REANIMAL Review Summary

Last updated: 2026-02-14
  • Strong and distinctive atmosphere
  • High-quality visuals and graphics
  • Enjoyable co-op mode
  • Performance and optimization problems
  • Short gameplay duration
  • Game-breaking bugs
REANIMAL header

Emotions

What players like:

Common complaints:

Gameplay feedback:

Performance notes:

Recommendations:

Other player notes:

Review evidence

Why players say this

What players like

Positive overall game experience: Many players expressed that the game is good, amazing, and enjoyable. The gameplay is fun and the game quality is decent.

Strong and distinctive atmosphere: The game is noted for its strong, characteristic atmosphere that is both creepy and unsettling. The atmosphere is haunting and mesmerizing, adding to the overall experience.

High-quality visuals and graphics: The game features well-crafted graphics, engaging visuals, and beautiful graphics. The high-quality visuals and handcrafted environments are frequently praised.

Improvement over Little Nightmares series: Players feel that this game is an improvement over the Little Nightmares series, particularly in graphics, gameplay, and atmosphere. It is considered a worthy successor.

Enjoyable co-op mode: The cooperative mode is fun and stable, providing an enjoyable experience when playing with friends. The co-op gameplay mechanics work well.

Common complaints

Performance and optimization problems: The game has significant performance issues, including lagging, frame rate drops, and poor optimization. These issues affect gameplay and can make certain sections unplayable.

Short gameplay duration: Many players find the game to be too short, with a shorter gameplay duration than expected. This is a common complaint among reviewers.

Co-op mode issues: The co-op mode is reported to be completely broken, with issues such as disconnections, connectivity problems, and being unplayable. This severely impacts the multiplayer experience.

Game-breaking bugs: There are multiple reports of game-breaking bugs that block progression. These bugs can halt game progress and cause significant frustration.

Narrative and immersion issues: The game suffers from a lack of clear narrative and confusing storyline, leading to a lack of immersion. Players report that the story feels thin and underdeveloped, with events not building toward a satisfying conclusion.

Gameplay and performance

Unique atmospheric horror experience: The game offers a distinctive and genuinely bizarre Gothic atmosphere with pressure, tension, and dark, oppressive elements.

Cooperative gameplay emphasized: The game is highly praised for its cooperative gameplay elements, including local co-op and multiplayer modes, designed to be played with friends.

Environmental storytelling: The game uses environmental storytelling and allegory to convey its narrative, leaving room for player interpretation.

Improved controls: The game features improved controls compared to previous titles, with better controller support and more precise handling.

Game length around 4-5 hours: The gameplay length is approximately 4-5 hours, which is considered suitable for completing the main story.

Performance and frame rate issues: The game suffers from significant performance issues, including constant FPS drops and frame rate instability. These problems are widespread and affect various devices, leading to a suboptimal gaming experience.

Network and connectivity issues: The game has unstable multiplayer and co-op connectivity issues, leading to frequent disconnections and network problems. This affects the overall stability and enjoyment of the multiplayer experience.

Scene transition and loading issues: Players experience abrupt scene transitions and long loading times, including black screens after death. These issues disrupt the gameplay flow and can cause freezes and lags during map loading.

High CPU usage and system crashes: The game has high CPU usage, particularly during scene loading, which can cause the entire computer to crash. This issue is significant and affects the overall performance and stability of the system.

Graphical and animation issues: There are various graphical glitches and unpolished animations. Players have reported minor graphical bugs, stiff animations, and texture loading issues where environments or objects appear as black boxes.

Recommendations

Highly recommended for fans: The game is highly recommended for fans of the Little Nightmares series and horror games in general. Many players suggest it is a must-buy for those who enjoyed previous games by Tarsier Studios.

Wait for sale or DLC: Several players recommend waiting for a sale or for additional DLC chapters to be released before purchasing the game. This suggests that while the game is good, it may not be worth the full price at launch.

Positive impressions overall: Overall, the impressions of the game are positive, with many players indicating that it is worth the attention and purchase.

Recommended for horror and puzzle fans: The game is recommended for fans of horror and puzzle games, suggesting that it offers a good experience for those who enjoy these genres.

Short but high-quality content: Some players mention that the game is short but of high quality. This suggests that while the game may not be long, it offers a worthwhile experience.

Platform notes

Steam Deck: The analysis of user feedback for the Steam Deck experience reveals several significant issues impacting the overall user experience. Frequent crashes and stability issues are prominently reported, with users experiencing game crashes and bugs that disrupt gameplay. Optimization and performance problems are also widespread, with many users noting frame drops, stuttering, and general performance issues that hinder smooth gameplay. Multiplayer and connectivity problems are frequently mentioned, leading to poor online experiences. Graphical and rendering issues, as well as user interface and control problems, further contribute to the negative feedback. These issues collectively indicate a need for substantial improvements in stability, performance, and user interface design to enhance the overall gaming experience on the Steam Deck.

Extra review signals

Monetization: The game has received significant criticism for its monetization practices, particularly around Day-1 DLC, overpriced content, and a short playtime. Many users feel that the game is incomplete without additional purchases and that the cost of the game and its DLC is excessive. The cliffhanger ending also seems designed to encourage further spending on the season pass.

Other review notes

Steam Remote Play for co-op: Players have mentioned using Steam Remote Play as a method for cooperative gameplay.