Reanimal Review: A Grim Fairytale of Childhood Fears
PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox, and potentially the upcoming Switch 2 – the gaming landscape is brimming with options. But Tarsier Studios’ Reanimal carves out a unique space, offering a grim fairytale of a puzzle-platformer that’s as beautifully macabre as it is difficult to put down. The opening line, “I thought you were dead,” immediately sets a tone of unsettling familiarity, hinting at a world steeped in prior tragedy.
Navigating a World of Rabid Entities
You take control of two child protagonists navigating dark, wave-swept landscapes and desolate urban environments in a small rowboat. Their quest? To find their lost friends in a world overrun by rabid, malformed entities. The game expertly taps into the primal fears of childhood, and the option for co-op play adds another layer of intensity, allowing you to brave the horrors with a friend on the couch.
The ‘Crate Review’ Test & Reanimal’s Formula
Remember the “crate review system” popularized by irreverent gaming blog Old Man Murray? The quicker a game throws in a tedious crate-pushing puzzle, the less inspired it felt. Updating that for 2024, we have new benchmarks. How soon will you shimmy through a tight gap, boost a companion over a ledge, or tediously rotate a mechanism? Reanimal hits all these notes within the first 20 minutes. By the six-hour mark, it feels as though Tarsier Studios has extracted every drop of novelty from its core formula: light exploration puzzles, tense stealth sequences, and heart-pounding chases.
Echoes of Little Nightmares & Unexpected Twists
Tarsier’s previous work, the Little Nightmares games, were lauded for their ability to reflect a child’s fears through exaggerated and imposing worlds. Adults were terrifying, work was bizarre, and bureaucracy felt uncanny. Reanimal draws heavily from this well, but occasionally introduces elements that feel at odds with the theme of childhood disempowerment – like piloting a tank or wielding a bazooka.
The game’s architecture is wonderfully wretched, with assured cinematography and a striking sense of scale. Concrete and steel groan with stories of decay and disaster. You’ll traverse crumbling bulkheads, a decaying orphanage, and a forest so dense that sunrise feels like a myth. Hidden crawlspaces offer moments of respite, proving that even nightmares are more bearable with a traffic cone on your head.
A World Rich in Detail & Compelling Mysteries
The attention to detail is remarkable. The children help each other up after falls, and beds quiver when jumped on. A lighter and lamp provide small comforts in the gloom. And, of course, the marquee moments – running from or battling gargantuan creatures – are truly spectacular. You’ll never look at a pelican the same way again.
Throughout the game, Reanimal subtly reveals clues to a compelling mystery surrounding the nature of its world and the children’s place within it. However, the game falls slightly short of delivering the emotional gut-punch of Little Nightmares II’s ending.
A Visual Feast, But Does It Stick the Landing?
Like a flickering projector showing macabre images, Reanimal presents a series of darkly beautiful scenes. They’re undeniably memorable in isolation, but don’t quite coalesce into a fully cohesive narrative. Despite this, Reanimal is a haunting and captivating experience that’s well worth exploring.
Reanimal is available February 13th.
Learn more about Tarsier Studios and their previous work on their official website.
