones.
Reanimal's cinematic camera work, outstanding sound design, and varied set pieces pull me into a suffocating world steeped in horror. From a gameplay perspective, however, the experience falls short of its potential. Trying to equally accommodate both single-player and co-op seems to limit creative freedom. There’s a noticeable lack of ambition when it comes to meaningfully evolving the established formula or experimenting with new ideas.
Review in German | Read full review
REANIMAL is just a better Little Nightmares. The game introduces many important improvements and features a well-implemented co-op mode. If only the playtime were two hours longer, it would be absolutely PERFECT!
Review in Polish | Read full review