In an industry pestered by calls to "think of the children", Tarsier’s games are useful reminders that children can be utterly depraved in ways no coddling adult would ever dream. Later in Reanimal, the developer’s latest, strictly 'co-optional' horror game, two kids rip an eyeball out of a massive, sunken horse skull and shove it into what I sincerely hope is the eyesocket of a slumbering whale. Somehow, this is necessary to advance.
It’s the kind of thing that would only occur to children, because children do not reason like 'we' do, those disgusting creeps. They sense that they exist in a world that isn’t for them: a world of baffling laws, high shelves, and everyday monstrosity; a world they’re required to 'grow into' by means of repeated shedding and sprouting and subjection - milk teeth and pubic hair and doing your goddamn chores. So they instinctively come up with ways to screw with the system, twist its horrible logic against itself. Why not push a horse’s eyeball into a whale?
REANIMAL is out now on PC, and it’s already one of Tarsier’s most critically acclaimed releases ever. It’s also one of the better Unreal Engine 5 releases, delivering jaw-dropping visuals and solid performance with minimal stutters. Sadly, it doesn’t have ultrawide support, which means you’ll be stuck with black bars.
As usual, though, the widescreen modding community has already addresed and Lyall has released a patch which adds ultrawide support to REANIMAL. Here is how you can install that.
REANIMAL is a big step up from the Little Nightmares games in terms of story and world-building. This feels more mature, more epic, and, at times, much more terrifying.
What is the meaning of Reanimal's ending? The ending to Reanimal's story is largely up to interpretation, but there is fun to be had trawling through all the theories out there. The story toys with many themes, but it does revolve around the girl and the nightmarish creature we finally see at the end of the game: the sheep. There's also a secret ending you can unlock by interacting with all five coffins found throughout the game. Here's what to expect from both endings, though only read on if you're happy to know what happens at the end of Reanimal, as this guide contains major story spoilers.
You Won’t Be Alone, But Your Friends Can’t Save You
HIGH Sweet tank vs (REDACTED) action!
LOW Secret-hunting into an absolute chore.
WTF How is a pelican this terrifying?
Would a rose, by any other name, still smell as sweet? From the opening moments of REANIMAL, it’s absolutely clear that the answer is yes as Tarsier, the developers behind Little Nightmares 1 and 2, have done it again.
On offer we have children struggling to explore a hostile world that’s too large for their tiny forms. Foreboding environments convince players that a threat is always just a few feet away. Grotesque body horror enemies challenge the player to keep looking at the screen, even in the middle of hectic chase sequences.
Four months ago I wrote that Little Nightmares does not require Tarsier to develop it. I still believe that’s true, but REANIMAL proves that Tarsier doesn’t need access to the IP in order to make Little Nightmares.
A truly harrowing experience, REANIMAL opens, appropriately enough, with the player controlling a little boy in a small boat, lost in a pitch-black ocean. From developers that seem to pride themselves on their ability to baffle fans, this is a perfect metaphor. Everything is obscured, nothing is safe, and the only thing to do is find something that plausibly looks like a clue and move in that direction. Soon enough the player’s task is clear – a boy and a girl are missing three friends. They’re scattered across a dead world, hiding amongst the wreckage left by a horrible war. Who won the war and who it was against are unimportant – all that matters is that somewhere in the rubble there are children who need help, and that’s motivation enough to drive the action.
One of REANIMAL’s most impactful elements is a tone of overhanging dread. Just as in its spiritual predecessors, the story here is oblique to the point of causing frustration. Why is this orphanage full of petrified children? Why has this flooded town been mined? Are those sloughed-off human skins moving? Yes, they are, and no explanations are offered for any of it. I think I have some idea of what’s going on and the ending certainly has a solid punch to it – but anyone hoping that Tarsier would make a move towards coherence will be disappointed. There is a story being told, but the aesthetics are doing the heavy lifting.
