REANIMAL

When I began to play REANIMAL, I asked myself the same question I’m sure many others are already Googling: Is this Little Nightmares 3? It’s from the same creators behind the original two games. It has small children facing oversized horrors, dangers linked to childhood traumas, and creepy—yet undeniably cool—outfits and masks. So I wouldn’t blame you for thinking, “Hey, this is clearly a sequel… or at least a spiritual one.”

And that’s pretty much the case with REANIMAL. The short answer might be “Yes, but…” and the long answer is “No… so you’d best read the review below.”

But be warned—REANIMAL is a far darker, bleaker beast than Little Nightmares ever was.


This Is One Big Nightmare

From the same team behind the original two Little Nightmares games—now operating under the banner of Tarsier Studios—comes REANIMAL, a spiritual successor to their darkly twisted platformers where you play as very small children dealing with very big, horrific problems.

Many will naturally ask, “Is this Little Nightmares with animal monsters?” And while the familiar DNA is undeniably present—only now on a much grander scale—there’s far more going on here than a simple reskin. REANIMAL stands firmly on its own merits, boasting a darker tone and far more compelling thematic ambitions that push its uncomfortable horrors further than ever before.

In fact, it feels closer to what originally inspired Little Nightmares: Playdead’s Limbo and INSIDE.

While I love the earlier games, I always felt they lacked a singular thematic throughline, instead fusing a collage of childhood fears—schools, hospitals, grotesque adults—in hyper-surreal fashion. That approach worked wonderfully, but it was clear this team aspired to something more profound. And with REANIMAL, they finally get there.

Through media, we often observe the inhumanity of humanity—war, cruelty, brutality—yet rarely grasp their full psychological weight. Witnessing such horrors is life-altering. Experiencing them through the eyes of a child, however, takes things to another level.

This is the crucial element that feels absent from the original Little Nightmares. Those games focused on symbolic childhood fears; REANIMAL goes further, especially in its final act. I’ll avoid spoilers, but going in blind—as I did—is absolutely worthwhile. What unfolds is a voyage of the damned, as though the boys from Stand by Me decided to trek into Hell on a pilgrimage of faith, repentance, and acceptance—encountering monstrous, allegorical creatures along the way. There are clever nods to Tarsier’s earlier work, bold new horrors, and moments that linger long after the credits roll, leaving you muttering, “What on earth just happened?”

Influences ranging from Animal Farm and Lord of the Flies to Come and See shine through. This time, the developers have anchored everything—story, visuals, level design—around a central thematic backbone, resulting in something genuinely haunting and thought-provoking. There are a few minor stumbles. Voice-over is sparse, largely amounting to variations of “You came back” or “You shouldn’t have come back.” Some added context might have strengthened character development. Still, the environmental storytelling is so rich that a second playthrough reveals new layers of lore and meaning, especially when hunting down lost souls scattered throughout the world.

Put simply, REANIMAL boasts a stronger, more cohesive identity than Tarsier’s earlier work. It weaves a twisted tale heavy with symbolism, confronting themes of generational trauma, the impact of war on children, and the grim truth that—when pushed—we are all animals capable of cruelty for reasons both rational and horrifyingly banal.


A World of Horrors and Adventure

REANIMAL also presents a world far grander in scale. At times, it recalls that famous Resident Evil 4 lake section, sailing between distant points of interest, alongside classic Little Nightmares level design: environmental puzzles, oppressive architecture, and frantic sprints from towering monstrosities representing everything from communism and capitalism to the simple terror of being forced into school.

All the familiar hallmarks return—monolithic structures, grotesque pursuers, and the suffocating dread that entering any confined space will almost certainly end badly—but this time they’re joined by greater variety. Clocking in at around six hours for my first playthrough, the game nevertheless packs in a wide range of environments, challenges, and adversaries. There are tense cat-and-mouse sequences, trial-and-error escapes, and those all-critical leaps made after pulling yourself together following one too many deaths.

New mechanics also shake things up. A boat allows traversal through certain regions, mostly for striking set-pieces, while combat is far more integrated than before. You won’t suddenly turn into Doomguy, but brutal melee encounters and explosive heavy weaponry occasionally replace pure stealth. It’s a bold shift that lends these children a surprising sense of desperate resilience.

That variety is REANIMAL’s greatest strength: twisted chases, nerve-wracking stealth, grim exploration, and cathartic moments of destruction. While some encounters end too quickly, the pacing remains fluid, allowing for a steady procession of vile nemeses—even if a few deserved more screen time.

My main gripe mirrors one I had with the Little Nightmares games: the situational puzzles often feel undercooked. Solutions are sometimes presented in the same space as the problem, robbing them of satisfying complexity. One example involves spotting a corpse with a key, realising a firearm must be nearby… and promptly finding it right beside the bodies. It feels like the skeleton of a good idea without an extra layer or two to elevate it.

Earlier entries offered more inventive problem-solving, such as turning drawers into makeshift staircases. REANIMAL instead seems reluctant to slow the pace for lateral thinking, which is a shame when Limbo and INSIDE managed to blend cerebral puzzles with cinematic momentum so elegantly.

Still, taken as a whole, REANIMAL remains a beautifully crafted dark odyssey—dense, unsettling, and packed with haunting imagery, intense pursuit sequences, and gruelling trials that often end in glorious triumph.


Overall

REANIMAL is far more than a simple successor to Little Nightmares. It feels like the culmination of ideas first planted over a decade ago, refined with maturity, confidence, and thematic weight.

I went in sceptical, expecting familiarity. A few hours later, everything clicked. What emerges is a bleak, brooding work that pushes intensity and symbolism further than ever before—one that deserves to sit alongside Playdead’s finest as a harrowing, thought-provoking journey through darkness.

This comes highly recommended. Tarsier should be immensely proud of what they’ve achieved with REANIMAL.

+++ Intense, brutal scares and horror themes
++ Fantastic setpieces
++ Visually breathtaking and atmospheric
++ Expands on the formula of the original Little Nightmare games

- The story can be rather confusing without the hidden details
- Condensed lateral moments are rather stale and simplistic
- More open exploration would've been highly welcomed

A PS5 copy of REANIMAL was kindly provided by the publisher for this review