REANIMAL - Review
Terror, curiosity and simplicity
André Ramos
2/21/26, 7:51 PM
Atualizado a
REANIMAL is a peculiar kind of horror game
From the same team that brought us Little Nightmares and Little Nightmares II comes REANIMAL. A game that keeps the visual identity we’ve grown used to in those titles, but with a different kind of “narrative.” And I use narrative in the loosest sense possible.
The premise of REANIMAL is simple: a boy and a girl trying to rescue their friends. That’s it. But what unfolds throughout the campaign pushes us to question the relationship between them — and the very world surrounding them.
When I previously described narrative as a vague term in this game, I meant that we’re constantly invited to speculate about the true meaning behind every moment, every situation, every character, every enemy, every location — and, above all, what REANIMAL actually is.
With that said, I won’t share my own theory, because I feel that’s something deeply personal. What I can say is this: even though everything plays out in a “fictional” setting, the messages — or at least the allusions to parts of ourselves — feel very real.
Maybe that sounds a bit naive. Maybe some of you are thinking, “Is everything okay? It’s just a game — it’s not that deep.” And to those people I can only say: maybe.
But have you ever tried reading between the lines of something that feels almost too obvious?
Give it a shot. You might not be disappointed.
Straightforward, no-frills gameplay paired with a deeply immersive aesthetic
In REANIMAL, the controls are extremely straightforward: jump, crouch, run, interact with objects, and — surprisingly — attack, though only in very specific situations.
The game features a co-op campaign, and I genuinely believe it’s an experience that deserves — maybe even has — to be played with a friend. In my case, I played through it with one, and it was fascinating to see each other’s interpretations (or complete lack of them) during certain moments. With the Friend Pass system, only one person needs to own the game, which makes it something I strongly recommend taking advantage of.
I can confidently say that, while it may not be the most technically impressive project out there, REANIMAL is pure eye candy from start to finish. The art direction, though simple, works — and it’s genuinely beautiful to look at. From the most serene environments to the grotesque ones, from the mundane to the utterly chaotic.
All of this is backed by a soundtrack I’d describe as more of an ambient soundscape — probably the most fitting technical term. The OST is subtle, but it’s precisely that subtlety that draws the line between a calm moment and one filled with anxiety.
The design of everything — from the player characters to the NPCs and everything in between — feels deliberate and purposeful, and it delivers on that intention.
A simple game — but an effective one
In terms of optimization, REANIMAL runs extremely well. No performance issues to report.
That said, there were a few bugs — nothing gamebreaking — that did, on occasion, lead to our deaths. Sometimes we’d clip into an object’s geometry and couldn’t get out without exposing ourselves to danger. Other times, our characters would get stuck against a wall or partially hidden object, making it difficult to understand exactly where we were positioned — even though there’s a feature that displays our usernames above the characters.
Gameplay-wise, there was one section where I found it unusually difficult to aim a very specific weapon. Not just because of the camera movement, but also due to the constant motion of our co-op partner. Unfortunately, I can’t say which weapon without venturing into spoiler territory, so I’ll leave it at that.
I feel like REANIMAL is a particularly difficult game to analyze. Not only because it’s short, but because it’s simple, accessible, and direct. And none of those are negatives. On the contrary — when that’s the intention, and when that’s enough to deliver the intended experience, then maybe it’s actually the best possible approach.
Still, I can’t help but mention that, at 39.99€, I was expecting a slightly longer experience. Not in terms of quality — because that’s absolutely there — but in terms of duration.
Pros:
- Atmosphere and art direction
- The open-ended narrative invites reflection
- Very strong co-op experience
- Subtle but effective soundtrack
- Simplicity that truly works
Cons:
- Occasional bugs
- Certain gameplay sections feel less polished
- Short runtime for the price