And what aesthetics they are! Every corner of the world is grey and decrepit, as if a layer of dust has settled atop the whole of it. This is a world that covers the player in filth just by interacting with it, making it impossible to come away clean.
As the action moves from the ocean, to a forest, through a city, and finally into an active war zone, the player is constantly faced with new threats, each more horrifying than the last. Nothing good or pure can exist, and it’s no accident that the main characters and their three friends wear tattered clothes and disturbing masks – they may be children, but they’re as corrupted as the world they inhabit.
From a gameplay standpoint, REANIMAL goes out of its way to differentiate itself from Little Nightmares, primarily in the relative paucity of environmental puzzles and chase scenes. They still pop up occasionally of course – including one with a large bird that can be considered an all-time classic – but fewer than I’d expected based on the developers’ previous work. I never found myself searching for fuses or pushing boxes. There are a few doors to unlock and one code to put in a computer, but by and large the action here is about slowly and methodically experiencing the world, one unpleasant step after another.
This means that the experience of REANIMAL ultimately leans on platforming and combat. The leaping is floaty, but fundamentally functional, and combat is mostly random flailing. I won’t say these elements feel good, but in a sense they work towards what the developers are trying to achieve by making the player feel like they’re intruding in a world that has no place for them, controlling characters who are so overmatched that it’s almost pitiable. I honestly don’t know that super-tight controls would have improved the experience they were trying to craft.
REANIMAL is a nightmare that won’t end. After beating the campaign I immediately started it up again, hoping that by finding all of the secrets I’d get some answers to the questions the ending raised. Sadly, it wasn’t to be, and I found myself with too many loose ends while also being unable to get the haunting aesthetic out of my head. This is a grim, nasty experience from the masters of the genre. It’s a singularly nasty journey, and while I can’t recommend it to everyone, anyone looking to take a trip through the dark side won’t find one much better.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10
Disclosures: This game is developed by Tarsier and published by THQ Nordic and Amplifier Studios. It currently available on PC, PS5, XBS/X and SW2. A copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on the PC. Approximately 12 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode. The game was completed multiple times. 2 hours were spent in Multiplayer modes.
Parents: This game was rated M by the ESRB, and it features Violence, Blood and Gore, and Partial Nudity. It’s a testament to this game’s bleak subject matter that the ‘partial nudity’ referred to in the ESRB warning is discarded human skins left hanging from shelves and rafters all over one area. Beyond oppressive tone and endless brutality, this game requires a severe trigger warning for self-harm, as one of the levels is made up almost entirely of people blowing themselves up with grenades.
Colorblind Modes: The game contains no colorblind modes.
Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: I played almost the entire game without sound and encountered zero difficulties. All dialogue is subtitled, and there are no audio-only cues for tasks that need to be completed. Subtitles cannot be resized. The game is fully accessible.
Remappable Controls: No, the game’s controls are not remappable while using controllers, but keyboard inputs can be rebound on PC.
REANIMAL is the terrifying new horror adventure from Tarsier Studios – the team that brought you Little Nightmares. Released on February 13, 2026, the game follows two orphaned siblings fighting to survive and rescue their friends from grotesque monsters across a dark, post-war world. If you’re stuck, overwhelmed, or just want to make sure you don’t miss anything, this complete REANIMAL walkthrough covers all 9 chapters, key puzzle solutions, enemy encounters, and essential tips to get you through to the end.
A full playthrough takes 3 to 6 hours. Coffins and Hidden Statues are missable and must be collected in a single playthrough – they cannot be obtained via Chapter Select. Keep that in mind before you start.
Before You Start: Essential Controls and Tips
REANIMAL is best played with a controller, even on PC. The two controls you’ll use the most are crouch (LT on Xbox / L2 on PlayStation) and sprint (RT / R2). To interact with objects or pick up items, press Y (Xbox) or Triangle (PlayStation). In solo play, press LB / L1 to command your AI companion to interact with nearby levers and co-op objects.
