It’s been nearly four years since Tarsier Studios waved goodbye to Little Nightmares after being snapped up by Embracer Group, giving developer Supermassive a crack at the much-loved Bandai-Namco-owned horror series. So what’s Tarsier been doing since then? Well, it turns out the studio hasn’t quite shaken off its fascination with spooky kids in scary places, as one look at its latest project, the newly unveiled Reanimal, makes clear.
Reanimal’s gloomy nightmare-fairytale aesthetic, its gangly-limbed monsters, and its two young protagonists – all evident in its announcement trailer – are unquestionably reminiscent of Tarsier’s Little Nightmares series. And while that’s certainly no bad thing given the studio’s oft-brilliant work on those games, it’s not entirely clear after a half-hour press briefing, just how substantial a departure – beyond two key features – Reanimal will be from what’s come before.
Reanimal tells the story of an orphaned brother and sister trapped in hellish version of the island that used to be their home, as they embark on a quest to rescue their three friends. It’s a violent world of gloomy forests and decimated buildings, where empty bags of skins hang from trees and hideous, animalistic creatures roam. It’s also one that’s aiming for a “darker and grittier” tone compared to Tarsier’s previous horror games.
Exactly why our two protagonists have found themselves in a twisted version of their home is a mystery core to Renanimal’s story – Tarsier teases the look of its monsters, and the design of its protagonists, is all tied to the children’s past. And it’s a tale that’ll unfold using a minimalist, “restrained” narrative approach, where – as with Tarsier’s earlier work – visual storytelling remains the focus, albeit now accompanied by a smattering of voice acting.