Reviews are officially in for Reanimal, the upcoming co-op game from Tarsier Studios heading to PlayStation 5, PC, Nintendo Switch 2, and Xbox Series X/S on February 13, 2026. While Tarsier Studios has been around since the 2000s, the developer is likely best known for its work on the first two Little Nightmares games, which are both available on PS5.
After being acquired by Embracer Group in 2019, Tarsier Studios confirmed that it would not be continuing the Little Nightmares series, and that Bandai Namco still held the intellectual property rights. Instead, Tarsier has spent the last few years developing Reanimal, a sort of spiritual successor that takes the general essence and gameplay formula of Little Nightmares and pushes it into new territory. Much like Supermassive Games’ recently released Little Nightmares 3, Reanimal puts two-player co-op at the forefront of its horror-led experience.
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Reanimal Review Roundup
- Top Critic Average on OpenCritic: 81
- Critic Recommendation Score: 84%
As of February 12, Reanimal has a Top Critic Average of 81 on OpenCritic, with 84% of critics recommending the game. These figures have been collated from a total of 63 critic reviews. While additional reviews could be added to OpenCritic in the coming days, they’re unlikely to affect Reanimal‘s average critic score too much.
Though Reanimal has debuted with a “Strong” OpenCritic rating, the review scores themselves vary quite considerably. At the highest end of the spectrum, Reanimal has earned 9/10 scores from many critics. Nintendo Life’s Nile Bowie is one such critic, writing that “Tarsier Studios delivers its darkest, boldest work yet,” and that Reanimal expands on the Little Nightmares formula in many ways and offers accessible co-op. GamingBolt’s Ravi Sinha expressed similar opinions, stating that Reanimal feels like what fans would expect from the creators of Little Nightmares, but that it’s “wondrous in its own right.” Xbox Era’s Jon Clarke also gave Reanimal a 9 out of 10, saying that “it’s not perfect, but it’s a sharp, confident experience.”
Reanimal has also earned plenty of 8s and 7s out of 10. Eurogamer’s Matt Wales gave Reanimal 4/5 stars, stating the game “remains utterly compelling; bleak, nasty, and full of menace,” and echoing the sentiment that Reanimal feels like a natural evolution of Little Nightmares‘ formula. GameSpot’s Cheri Faulkner gave Reanimal an 8 out of 10, praising the game’s art direction and co-op. GamesRadar+’s Leon Hurley gave Reanimal a slightly lower score of 3.5/5 stars, praising much of the game’s style but pointing out a lack of cohesion in its narrative and overall structure, saying “playing Reanimal feels more like flicking through pages of playable concept art – horrific, creative and inventive, but ultimately unconnected.”
Currently, the lowest score Reanimal has earned (at least among those on OpenCritic) is a 6 out of 10. PCGamesN’s Gina Lees delivered such a score, citing Reanimal as a “game that’s bloated and narratively confusing,” while praising the game’s boss fights but criticizing its “fiddly” co-op. The Mirror’s Aaron Potter gave Reanimal 3/5 stars, stating that it felt a little too familiar and as though Tarsier was playing things a bit too safe.
How Reanimal’s Review Scores Compare to Little Nightmares
|
Top Critic Average |
Critic Recommendation Score |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Little Nightmares |
79 |
71% |
|
Little Nightmares 2 |
83 |
88% |
|
Little Nightmares 3 |
71 |
61% |
|
Reanimal |
81 |
84% |
When compared to the critical reception of the Little Nightmares series, Reanimal stands tall. With a Top Critic Average of 81 on OpenCritic, Reanimal has fared better than both the first game in the Little Nightmares franchise and the latest entry, but comes just two points under Little Nightmares 2. Of course, it should also be noted that Tarsier was not involved in the development of Little Nightmares 3.
- Released
-
February 13, 2026
- ESRB
-
Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Violence
- Developer(s)
-
Tarsier Studios