The game has automatic checkpoints, so if an enemy catches you, you’ll respawn close to where you died. You can also manually load your last checkpoint from the pause menu at any time.
There are 110 total collectibles across the game – 47 secrets, 18 masks, 20 posters, 5 hidden statues, 5 critters, 5 coffins, 10 rest spots, and more. Explore every corner of each chapter before moving on.
Chapter 1: Dead in the Water
The game opens with you controlling the brother on a small wooden boat in the middle of a dark lake. Hold RT (or R2) to move forward and follow the red-glowing buoys. A short cutscene plays when you reach the buoy surrounded by seagulls – your sister is pulled from the water, and she’ll be your companion from this point forward.
Continue following the buoy path, steering around sea mines as you go. When you reach the beach, open the chest in the back-left corner to find a key and use it to unlock the door on the right. Head through the sewage tunnel until you hit a section with a fan blade and a switch. Use the switch to stop the fan, then sprint through before it starts again. If your partner doesn’t make it in time, use the switch on the other side to help them through.
Key Enemy – Sniffer
Sniffer is the first major enemy you’ll encounter in the train yard. This creature hunts primarily by sound, so crouch to stay quiet and move slowly around it. When it leaves the area, follow it outside and use stacked briefcases as cover. Proceed through the abandoned train carriages, pull the lever at the end, and sprint back out through the left door. Climb the ladder and keep running to reach the chapter’s end.
The chapter closes when the two orphans escape but are forced to watch a friend get taken. Push forward and don’t look back.
Chapter 2: The Cleaning House
After a bus ride, you arrive at a forest town. The moment you step in, the floor gives way. Lock the car trunk on your left, climb over it, and squeeze through. Open the shutter and work with your sibling to push it. Inside, go through the crack in the wall behind the counter.
This chapter involves a lot of environmental puzzle-solving and stealth. The town is full of mannequins – push them down and use one of their heads to smash through a glass window to create new paths. Move through the cinema and the cleaning house, always looking for alternate routes through cracks, vents, and crawl spaces.
Key Event: The Ice Cream Truck Chase
One of the game’s most intense sequences happens here. You find a saw in a tree stump – work with your partner to cut down a tree and use it as a bridge. When the ice cream truck starts chasing you, run down the path and make the jump to safety. Your third companion is captured by the monster inside the truck. Chapter 2 ends when the truck eventually falls off a cliff onto the beach below.
Chapter 3: After the Flood
You’re back on the familiar beach from Chapter 1, but things have changed. Now armed with a crowbar, you can pry open a fence door on the right that was previously locked. Follow the path, climb the ladder, and enter. Collect the wheel inside and attach it to the right side of a mechanism outside to open the gate.
You’ll need a second wheel – head into the building on the right through a gap in a bathroom wall. Collect a plunger from the dead monster inside, use it on the fourth toilet from the left to get a key, and use the key to access a locked door leading to the second wheel. Retrieve it quickly and avoid the enemies on your way back.
Once both wheels are attached, work with your partner to push the cart down the track. The chapter revisits early locations with new access routes unlocked by your crowbar.
Chapter 4: No Shelter
After the bus ride away from the pig farm, you arrive at a run-down clock tower. Before entering, grab the poster off the pylon on your left – it’s easy to miss. Climb the stairs, then hoist your partner up the ladder to check inside the front door. Your actual route is to the right.
Climb the ladder and approach the large broken clock outside. Push the minute hand all the way to the right. This moves the hour hand and opens a gap in the clock face on the right side. Boost your partner up and through the broken glass to access the clock tower.
The Spider Kids and the King
Inside the clock tower, you’ll find children turned to stone. Pull the crowbar from one of the petrified children and use it to pry open closet doors to progress. These spider kid enemies attack in groups – defeat them using your crowbar. The trickiest encounter is the King, who sits on a throne but quickly hides when you enter the room. Clear out his followers and watch the upper-right corner of the room behind the throne – the King tries to slip away quietly. Take him out fast before he escapes. Missing him means reloading the checkpoint.
