Before playing Little Nightmares and Reanimal, my very first puzzle-horror experience was Limbo. This 2D—or rather, 2.5D—game completely blew my mind with its out-of-the-box concept. Its visual style, dominated by dark, silhouette-like tones, offered something refreshing and entirely different from mainstream 3D titles by industry giants, such as Rockstar’s GTA V or Santa Monica’s God of War, which we are all so familiar with. A 2.5D puzzle game like Limbo was exactly what gamers worldwide needed to refresh their palates and diversify their gaming tastes.
Limbo was developed by Amanita, and to my surprise, I found it on the Google Play Store and was able to run it smoothly on my mobile phone. After beating it, I jumped into another title by the same developer called Machinarium. Both games felt incredibly refreshing, unique, and entirely different from anything else I had ever played.
Following Limbo and Machinarium, I became completely hooked on the puzzle-horror genre. Unfortunately, many of these titles aren't available on mobile, only on PC, Nintendo Switch, and consoles like the Xbox, PS4, and PS5. One such game is Inside, which requires higher specs than a mobile device can handle. Playing Inside was another mind-blowing experience. The gameplay mechanics are brilliantly innovative, requiring you to think creatively to solve puzzles that can take minutes, or even hours, to figure out. The creepy, surreal monster designs left me in awe of how compelling a 2.5D game could be compared to mainstream titles. With an ending that is completely unpredictable, it's clear that puzzle-horror is becoming a major trend among gamers worldwide.
Moving on from Playdead's titles, another developer stepped up with a game just as captivating, unique, and fresh: Tarsier Games with Little Nightmares. I was amazed to find another developer expanding the puzzle-horror genre with deeper gameplay. Best of all, the first Little Nightmares is available for mobile gamers to enjoy via the Google Play Store.
However, its sequel, Little Nightmares 2, is exclusive to consoles due to its heavier performance demands. Little Nightmares 2 delivers a much more thrilling and deep experience, both in terms of gameplay and artistic visuals. The graphics are more colorful, yet they masterfully retain a creepy vibe that makes the atmosphere darker and more intense.
Now, moving on to Little Nightmares 3. Surprisingly, Tarsier Games stepped away from the project, leaving Supermassive Games to take the helm. Instead, Tarsier created a brand-new IP with a similar theme but even more varied gameplay, titled Reanimal. Just a quick disclaimer, guys: I haven't played Little Nightmares 3, so I won't be reviewing that one. Today, I'll only be reviewing Reanimal, which I am currently playing through right now.
Reanimal represents a massive leap forward for Tarsier Games. Visually, the backgrounds and creature designs are deeply unsettling, horrific, and utterly unique. The terrifying hybrid characters genuinely give you the chills as you play. Combined with highly varied gameplay, the experience never feels repetitive. Each level introduces unique environments—ranging from trains, ambulances, and buses, to massive sinkholes in the middle of the city. The highlight for me is the vast ocean environment, featuring a sea monster that you have to defeat using a tank-mounted missile. With such an expansive world, an average playthrough takes about 6 to 8 hours, which is quite substantial for a puzzle-horror game.
And that wraps up my review of Reanimal here on the 8 Minutes Tutorial blog. See you next time, guys!
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