After releasing two games in the Little Nightmares series, the developers at Tarsier Studios handed the franchise over to Supermassive Games, which did not achieve much success with the third installment. Meanwhile, Tarsier Studios got busy working on a new horror game called Reanimal. And you know what? This title surpasses not only the controversial Little Nightmares III but also Tarsier Studios’ previous games and any other similar horror games. In this review, we’ll explain what makes REANIMAL so great and why it will haunt your nightmares for a long time.
Without straying from the principles established in the first two parts of the Little Nightmares series, the developers are in no hurry to reveal the details of what is happening in Realm to the player. The game begins with a boy steering a boat and swimming up to a buoy to pull out the body of a girl. She soon regains consciousness, and the two begin their journey, apparently attempting to escape an island inhabited by dangerous creatures.
As they overcome obstacles and escape monsters, the boy and girl rescue other children. From snippets of conversation, it’s clear that the characters know each other and long for “how things used to be.” However, circumstances force them to flee this cursed place far away.
REANIMAL has a sparse plot. Instead, Tarsier Studios focused on creating locations that convey an oppressive atmosphere and a general sense of horror. The main idea is simple: Two young orphans try to escape the hellish place they came from and must save their friends along the way. After that, it’s up to you. To be honest, some of the plot elements at the end confused me. Does it matter? Not really. It’s clear that your characters need to escape a dangerous situation, and that’s enough to keep you engaged.
However, REANIMAL’s lack of an obvious plot is compensated for by its design. It’s stunning. The game features a captivating visual style where each location is carefully crafted and brought to life with stunning shadows and textures, showcasing all its gruesome details. Throughout the day, you’ll travel to various locations, including a factory, an orphanage, the open sea, World War I trenches, and a flooded supermarket. The enemy designs are also absolutely gorgeous. You won’t be able to look at a single one without feeling uneasy. Whether it’s a giant man crawling inside dead bodies or empty sacks of skin belonging to humanoid creatures crawling across the floor, every enemy is designed to keep you on edge.
Though the world around them is openly hostile to children and they must often flee from nightmarish creatures, they are not completely defenseless. In fact, the developers have added a surprising number of tools that enable them to fight back. For instance, the crowbar the boy acquires can open locked doors and fend off attacking birds and puppets. While steering the boat, the protagonists are given weapons to blow up sea mines and shoot attacking monsters. Finally, you’ll encounter segments that would make Call of Duty envious in terms of intensity and dynamics.
The game’s locations are designed with Tarsier Studios’ characteristic penchant for the grotesque and gigantomania. The game makes you feel tiny and defenseless. It shows you scenes that are terrifying yet so beautiful in their repugnance that you can’t stop taking screenshots—each one more spectacular than the last.
Compared to Little Nightmares and Little Nightmares II, Little Nightmares III seems like a child’s craft project. The growth is noticeable — the authors have clearly gained experience and become more skilled in art and character design.
However, it is clear to whom the authors are referring when they mention childhood fears: cruel adults, monsters under the bed, war, deep bodies of water, and other phobias that the characters will have to face.
The abstract is replaced by a very tangible, almost real world in REANIMAL. Images are firmly etched in memory: an ice cream truck from which nothing good can be expected; a stranded cruiser; a movie theater where shell people “watch” a creepy film; and trenches on a battlefield where dramatic events unfold. We become either involuntary witnesses or direct participants in these events. Much is hidden in the shadows here, frightening us with silhouettes and hints. But sometimes, the developers release the heroes into sunlit locations where it is also not peaceful. After spending eight hours in the almost unbearably gloomy world of REANIMAL, I am still unsure what the game is about or why it is called that.
In REANIMAL, Tarsier uses a fixed 3D camera, which is closer to old-school survival horror than Little Nightmares, where the action usually unfolds from the side. This doesn’t significantly change the gameplay, but it gives the studio the tools to convey the island’s oppressive scale. Its dirty, almost monochrome expanses take on a picturesque appearance thanks to this.
When we compare Little Nightmares 3 and Reanimal head-to-head, the superiority of the Tarsier Studios project becomes clear. Unlike in Little Nightmares, the interaction between the characters feels natural from the beginning. As the developers previously noted, however, the main character’s partner will not steal the spotlight; rather, he is a necessary tool for solving puzzles.
There are many game mechanics: you can control different types of transportation, shoot a cannon, and perform simpler actions, such as switching levers and pushing carts. All of these mechanics are smoothly integrated into the gameplay and always feel appropriate. They are also adapted for cooperative interaction. REANIMAL can be played entirely in pairs, either online or on a single screen. The cooperative gameplay is excellently implemented; you don’t just travel side by side — you constantly help each other, whether by helping your partner climb onto a ledge or fending off a monster. In some episodes, the game offers to divide roles. For example, one player controls the transportation while the other shoots at pursuers.
The adventure flies by, leaving vivid scenes and terrifying monster faces in your memory. Unfortunately, not all impressions are positive. Due to the awkward perspective, it is sometimes difficult to determine the correct direction of movement. As a result, you may bump into a wall next to a doorway or be unable to accurately aim at the enemy. However, that is practically the idea of the game.
Fortunately, such cases are rare, and the game’s checkpoints are frequent, so after losing, you reappear near where you failed.
REANIMAL is definitely one of the best games of the year. Of course, many hits are still to come, but this game is dark, exciting, and cooperative. It will make you cower on the couch in fear and leave you with food for thought. My partner and I, for example, discussed what was happening for a long time and came up with all sorts of theories.
Despite a few drawbacks, the Swedish developers have created a genuinely frightening game. They achieved this not with jump scares, but with an oppressive atmosphere and terrifying imagery.