After the throne room, head upstairs, cross the theater room with the pig hanging on a rope, and continue through the chapter. There are sleeping enemies in one corridor – crouch, don’t step on them, and pry the back door open with the crowbar without waking anyone up.
Coffin 4 is hidden behind a secret door in this chapter – hug the left wall after pushing a bookcase across a gap and look for the hidden entrance.
Chapter 5: Down in a Hole
The chapter starts with you hanging from a rope. Work your way down and through the underground section. This chapter leans heavily into dark, tight corridors where sound-sensitive enemies patrol.
Move slowly and crouch often. Use distractions – throwing objects past enemies is a great way to redirect their attention. The minecart sequence introduces a new traversal mechanic; use the flashlight to spot the hidden path on the left side after this section.
The flooded basement area contains a mask behind a broken wall near the boat dock – you need to solve the water valve puzzle to access it. This chapter also contains one of the five coffins, found in the dark tunnel section.
Chapter 6: Nobody Left Behind
Chapter 6 takes the action onto open water. You’re back on the boat, navigating through mines and hunting down a massive sea monster. Clear sea mines with throwable objects before driving through them. Use the cannon on shore to take down the large bird monster – load the cannon with a shell, then aim and pull both levers when the creature is in range. It takes two shots.
After sinking the sea monster, head to the shipwreck by following the buoys. Climb the anchor to board the ship. Inside, insert an eye you find into the whale’s eye socket – it moves and clears your path forward. Don’t forget to pick up the diving masks as they count as collectibles.
Before driving into the dark tunnel at the end of the chapter, turn right and explore the path between the cliffs to find a hidden statue. This chapter also has a distance-driving achievement – if you’re tracking it, drive around the open water longer before docking for the final time.
The chapter ends when you follow the sheep and climb over the wall.
Chapter 7: The Spoils
This is where REANIMAL’s story deepens significantly. The atmosphere gets heavier and the enemies more unpredictable. Move carefully and use cover consistently. This chapter contains the final hidden statue – but you can only find the last mask tied to it if you’ve lit all the candles on the previous statues in a single playthrough.
Keep tracking your collectibles before exiting each room. The chapter also introduces the corrupted farm animal enemies, which patrol in aggressive groups. Separate them from their herd using distractions before engaging.
Chapter 8: Into the Abyss
The second-to-last chapter ramps up the pressure. Enemy patrols are denser and the environments are more maze-like. One of the five coffins is hidden here – look carefully in side rooms before progressing forward.
The long-range enemies with laser sights appear more frequently in this chapter. Keep walls and cover between you and their line of sight. You’ll also encounter explosive soldier-type enemies – listen for a beeping audio cue before they charge, and trigger them from a safe distance using thrown objects.
This chapter is the last chance to grab any coffins or hidden statues you may have missed from earlier chapters. If you’ve collected all five coffins across Chapters 3, 5, 6, 7, and 8 – you’re on track for the secret ending.
Chapter 9: The End
The final chapter brings both endings into play. If you collected all five coffins in a single playthrough, the secret ending will unlock here, revealing the deeper truth behind the nightmare world and the siblings’ connection to it. If you didn’t collect all five coffins, you’ll get the standard ending – the siblings escape the nightmare together, but questions linger.
Take your time in this final chapter. There’s no rush, and making sure you’ve grabbed any remaining collectibles here will lock in your completion percentage. The true ending is emotionally striking and well worth the effort of the coffin hunt.
REANIMAL Tips to Remember Throughout the Game
Getting through REANIMAL is a lot easier if you keep a few key principles in mind from the start. Crouch early and crouch often – enemies in this game are highly reactive to noise and movement, and crouching breaks their line of sight faster than running ever will. Use tall grass and stacked objects strategically to stay hidden during patrol zones.
