Tbh, this post should’ve been done a while ago, but I wanted to go back through the game to try and unlock more secrets, including the secret ending. I started the process, but the Switch 2 surprisingly entered my life along with Pokopia, and I just stopped. Switching back and forth between Xbox and Switch controls is very difficult, and after a long break, I just don’t have the motivation to unlock everything in Reanimal before writing about it. So, here it is: my kinda dusty and late review on Reanimal. If it’s all over the place, it’s because I am a little far removed from it now, but let’s dive in.

I think my feelings for this game started strong, but dwindled a little bit as it progressed. I loved the monster design and the environments were amazing, but things escalated in ways that are outside the formula I’ve grown accustomed to. I guess naturally, this should be expected because franchises have to try new things, but I’m not sure it hit the spot for me. There is the creeping around, finding keys and hidden paths while dodging a big bad for the chapter you’re in, but the way you engage with them is drastically different.

I found the first monster you encounter to be reminiscent of the original Little Nightmares and I loved his design. He was the one we encountered in the demo, and I really enjoyed the cat and mouse experience, but later we were introduced to new mechanics like operating vehicles. It wasn’t a big issue for me in terms of the story initially, but by the end of the game, I did not really enjoy the experience of fighting bosses from vehicles. The mechanics felt a little clunky and with shifting camera angles, it was sometimes hard to tell what you were aiming at. I prefer the helpless feeling of outrunning the monster and using the environment to save your skin.

From a story perspective, it was still an obscure narrative that slowly unfolded in the background as you progressed through the chapters. Many of the monsters were animals with humanoid characteristics, but later in the game, you get the straight up horrors of war. I think the final chapters are what sold me on not playing this game with my niece. While we enjoyed the demo together and played Little Nightmares 3, I think the things they showed would’ve been a little too adult for her. It’s unfortunate because we did have a lot of fun in the demo. I also think she wouldn’t like seeing pig heads and stuff laying around. Many of the horrors had elements that I could find in real life things, and that wasn’t really an issue in previous games.

I beat the game with my husband, and while we had some hiccups throughout the co-op experience, it wasn’t a big deal. When I went back to try to unlock the secrets, I was doing it in a single player mode and had a few more challenges than anticipated. The AI companion largely cooperates, but you can’t really plan anything or try a different strategy when you only have say over one character. Some situations give you control over both at the same time, but it can feel a bit clunky. Situations like controlling the movement of the boat and the direction of the lighting were challenging at times. I think the single player experience is kind of what is making me not want to finish it. An onslaught of enemies attack you and you just have to hope the AI companion is in the right place at the right time. I’m sure it is doable with some trial and error, but I don’t love getting repeatedly jumped because my pal isn’t paying attention and is staring at me instead of the thing coming up behind them.

There are a ton of hats/mask you can find either in hidden corridors or by bashing a critter repeatedly that is wearing it. I was a little annoyed that for one of the hats, you have to attack an enemy before they escape. I did that, but the hat didn’t drop for me. So I’m standing over the remains of the enemy, I can’t change the camera angle to verify it is him, and there is nothing lighting up as an interactable object. I purposefully died the first time it happened to make sure I didn’t mess it up, but it happened twice and I didn’t want to keep bothering with it.

Another challenge I had was the amount of characters that would be on the screen with you sometimes. As you’re progressing through the story, you’re finding some of your friends and rendezvousing at different points. The lighting and similarity in appearance between characters can make it hard to keep track of where you are in the midst of chaos. There were a few times I’d die because I was looking at a character thinking it was me only to realize I was actually running into a box in the corner of the room.

I think the big question is Little Nightmares 3 or Reanimal? I’m kind of not sure after finishing Reanimal. I think it was a good game, but the vehicle stuff was a big turnoff. I think the environments were amazing, the monsters were really cool, and they had some fun cinematic moments. They didn’t really take my breath away, but they experimented with environments we’d never been in before. Putting on a scuba suit and running away underwater is the stuff of nightmares, but in the game it just didn’t pack the punch I expected.

As is the case with Little Nightmares 3, I am curious what DLC looks like for this game. I’m still picking the original Little Nightmares as my favorite game, but I did love a lot of the monster designs that were introduced in this game. I think it’s definitely worth checking out, but I’m not sure where it lands in my overall ranking. If it’s on your radar, just know that this one crosses more into elements of real world horror, cult/sacrifice elements, and using weapons than the more fictional horrors of other games in this genre. It certainly is a very pretty game though and that alone makes it worth exploring.

So have you played this game? If you have, what are your thoughts? I’m not sure what to make of mine. Let me know in the comments!