REANIMAL

Ever since Tarsier Studios parted ways with Bandai Namco, it was only a matter of time before we saw its next move, away from the Little Nightmares franchise. Although the latter released Little Nightmares III a few months ago, which was developed by Supermassive Games and received mixed reviews, REANIMAL is clearly the spiritual successor to the Swedish developers' vision. As such, it is a familiar experience, following in the footsteps of Little Nightmares I & II, but differs in certain areas, such as the significant addition of co-op, as well as the use of animals (hence the title REANIMAL – impressive, right? ), instead of moving "nightmares," as the main enemies of our protagonists.

As is customary in Tarsier games, there are two protagonists. This time, they are two siblings, a boy and a girl, who are trying to find their friends and escape from a nightmarish island that they once called "home." How they ended up there remains unclear. The use of the word "unclear" is by no means accidental, as it is a concept that permeates the player's mind throughout the game. As was the case with Little Nightmares, most, if not all, of the events that take place in the game are not explained verbatim, but instead leave the player to interpret them however they wish. Especially towards the end and mainly in the finale, REANIMAL completely eliminates words (there are occasional dialogues, but they don't fill even one A4 page) and lets the images speak for themselves.

These images are undoubtedly very powerful, capable of remaining etched in the player's memory for a long time. REANIMAL is probably the most terrifying, disgusting, twisted, and rotten version of Tarsier's games. I think the Swedes have outdone themselves this time, as the decision to depict real animals (sheep, pigs, birds, etc.) in a strikingly distorted version is even worse than "random" figments of the imagination. This is especially true when they are depicted alongside sick manifestations of human nature, which can only make you want to run away from the madness, while at the same time reflecting on how deep into darkness the human mind can fall.

In this area, REANIMAL gets top marks. Throughout my time playing the game, I felt constantly uncomfortable, both because of the gloomy atmosphere and the increasingly monstrous situations experienced by the protagonists, where, whether you like it or not, you empathize with them, while struggling every now and then to catch your breath and continue. But those breaths are few and far between, as the rollercoaster of terror is unstoppable in the approximately four hours that a normal playthrough lasts.

Four hours? Unfortunately, this is one of REANIMAL's biggest flaws, namely the game's very short duration. Of course, this time increases significantly if you try to explore the game world more and find all the secrets, which are not few (masks, posters, coffins that unlock alternative endings, etc.) and not so obvious. And indeed, the game provides the tools for this, as almost from the beginning of the adventure, we have access to a boat that gives a slight feeling of an "open world." To avoid misunderstandings, the game is completely linear, and the extent to which we can sail the boat is entirely determined by its "narrative." However, this small sense of freedom is welcome and perhaps a mechanism that will form the basis for future titles from the company.

However, it is worth noting that the action element of REANIMAL significantly outweighs the puzzles. There are very few environmental puzzles, which are not particularly challenging, with the emphasis mainly on action and stressful chases. This approach was probably chosen in order to make the co-op mode more appealing to the general public, but we would not have objected if there had been at least two or three more puzzles. The co-op mode works seamlessly, as it is supported both locally and online (using Friend Pass, meaning only one person needs to have purchased the game), and significantly increases the fun factor, as much as one can describe a nightmare as "fun." However, if you prefer the... forever alone mode, the AI does an excellent job of controlling the girl and we didn't encounter any problems, either in the action or platforming sections.

Contributing to this positive experience is the careful handling, which we found to be much more robust than in Little Nightmares II, meaning that we don't lose out due to controller inaccuracy (we definitely recommend it over the mouse/keyboard), but mainly because we didn't think/react in time. Moreover, in general, the difficulty level of REANIMAL is rather low, while the generous checkpoints prevent frustration from reaching high levels as we try to discover the right way to avoid an obstacle/monster. However, it would be interesting if there were alternative ways to approach certain situations rather than deciphering what the developers had in mind, but this is not the case and the game remains within the realm of a "cinematic" experience.

The latter is not necessarily a criticism, as when playing a Tarsier title you know what to expect, but this particular formula, even if slightly enriched, seems to be getting a little stale. Therefore, it might be interesting to see something significantly different or even completely different from this talented development team, as the (short) REANIMAL experience may be very powerful, but at the same time it is so familiar that the element of surprise ceases to exist.

Sure, the world depicted in the game is impressive thanks to the use of Unreal Engine 5 (but why are there traversal-stuttering issues, Mr. President?), beautifully directed and at times darkly enchanting, while the musical score is masterful, adopting a chilling, minimalist soundtrack and several "disturbing" sound effects. It is therefore clear that REANIMAL is a very well-crafted production in which Tarsier Studios has invested and will continue to do so, as they have planned to release three DLCs that will continue the story, presumably after its enigmatic finale.

So, if you're in the mood for a new horror adventure in the style of Little Nightmares, from the creators of the genre, REANIMAL comes highly recommended, especially if you plan to play with friends. However, if you were hoping for something new, then, given its short length, it would be better to wait for a significant discount before purchasing it.

We would like to thank Enarxis Dynamic Media for providing the review code.

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