Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series S|X, PC, Switch 2
One of the first threats you encounter in Tarsier Studios’ new psychological horror entry Reanimal is what appears to be slithering suits of human skin. These snake-like monsters – which resemble deflated human corpses – are creepy as hell, but don’t quite achieve the level of ratcheted terror the team’s been touting for its scarier, more mature follow-up to 2021’s Little Nightmares II. But not to worry, as a later sequence sees the studio more than making good on its heart-pounding promise.
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As Reanimal‘s young protagonists, a brother and sister duo – either controlled cooperatively with two players or solo with an AI companion – you’ll soon discover the nightmare-conjuring source of these fleshy freaks and begin to appreciate Tarsier’s new terror-cranking take on its existing formula.
In a dimly lit, nondescript laundry room filled with rumbling washers and dryers, you’ll encounter a tall, deformed man who’d previously been stalking you. He’s hunched over an ironing board, diligently working the wrinkles out of a pile of clothes, one garment at a time.
You stealthily pass behind him to enter the next room, where several dead bodies hang from hooks above bath tubs. As the creeper enters to examine the dangling corpses, a horrifying realization surfaces: He’s emptying the innards of these victims into the tubs, reducing them to, well, skin suits. Before you can fully digest this disturbing discovery, a second one hits you – it wasn’t actually trousers or shorts he was ironing in the previous room.
This horrifying stretch of events serves as just one example of Reanimal‘s deft ability to shock and scare, while also organically incorporating clever gameplay. That laundry room sequence, for example, requires you to sneak past the nice man steam-pressing human flesh by timing your movement to the sounds of the grumbling washing machines.
…the dread-inducing presentation is as cinematic as it is scary.
Of course, much like Tarsier’s Little Nightmares and its sequel, Reanimal absolutely excels in presenting an endlessly tense, terrifying world that’s been lovingly crafted with twisted art design, slick effects, atmospheric lighting, and immersive audio. Coupled with a new dynamic camera that perfectly frames every frightening encounter, the dread-inducing presentation is as cinematic as it is scary.
If Reanimal stumbles at all, it’s in its storytelling and stealth gameplay. The former, while intentionally minimalist and up for interpretation, can still feel a bit sparse, while the latter – including that bath-tub room – can occasionally be too sensitive, leading to some frustrating insta-fail stretches.
All that said, Reanimal is a more than worthy spiritual successor to Tarsier’s previous psychological horror entries, and one fans of the nerve-fraying genre shouldn’t miss, especially in co-op alongside a fright-craving friend.
