REVIEW: ‘REANIMAL’ Takes Childhood Fears To New Heights

Tarsier Studio has found time, and again, they can create compelling horror experiences with unlikely protagonists. REANIMAL, Tarsier’s return to form after leaving Bandai Namco Publishing, has proven that they don’t just need the same brand to continue excelling in the horror genre. Even with similarities to their previous works, REANIMAL takes childhood fears to new heights, mixing real-world horror with a child’s imagination, while still creating a modern experience that stands out within their body of work.

REANIMAL begins with a child waking up in the middle of a body of water… floating in a boat. Suffocating darkness is all around them. All they can really do is sail around. A glimmer of light is the only thing that guides them through the mist. Upon reaching a first light, another child is discovered. Now not alone, they will have to work together to survive whatever nightmares the mist and darkness hide within.

REANIMAL’S story is as deep or as shallow as you want to read into it, which is really Tarsier’s affinity: vague storytelling, where the core story is compelling enough to keep you playing. Balanced by making you think for ages about what every symbol, creature, or action meant. What stands out from their previous work is the voice acting. Over the course of the game, the five children who eventually come together talk among themselves. It’s little whispers or checking in on each other after reaching some safer areas. 

REANIMAL is a surprisingly massive game.

Voice acting adds a lot to the story and even more to the mystery. They are called friends (as trophies that popped called them), but there is still an uneasiness about working together. As in, there is some deeper animosity between the group’s members that has taken a back seat to the ulterior goal of surviving. 

The way REANIMAL ends is shocking enough to be another classic Tarsier twist. Similar to their past games, paying close attention will make the initial shock more digestible. Storytelling at this level is difficult, and even experienced entertainment studios still struggle with it today. Most importantly, the ending makes you want to play more and find a secret ending that may give these kids a happy (or slightly happier) ending to their tragic tale. 

If the storytelling has improved, then the gameplay can be considered evolved for Tarsier. REANIMAL is a surprisingly massive game. The demo was only a tiny taste of what is in store for the full game—mixing vast areas to wander and explore with tight, claustrophobic hallways, all with a never-ending sense of unease. Like, the next corner you turn, you’ll find that big threat. 

 Each location has its own threats, traps, and puzzles to solve.

That aforementioned water you wake up on is the most consistent way you’ll get around from location to location. From a mining facility to a school. From a shoreline military base to a beached tanker. Each has its own threats, traps, and puzzles to solve to make it through. Yet, the way the story evolves is closely tied to its major threats. Many of whom aren’t explicitly tied to a specific area, such as the developer’s previous work.

The first one (who, honestly, may be the most terrifying) is a lanky humanoid figure with an uncanny ability to crawl into and out of corpses to get around. They appear constantly in the first several levels. An ever-present threat who, if you see a corpse around, could appear to chase you. In other words, every corpse is a threat.

Every room, especially, is designed in a way that something, whether it be the big ever-present threat or some minor enemy, can pop out at you at any moment. Typophobic and nyctophibic people will have issues with this game as its use of lighting does an excellent job highlighting every nook and cranny that you yourself cannot explore, but could harbor…something.

REANIMAL is well-designed for both single-player and co-op play.

Yet there are many secrets hidden just about everywhere. REANIMAL encourages your curiosity by giving a subtle clue for which hallway is the golden path. Often, the only way to go will be barely lit, or there will be something that makes that path stand out. There are also alternative paths that lead to different unknowns. Sometimes it’s a dead end. Other times, you’ll come across one of the game’s four collectible types: a concept art poster, new masks for the two children, a coffin (needed to unlock the “true ending”), and statues that can be lit. 

Every one of them is a little reward. Especially the masks: in the heat of the moment, when you’re being chased by a 12-foot colossal creature and up to five kids are running away from it, you can quickly lose control of your character. The masks are a nice way to make them stand out, though they sometimes blend in with one another. 

However, one thing is clear after playing through the entire game. This game was well-designed for both single-player and co-op play. Similar to another sister release, REANIMAL can be played in co-op. However, unlike the aforementioned game, co-op doesn’t feel more focused than single player. Whoever you control has the most to do. You can ask your partner to help (and they do automatically help during some encounters), but you’ll be the one attacking enemies, solving puzzles, and being helped up onto taller ledges to interact with just about every object. 

One part of the game was, sadly, a drawback to the overall experience.

During the review playthrough, a co-op partner wasn’t available to test out how that mode felt. But you can tell when a co-op partner would play a key role. For instance, one person distracts while the other advances, or one looks for a solution to a puzzle in the environment while the other executes. Tarsier has the experience to create stellar single-player games. The addition of co-op never felt like it got in the way of what they do well. 

One part REANIMAL was, sadly, a drawback to the overall experience. This is a minor spoiler, so be warned. At the end of the game, you’ll be fleeing from the final big bad in a tank. That tank controls horribly for how you need to move it around. First, you’ll move toward the screen during this chase sequence. But the tank doesn’t control the way any other character controls up to that point. Turning the joystick left moves the tank left, and vice versa. Since you’re moving toward the screen, all controls are reversed at this point. 

Also, the tank likes to get caught on the terrain… a lot. It also had a knack for being thrown in the air on certain pieces of terrain, too. What could’ve been a satisfying send-off to a fantastic game up to this point ended up being more frustrating, as glitches and interaction bugs led to needless deaths. 

Tarsier has found the right balance of combat, a sense of helplessness, and a way to pique your curiosity.

Similarly, if playing solo, sometimes your NPC buddy (which is whoever you choose not to play in the beginning) likes to get caught and stuck on terrain as well if a path isn’t obvious. Most of the time, they’ll teleport to you once you get far enough away. That’s not always the case, though. Sometimes, when this happens, you’ll need to do a checkpoint reset to fix the bug, which can be annoying if it occurs during a tense moment. Both of these glaring issues seem easily fixable with a patch or two, so please do not hold them against what, up to this point, is a stellar horror game. 

Especially if you’re already a fan of what Tarsier does, they have done a great job overall in finding the right balance of combat, sense of helplessness, and piquing your curiosity as a player. Tarsier has learned from its past and, now under a new parent company, has struck grimdark gold once again. 

REANIMAL, while not perfect, does an excellent job of building on what Tarsier does best—portraying childhood fears as their most intense expressions. This time, they’ve mixed that with real-life dangers, like bullying, war, and abandonment. Because many fears, even ones as extreme and pure as a kid’s fears, are rooted in reality.

What stuck the landing was how expansive the levels were, full of secrets, and keeping the atmosphere constantly tense. You never know when you are safe. And opening a door can lead to an even bigger threat that you need to escape from. Tarsier excels at fear, and they once again delivered another stellar game that surpasses their previous best work.

REANIMAL is available February 13th on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.