In co-op, stay close to your partner at all times. The shared camera means that if you drift too far apart, the game will force you back together or create problems with visibility. And before leaving any chapter, take one last pass through the area – many collectibles are tucked in side rooms or behind destructible walls, and several are chapter-exclusive.
Finally, always back up your save at the start of each chapter if you’re going for the secret ending. This gives you a recovery point if you miss a coffin.
REANIMAL Chapter List at a Glance
Here’s a quick reference for all 9 chapters and what to watch for in each:
Chapter 1 – Dead in the Water: Boat intro, train yard, escape Sniffer
Chapter 3 – After the Flood: Beach revisited, two-wheel cart puzzle
Chapter 4 – No Shelter: Clock tower, spider kids, the King boss
Chapter 5 – Down in a Hole: Underground tunnels, minecarts, water valve puzzle
Chapter 6 – Nobody Left Behind: Open water, sea monster, shipwreck
Chapter 7 – The Spoils: Deep lore, farm animal enemies, final hidden statue
Chapter 8 – Into the Abyss: Dense patrols, explosive enemies, final coffin
Chapter 9 – The End: Both endings – standard and secret
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How many chapters does REANIMAL have? REANIMAL has 9 chapters in total. A full playthrough takes around 3 to 6 hours depending on how much you explore.
How do I get the secret ending in REANIMAL? You must find all 5 coffins in a single playthrough. The coffins are found in Chapters 3, 5, 6, 7, and 8. Collecting them via Chapter Select after the fact will not count toward the secret ending.
Can you play REANIMAL solo? Yes. REANIMAL supports solo play with an AI companion controlling the second character. You can also play online co-op or local split-screen co-op with two players.
Does REANIMAL have crossplay? Yes, REANIMAL supports crossplay across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
What are the missable collectibles in REANIMAL? The 5 coffins and 5 hidden statues are missable and must be found in a single playthrough. All other collectibles can be obtained via Chapter Select.
How long is REANIMAL? The main story takes roughly 3 to 5 hours. A 100% completionist run with all collectibles takes around 6 to 10 hours. Speedruns can be done in about 2 hours.
Is REANIMAL related to Little Nightmares? REANIMAL is made by Tarsier Studios, the same developer behind Little Nightmares 1 and 2. It shares similar mechanics and tone but is a separate game set in a different world.
Looking for more help? Check out our REANIMAL secret ending guide (coming tomorrow), all collectible locations, and our full enemy breakdown for everything you need to conquer this haunting adventure.
Silence. Two crouched shapes silhouetted in the moonlight, breath held tight as something stirs. A torch beam slices through the shadows; strange grasping limbs slide into view; tension mounts, hearts pound, and then suddenly a voice cuts in, "Hang on a minute, I'm just gonna run to the loo."
For the most part, the ominous adventure of our sibling duo in REANIMAL is pretty straightforward. That is, until there comes a time when they and their friends come across a secluded bunker with no indication of where to go next from there.
We are now in the top 30 of our Most Wanted Games of 2026 and here we’re hitting a mix of sequels, prequels, a much anticipated horror, and what could prove to be the ultimate mashup that will dominate 2026. Scroll down to find out what games have got into our top 30.
30 – Slay The Spire II
PC – “A secret Thursday in March 2026”
It was in early 2024 when we learned that smash-hit rogulike deckbuilder Slay The Spire would be getting a sequel, and it’s safe to say it has big shoes to fill. Slay The Spire II is separated by 1000 years from the original game, which means new slayers, new cards, and new potions to use in the challenge to beat the Spire, which will contain new challenges.
Slay The Spire II was meant to be released into early access in 2025, with Mega Crit envisioning a year to 18 months before a full release. However, development delays meant early access did not take place when initially planned, instead now penned in for March 2026. We can only hope that Slay The Spire II is more worthy successor rather than the difficult second album.
