Little Nightmare studio’s Reanimal is a creepy co-op adventure inspired by Wind Waker and Silent Hill 2

Little Nightmares DNA runs strong in Tarsier Studios’ new game. So much so, in fact, that I’d assumed the trailer I watched during an online preview event last week was for a new entry in the horror cinematic-platformer series, right up until the name Reanimal appeared on the screen - shortly followed by a snippet of voiced dialogue.

It’s not just the horror setting, but the Grimm’s fairytale threat, the distorted adults-made-monsters through the trauma-tinged lens of a child’s imagination. A long-limbed man riding a bicycle in a threadbare suit chases children down an alley. A gangly, bowler-hatted pursuer scuttles down a long table like a spider. It's familiar enough territory, at least at first glance. But when Tarsier have a body of work subconsciously scarred by phantasms this vivid, recurring nightmares are just as potent.

Still, Reanimal does have a few new tricks that, even if it were a direct sequel to Tarsier’s previous works, would qualify it as a noticeable departure. It’s two player co-op, for starters. Local or online, though you’ll still be able to play through solo.

“The easy solution would have been to make it split-screen… but we didn’t want people to ever feel alone. We wanted to force players to go through together,” says narrative director David Mervik, who also wrote for both Little Nightmares games. Mervik cites Hazelight’s It Takes Two as an influence, but says that Tarsier aimed for a more minimalist approach with Reanimal.

Mervik describes the aim as offering up “that cathartic experience of going through something awful together.” New, too, is a directed, shared camera; distinct from Little Nightmares’ fixed, side-on perspective. The aim here is more curated, directed scenes, even as you're off exploring optional locations.

The question that sparked the new direction for Reanimal was, says Mervik, “What if we could get that sense of adventure - with a slightly diminished scope than The Windwaker - with that thick claustrophobic dread that you feel in, like, Silent Hill 2."

“For us, [adventure] has been the word,” he continues. “We want that sense of excitement, but also that sense of abject terror. But if that’s all you ever feel, you begin to not feel anything.” So, you’ll be able to travel by boat, discovering smaller areas off the main path, and maybe help your crew of orphans discover more about what’s going on in this world.

But Reanimal’s most striking twist on Little Nightmares is its new preoccupation with big barnyard bastards. Swollen, titanic farm animals burst through crumbling walls like they’re hungry for tamacco, and a multi-armed sheep who will never skip leg day climbs between two buildings. A giant pig perched on its hind legs slowly turns to face the camera and our protagonists as they flee through a rotting wooden shack. There’s another beastie that eludes classification, scurrying about the trailer with limbs emerging from a vast cocoon.

The look of the characters and monsters is “centered around the shared past of these kids,” says Mervik. Ah, there's that Silent Hill inspiration again. The story focuses on five orphans, but you’ll play as one of two: a girl in an ennui-wracked bunny mask, or a boy who presumably tried to find a bunny mask, failed, and just popped a sack on his head. Tarsier aren’t saying much about what these kids are up to, but it’ll be your job to find out.

When Mervik talks about the tones and themes of Reanimal, he uses words that evoke a malformed peacefulness and vitality. A comforting scent made repugnant, like someone pissed in your bread maker while you weren’t looking. Corruption. Distortion. Defilement. Violence. “The world itself? I’d say violent is the word I’d use most. What this world is - why it’s the way it is. What it reflects. It’s violence. Oh, it’s a lovely pine forest. How can we destroy that? There’s very industrial settings, and what should be a nice water forest…”

And it’s there Mervik veers off topic, slightly, to talk about the opportunities the new camera offers to compose scenes in new ways, to give the player a sense of loneliness. As someone trying to report on the game, I find the sudden shift a little jarring. But, as someone who loved both Little Nightmares games dearly, Mervik's excitement is contagious. It feels, despite the tangent, like a deeply focused and intentional project.

Tarsier have never been shy about trimming their designwork, to the point where you could criticise the Little Nightmares games for running a bit short for their asking prices. Short, but never truncated. Perfectly formed, and perfectly unsettling. Reanimal looks to carry on that tradition. I’ll be counting down the days, even if I don’t think counting sheep is going to work for me anymore.

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