Game intel
Reanimal
Reanimal is a cooperative horror adventure game created by the team behind Little Nightmares and Little Nightmares II. The story follows a brother and sister a…
Reanimal caught my attention for two reasons that cut through the usual trailer hype: you can actually play a demo right now on PS5 and Xbox Series (it’s already been on PC), and the full game is launching February 13, 2026 for €39.99. In a year where too many horror games lean on jump scares and $70 price tags, Tarsier Studios-the team behind Little Nightmares-coming in with a playable slice and a mid-tier price is a statement. Add in the “later” release on Switch 2 and it’s clear they’re aiming for polish on current hardware first, then bringing the spooks to Nintendo’s next box when it’s ready.
Here’s the straight deal. Reanimal is a brand-new horror IP from Tarsier Studios, the folks who turned eerie diorama horror into a subgenre with Little Nightmares. The demo lets you step in as a brother and sister navigating industrial nightmares, using cooperation (or careful solo play) to solve environmental puzzles and avoid things that used to be human. The camera work-fixed angles that push you into uncomfortable sightlines—leans into that classic “you can’t see everything” dread. It’s a deliberate call-back, and when Tarsier does deliberate, it’s usually for a reason.
Preorders are live now at €39.99 with two cosmetic mask bonuses (Sheep Head and Fox Head). That price immediately suggests AA scope: focused, art-driven, and—hopefully—tight rather than bloated. Some storefronts are also listing a deluxe option with a Season Pass for three DLC chapters. I’m not anti-DLC, but let’s be real: with a new IP, the base game needs to land first. The good news? We don’t have to guess. There’s a demo.
Platforms are sensible: PC via Steam/Epic/GOG, PS5, and Xbox Series on February 13, 2026, with a Switch 2 version planned later. That “later” is telling—it reads like a team prioritizing current-gen performance and then dialing in the Nintendo port, not forcing compromises for a simultaneous date. I’ll take that over day-one parity that runs like soup.
Tarsier’s best trick has always been scale and silhouette—small protagonists, big hostile spaces, and the kind of slow-burn menace that makes you hold your breath. Reanimal looks to riff on that mood while adding meaningful co-op. Two kids means two perspectives, two sets of actions, and in good scenarios, two opportunities to mess up. That’s where the tension lives.
I’m glad they’re using fixed cameras again. It’s not just nostalgia for early survival horror; it’s a design constraint that raises the stakes. Can your partner hold a switch while you edge past a machine that sounds like it wants to eat you? Can you read a room when your view is intentionally imperfect? Those choices force real communication in co-op and sharper observation in solo. If Tarsier nails the handoffs—timed levers, two-stage locks, distraction plays—this could sit neatly between Little Nightmares’ vibe and the cooperative anxiety of something like The Outlast Trials, minus the live-service grind.
My open questions: Is co-op online, local, or both? Can you drop in/out seamlessly? Are there accessibility tweaks for solo players so you’re not micromanaging two characters in high-pressure sequences? The demo should answer at least some of this, and that’s exactly why putting it out there matters more than another cinematic trailer.
Try the demo first. Simple advice, but vital for horror where feel is everything. Test the controls, make sure the fixed-camera framing clicks for you, and see if the co-op rhythm works with your partner (or solo comfort zone). On PC, the listed spec is friendly—think GTX 1060/RX 580 tier with about 15 GB of space—so almost any gaming rig from the last few years should run the demo fine. On consoles, I’m hoping for a steady 60 FPS; if the demo doesn’t hold it, that’s a flag for launch.
About those masks: Sheep and Fox are cosmetic bonuses, aka marketing sprinkles. They’re not a reason to lock money in early. The €39.99 tag is the real consumer-friendly note here, but save your preorder for after you’ve touched the demo and seen performance reports. If you’re eyeing the deluxe version with a Season Pass, wait until Tarsier outlines what those three DLC chapters actually are. Little Nightmares’ “Secrets of the Maw” was excellent post-launch content, but not all DLC is created equal.
As for Switch 2, the delayed release suggests a proper port rather than a compromised launch build. If you plan to play portable, the wait could pay off with cleaner framerate and fewer visual concessions. If you’re on PS5/Xbox/PC, the February date looks smart: early-year slots tend to be kinder to atmospheric AA horror than the holiday crush.
If Reanimal turns its demo promise into a full game with tight pacing, inventive two-character puzzles, and those signature Tarsier set-pieces, it could be the first great horror release of 2026. If the co-op ends up feeling like “wait here while I do the thing,” that’s a miss. The good news is we don’t have to guess for long—download the demo, stress-test the scares, and see if the vibe sticks.
Reanimal’s console demo is live, the full game lands February 13, 2026 for €39.99, and Switch 2 follows later. Tarsier’s fixed-camera, sibling co-op setup looks promising—try the demo, skip the preorder FOMO, and watch how the performance and co-op design hold up.
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