29 – Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy
PS5, XSX|S, PC – 2026
It was in mid-2025 when Asobo Studio revealed Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy, giving us a new game in the A Plague Tale universe, though setting it 15 years before the events of the main games. This spin-off sees a new main character in Sophia, a plunderer who finds herself on Minotaur Island fighting and trying to evade an army that is chasing her, with the possibility that the Minotaur will also make an appearance.
The description for Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy references two heroes as players will switch between the ancient Minoan civilisation and Sophia’s time. The gameplay will consist of fighting various enemies as they come for Sophia and solving the puzzles across Minotaur Island to discover answers to why Sophia is there.
28 – Pokémon Pokopia
NSW2 – 5th March 2026
Pokémon Pokopia could easily end up as one of the most popular and best selling games of 2026 when it comes out in March. Take the popularity of Pokemon and blend it with the life sim vibes of Animal Crossing, and you have something that very few fans of both franchises would be able to resist.
In Pokémon Pokopia, you play as a Ditto that has taken on human form who has decided to create a little slice of paradise for fellow Pokemon. Just like any other Ditto, Pokopia’s Ditto can learn moves and abilities from other Pokemon allowing it to find ways to craft the cosy little getaway. For example, Ditto can transform into Lapras to swim around the world or sprout Bulbasaur vines for some bush slashing. Ditto will have friends to help with the crafting of paradise with the likes of Professor Tangrowth, and as more spaces are created more Pokemon will be attracted to join your little commune.
27 – Reanimal
PS5, XSX|S, NSW2, PC – 13th February 2026
There is a lot of expectation behind Reanimal. Coming from Tarsier Studios, the original developers of Little Nightmares and with a good long wait for their latest game since Little Nightmares II (Little Nightmares III was not developed by Tarsier but Supermassive Games), and Reanimal looks like it could scratch that horror adventure vibe that made Little Nightmares so popular.
Reanimal looks familiar to Little Nightmares but this a new universe, a new story, and an emphasis on partnership as a brother and sister search for their friends and look for a way off the island that was once their home. The pair explore the remnants of their home by land and sea, going to once familiar locations that have been twisted and have their own horrifying stories. Reanimal has been designed to have the siblings experience things together, which means it is fully playable either solo or in co-op. We don’t have too long to wait as Reanimal is out in just over a month.
26 – Gears of War: E-Day
XSX|S, PC – 2026
Since its reveal in 2024 we have not heard much about Gears of War: E-Day, the prequel to the entire Gears of War franchise that will take us to the very start of the war with the Locust on Emergence Day. The game is being co-developed by The Coalition and People Can Fly, with the teams putting players in the boots of young Marcus Phoenix and Dominic Santiago.
All we really know is that will see a Sera in the immediate aftermath of invasion rather than a fallen planet suffering from years of conflict. It’s also currently only announced for Xbox Series X|S and PC, even if last year’s Gears of War Reloaded remaster brought the series to PS5 for the first time with a day and date release. Anyway, for now, enjoy looking back at the reveal and its Mad World trailer above.
Did any of these games resonate with you? Come back tomorrow and we’ll have five more as we break into the top half of our list.
If I were the foreman of an game refinery, I might be dabbing my forehead in anticipation right now because there is a lot coming down the pipeline in 2026. You may be looking at the telltale bulge of Grand Theft Auto, but I'm more focused on the amount of damn fine horror we've got in the plumbing.
