Reanimal hands-on: A masterclass in cinematic horror

Darkness, desolation, and… Oh shoot, an overgrown, doll-like freak just bit my head off. Reanimal, a horror game developed by Tarsier Studios, the creators of the first two Little Nightmares games, is not without jump scares.

Reanimal, announced at Gamescom 2024, is a third-person co-op horror game in which you take on the role of an orphan brother and sister as they try to escape from an island populated by monsters. Following a (mostly) linear narrative, you’ll watch the story unfold through a dynamic camera angle. I love a good co-op puzzle game that forces me to laugh, scream, and get stumped by puzzles, so I was thrilled to play a 30-minute Reanimal demo at Gamescom. Although Reanimal can also be played solo (with an AI companion), I’ve only tested the game in co-op mode together with another invitee to this hands-on preview.

Stranded on a gloomy beach at the start of the demo, my in-game sister and I started frantically opening a bunch of washed-up suitcases. She found a key in one of them, and with nothing to do but unlock the nearby door, we successfully entered a large, industrial-looking building. So far, so good.

Soon enough, the puzzles became more complex. Many required the discovery of hidden levers and hidden items, so I was predominantly focused on exploring my surroundings. As became evident when I tried to unclog a toilet on my own, most puzzles can’t be solved without working together. Besides pulling things simultaneously, I noticed the common co-op puzzle concept of “player one has to stay here and pull this lever so player two can run ahead and create a pathway for player one” — it takes two to continue!

That said, the puzzles didn’t feel very innovative to me. Pulling levers, finding items… Nothing I haven’t encountered before. That’s not to say they weren’t entertaining, though; for example, there was a particularly funny moment when the other player and I were standing on an abandoned mine cart, wondering why it wasn’t moving and trying to figure out what the other player was doing wrong, until a developer kindly pointed out that it had no wheels. In such cases, however, most of the hilarity stemmed from the co-op gameplay; it’s funny because you’re failing together. Would it be equally funny in solo mode? I’m not sure.

What I liked better than the puzzles were the more intense horror sections involving sneaking, running, and screaming. While searching for the mine cart wheels, a troop of nasty, deflated corpses suddenly jumped out and chased me through the room. Around that same time, I started noticing a mysterious giant who kept turning around the corner just as we entered a new area — surely this isn’t foreshadowing?

Just when I thought I was finally getting out of this creepy place, the giant who’d been crawling around suddenly popped up at an abandoned train station, all too eager to rip my head off. There was nothing to do but crawl under a bench and hope for the best… The way the dim light contrasted with that mangled, limping figure as he slowly moved searchingly towards me felt properly cinematic.

Image: Tarsier Studios

Speaking of which, Reanimal is a true masterclass in cinematography. The beach at the start is shown from far away, emphasizing the scale and desolation of the place. Dropping down a tunnel, the camera zooms in, and you see nothing but the siblings and the faint glow of their little lanterns, increasing the sense of suspense. And when you try to sneak past the giant, bright headlights from an abandoned car enhance the monster’s silhouette in the background as the siblings scurry through the darkness nearby. These are but three examples of how the camera angle and lighting create a sense of dread in Reanimal.

Surprisingly enough, watching Reanimal’s adorable protagonists trot about and help each other while carrying their little lights adds a healthy dose of cuteness to offset the horror. Although it’s a bit sad to see them perish, especially if the cause is quite brutal, the way the siblings are huddled together upon respawn is especially sweet. It’s safe to conclude that Reanimal matches the eerie atmosphere from the Little Nightmares games, but it’s never too scary to continue — at least not for me, and I’m not particularly brave.

Reanimal’s visuals have truly impressed me, and I can’t wait to discover more of its hellish world and terrifying inhabitants, even if the puzzles aren’t groundbreaking. I will need to find myself a player two, though.

Reanimal is coming to Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X in early 2026.