"Merry Christmas, ya filthy (Re)animal!" Hey, it's me, rehabilitated internet villain, Dwayne Jenkins! Today, it's my absolute honor to announce two things. 1. I'm officially part of Glizzy! Wow! 2. I'm already breaking the rules of our mission statement and talking about a game that's really stretching the boundaries of "indie." Is "indie" a matter of budget? Dev experience? General vibes? Regardless, we have full creative freedom, and REANIMAL deserves the spotlight while everyone obsesses over fellow "Ehh, is this… indie?" candidate, Mewgenics. Deal with it!

REANIMAL released on Friday, February 13. Published by THQ Nordic and developed by former Little Nightmares superstars, Tarsier Studios, REANIMAL's DNA is a unique cocktail of classic survival horror and "cinematic platformer." (Literally found out about that term today -- go figure!)

Critics and gamers alike crowned REANIMAL as "The Little Nightmares 3 We Deserved." In alignment with my (and Glizzy's) mission statement of "boosting games that deserve your attention rather than dunking on games we don't like," all I'll say is this, indeed, is Little Nightmares if it hit the gym, read a few books, and emerged from its hiatus dedicated to wreaking havoc upon the world.

This is easily Tarsier's best work amongst its oeuvre. Hell, I'll go a step further: it's one of 2026's best games so far. It's dirty, it's creepy, it's horrific. It doesn't shy away from its themes and motifs. It respects your time -- a subtle art more games need to consider!

Without spoiling too much, it's one of the most evocative anti-war pieces of media you'll experience. Seriously. REANIMAL's back nine will haunt and terrify you. Even saying it's "anti-war" lightly spoils a meal you should eat without knowing the ingredients to fully appreciate.

Reviewing REANIMAL: How Do I Do This Without Ruining It?

You want to know one of the worst things about reviewing games? The inevitable gold rush. To appease the SEO gods, journalists and critics alike are often forced to consume a game, quickly formulate a coherent opinion about it, then regurgitate that to readers without having time to really sit with the experience. Because you have to capitalize on the site traffic! Numbers Go Up!

Here, I'm not covering REANIMAL so that Glizzy boosts its domain authority to maybe pop up on the first page when you search for "Reanimal" on Google. I'm talking about it because I'm still processing an absolutely insane, unhinged, unforgettable thrill ride.

I could tell you about how the game controls. I could talk about its graphics (gorgeous, by the way). But the truth is: meaningful criticism doesn't manifest as a checklist and analysis of individual "parts." It's about how something made you feel when you encountered it. Your personal journey. Did it change you? Did it make you think? Will you remember this years down the road? Because there isn't a string of adjectives or buzzwords to properly and accurately convey that REANIMAL will live with me long after its end credits.

I woke up in the middle of the night to write this review on my phone because I had to get it out of my head. REANIMAL is the first game to give me -- someone who's played video games my entire life and lives in a constant state of "Things Going On" -- sensory overload. I would never trivialize the real horrors of war, but as far as simulating how horrific and traumatizing war is? REANIMAL dragged real, honest-to-God panic out of me. At a point, it was hard to tell if I was playing REANIMAL or Spec Ops: The Line.

The Final Verdict?

REANIMAL is grotesque in its unavoidable wrongness -- its twisted elegance. In fact, I'd argue that the parts where fans will say, "Yeah, that's Little Nightmares, alright," are the tame sections. It explains itself enough to tell a full story while leaving many breadcrumbs for fans (and content creators, of course) to speculate and theorize.

As of this writing, REANIMAL is $39.99 and roughly five hours of your time. Every dollar of its asking price is deserved. Don't let the internet fool you: just because it's "short" doesn't mean it's any less impactful. I finished it in a single sitting, and it was worth more than many other games that are 30+ hours and beyond.

REANIMAL is proof that quality should always hold priority over quantity. Hilariously enough, wanton consumption is another one of REANIMAL's tricks, making me wonder if Tarsier is intentionally saying something there, too. (Yes, this game will inevitably be think-pieced to hell and back. Hi, YouTube. Hi, gaming outlets with thoughtful written criticism.)

I won't give this game a score because scores can distract from the content of the review. REANIMAL's vibes, though? Immaculate. A guaranteed must-play. One of 2026's best and brightest. In conclusion, buy this game and don't consume it. Let it consume you.