You know what I love? When developers keep doing what they do regardless of who acquired them last. Reanimal, the newest game by Little Nightmares creators Tarsier Studios is just that.
From start to end of its demo at Tokyo Game Show 2024, you get a large dousing of that tense horror the studio excels at.
It’s a familiar design- dank, grim environment, a giant monster chasing you around, some smaller fiends to keep it tense. And you know what? It’s all the more excellent for it.
As tiny ashen children give me the run-around, the game excels at just keeping you on your toes. It’s not a mechanically complex game, so if there’s no means to outsmart a monster chances are you’re powerless against it- and it’s now time to thusly book it.
Reanimal Has The Tarsier Magic
Tarsier’s command of horror is their best trait by far- nothing quite compares to what that special flavor of monster they conjure.
In Reanimal, it’s a multi-armed horror with a gaping hole for a face, spewing out ashen children to hunt you down. I cannot overstate how creepy this thing is, as it scuttles after you in incredibly tense stealth and chase sequences.
There’s even the obligatory “hold still” moment- where it crawls up towards the screen looking for your characters and you’re basically stuck having to run during the few seconds it’s not looking directly at your characters.
I’m glad to see Tarsier Games being right in their wheelhouse- the simple platforming is a great backdrop for visual spectacle in Reanimal, and it feels correct that way. Considering how wild Little Nightmares got with its more complicated levels, I’m looking forward to Reanimal with excitement and trepidation. The game has no release date just yet, so like a creeping horror just under the floorboards, I can’t wait to be jumped and surprised by this one.
