REANIMAL

“A mature work” is probably a phrase you’re tired of hearing. Yet, Reanimal certainly gives that impression at first glance. Despite its characters, the game isn’t childish at all. With its monstrously disturbing atmosphere, deeply meta gameplay, and art direction worthy of the most terrifying nightmares, Reanimal has something special and does exactly what you’d expect. That said, it remains a game that hasn’t quite matured in terms of its execution. Conventional and rarely transcendent, Reanimal’s gameplay lacks that little something extra to elevate it to the top. So, while it’s certainly a game that’s mature for its age, it still has a few things to learn to truly join the ranks of the greats.

Reanimal is a whole beast of its own from Tarsier Studios, but only vaguely beyond the surface. It's a dark yet tasteful turn into more mature horror, with a striking art style, and a tremendous level of world building. However, its gameplay doesn't quite feel like the improved pivot every other aspect Reanimal has, as it's what we've come to expect from the studio. It's still an unnerving spectacle to trudge through, but it just feels a little too familiar to be impactful.

Reanimal is a short audiovisual masterpiece that makes even Little Nightmares 3 look like a complex tactical adventure game.

A darkly atmospheric horror puzzle game from the original developers of Little Nightmares, that’s undermined by dull puzzles and too much trial and error.

Spooky, surreal setting and co-op might be enough for some, but the gameplay is neither engaging nor frictionless, and there’s little new here to justify how limp it plays.

And, yes, the handful of marquee moments spent running from or tussling with gargantuan creatures are spectacular. I will never turn my back on a pelican again as long as I live. Throughout, Reanimal drip-feeds clues to compelling mysteries surrounding the nature of its world and the children’s place within it. A shame, then, that it whiffs its apparent swing at recapturing the gut-punch of Little Nightmares II’s ending.