REANIMAL

REANIMAL on Nintendo Switch 2 marks a striking reinvention for Tarsier Studios, taking the studio’s talent for intimate horror and expanding it into a richer, more confident adventure. Tight controls, a smartly reactive camera and impressive AI make every escape and puzzle feel fair, while the island’s layered design blends openness with subtle guidance to create a world that rewards curiosity without losing momentum. It’s a bold step beyond the Little Nightmares formula and a clear statement of what Tarsier can achieve on its own terms.

REANIMAL isn’t just a great horror game: it’s the kind of experience that lingers, hitting as hard as Little Nightmares, maybe even harder. It signals the start of a new chapter: a darker, more unsettling tale that masterfully confronts a truth we all recognize: no one outruns their fate… though that won’t stop you from trying.

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.

Whether you’re playing with a friend or by yourself, I think this is Tarsier Studios’ best game so far. Putting a few small issues aside, I thoroughly enjoyed REANIMAL from beginning to end. I just wish the whole experience was longer, as I found myself wanting to spend more time exploring its grotesque world and discovering new secrets.

Reanimal is an ominous, tense adventure that puts you in unsettling situations and leaves you to draw your own conclusions about what’s going on. So much so that it almost feels like the end is only the beginning of analyzing what’s happened here. While short, there are some interesting puzzles and encounters, the pacing is good, the NPC intelligence in single-player is competent, and there’s some great character and environmental design elements at play. A few bugs that will likely be patched out in a few weeks aside, it’s a great horror game.