Publisher THQ Nordic and developer Tarsier Studios announced a release date for REANIMAL, their new cooperative horror adventure game. The new co-op horror game is launching across Windows PC (via Steam), Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2, and PS5 on February 13th, 2026. Here’s a rundown on the previously announced game, plus a trailer: WHAT IS REANIMAL? The original creators […]
Similar to Nic (RPS in peace), I am both beguiled and maybe just a little riled by how much Tarsier’s Reanimal looks like the studio’s previous Little Nightmares games. Once again, it’s a game about small children in sinister headgear travelling through a collapsed and raggedy storybook world of ogres and abductors. Still, Tarsier have a magnetic capacity for icky monster designs – shout out to Spider Sheep in the trailer there, who absolutely won’t be getting an eye-popping animated Marvel spin-off – and Reanimal is something of a departure once you peel back the layers of suppurating flesh.
My name is Dave Mervik and I am the Narrative Director for Tarsier Studios, creators of the soon-to-be-released co-op horror game Reanimal, which launches on PS5 Feb 13, 2026.
For those of you new to the world of Reanimal, it is a story of a group of orphans bound together by the world they grew up in, and torn apart by what that world became. The Boy and The Girl are your playable characters in this story and they find each other very early on at the beginning of the game. After they’ve said their hellos, they set off in their boat to find and reclaim their missing friends – Hood, Bucket and Bandage – from a variety of unpleasant places and even more unpleasant monsters. It’s fair to say that these kids have a complicated history with this place, so don’t be surprised if they’re a bit nonplussed to see you at first, but all good friends come to those who wait!
This year we have travelled to both Gamescom and Tokyo Game Show to demo Reanimal for the public and the reaction has surpassed all our wildest dreams, hearing the screams of both joy and terror as players worked together to survive has been music to our ears and is exactly what we had hoped for when concocting this idea of being Scared Together. So to all of you who gave of your time in Cologne and Tokyo, we give our most heartfelt thanks. It’s that kind of reception that makes the many years of hard work worth it. Just about!
As the release of the full game hoves into view, we would like to take this opportunity to announce to you here today that pre-orders are now open! All pre-orders of Reanimal unlock a pair of exclusive masks – Foxhead and Muttonhead – which can be used by either character to make your travails in this hellish world a bit more fun, or to blind you to their horrors!
As a studio that cut its teeth making hats and costumes for LittleBigPlanet, it feels strangely appropriate to be back here all these years later talking about the masks of Reanimal. Those of you who have already played the Reanimal demo will know, our latest range of headwear has gone to a much darker place! Yes, gone are the days of donning your silliest hat to gambol with carefree abandon through a world of happiness and creativity. Reanimal is a wildly different beast, it is a world of loss, violence and being scared together, a birthday cake hat would ruin everything!
At Tarsier, we try to make our worlds as rich and full of character as possible, where the story lives as much in the world around you as it does in what our characters say and do. It’s both fun and rewarding to pay attention to the little things, filling the background with details that tell us more about the world we’re in and the world we came from. Masks and costumes fall into this category too. Decorating the head or obscuring the face needn’t always be a meaningless act, and in many cases the mask (or the reason for it) is as much a part of the story as the person behind it.
The process of creating masks for Reanimal begins in much the same way as in past games, the artists begin sketching ideas around the core themes that we explore in the game and then iterating these until they hit that elusive Tarsier Quality Bar™. The Foxhead and Muttonhead masks resonated especially well because they had that bestial flavour that we were looking for; while their predator/prey characterisations quietly reiterate the game’s thematic undercurrents. They felt like a fitting pair to release as exclusives, as they come with plenty of baggage, just like our protagonists.
So, while out looking for your friends, even though you may dread to do so, it is worth exploring the world around you to see what secrets might be lying around. There are extra story snippets, hidden morsels of lore, easter eggs; and, of course, some of the most unpleasant masks we’ve ever created. We can’t guarantee that wearing them will keep you safe from what lies ahead, but you will at least look like you belong here!
Tarsier, the studio behind the much-loved Little Nightmares 1 & 2, has announced a 13th February release date for its brand-new horror adventure Reanimal. And if you need a little something to keep the impatience for its arrival at bay, a demo is available from today on Xbox Series X/S and PS5.
