{"id":1766967,"date":"2026-02-13T15:29:48","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T12:29:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1766967"},"modified":"2026-02-13T15:29:48","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T12:29:48","slug":"reanimal-doesnt-exactly-disprove-co-op-is-the-enemy-of-horror-but-it-shows-theres-a-place-for-human-connection-too","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1766967","title":{"rendered":"Reanimal doesn&#8217;t exactly disprove co-op is the enemy of horror but it shows there&#8217;s a place for human connection too"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"article \" data-ads=\"true\" data-article-type=\"features\" data-article-group=\"feature\" data-paywalled=\"false\" data-premium=\"false\" data-sponsored=\"false\" data-type=\"article\">\n<header class=\"article_header\" data-component=\"article-header\">\n<div class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n<nav class=\"nav_breadcrumbs\" data-component=\"nav-breadcrumbs\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\">\n<ul class=\"nav-links\">\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Home<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/features\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Features<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/reanimals\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Reanimal<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_details\" id=\"main-content\">\n<h1 class=\"title\">Reanimal doesn&#8217;t exactly disprove co-op is the enemy of horror but it shows there&#8217;s a place for human connection too<\/h1>\n<p class=\"strapline\">Friends in dark places.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_asset\">\n<figure class=\"headline_image_wrapper\">\n<p>        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"headline_image\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/reanimal-co-op-header1.jpg?width=690&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;dpr=3&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Reanimal screenshot showing its sibling protagonists - Boy and Girl - facing each other in a near-black tunnel, their raised lights reflecting in the water below.\" loading=\"eager\" data-uri=\"reanimal-co-op-header1.jpg\" data-lightbox width=\"690\" height=\"388\"><figcaption>\n          <span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Eurogamer\/Tarsier Studios<\/cite><\/span><br \/>\n        <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metadata\">\n<div class=\"avatar\">\n<p>    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Matt Wales avatar\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/1521645425.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"180\" height=\"179\"><\/p>\n<p>  <img alt=\"Matt Wales avatar\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"1521645425.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"180\" height=\"179\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"byline\">\n                  <span class=\"article_type\" data-slug=\"features\"><br \/>\n                    Feature<br \/>\n                  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"by\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/authors\/matt-wales\">Matt Wales<\/a><\/span>                    <span class=\"job_title\"><br \/>\n                      News Reporter<br \/>\n                    <\/span>\n            <\/div>\n<div class=\"published_at\">\nPublished on <time datetime=\"2026-02-13T15:29:48+00:00\">Feb. 13, 2026<\/time>              <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mypop-header-wrapper\">\n<p><button class=\"mypop-button button wide\" data-state=\"follow\" data-type=\"tag\" data-uuid=\"14c36765-360b-48e4-96e8-7ef2067f0a94\" data-name=\"Reanimal\" data-follow-text=\"Follow Reanimal\" data-unfollow-text=\"Following Reanimal\" data-aria-follow-text=\"Follow Reanimal\" data-aria-unfollow-text=\"Following Reanimal\" data-popup=\"true\" data-force-login=\"true\" aria-label=\"Follow Reanimal\" title=\"Follow Reanimal\"><br \/>\n  Follow Reanimal<br \/>\n<\/button>          <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<div class=\"desktop_mpu\">\n<div class=\"mpu1 lazyload\" data-dfp-id=\"eurogamer_net\/mobile_web_display\/article\" data-dfp-sizes=\"300x250\" data-dfp-targeting=\"site=eurogamer.net,pos=1,gto=false,position=desktop-article-mpu,gnpos=1\" data-dfp-collapse=\"false\" data-dfp-above-the-fold=\"true\" data-dfp-refresh-direct=\"true\" data-prebid-config=\"MPU_1\" id=\"desktop_mpu_1\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Silence. Two crouched shapes silhouetted in the moonlight, breath held tight as something stirs. A torch beam slices through the shadows; strange grasping limbs slide into view; tension mounts, hearts pound, and then suddenly a voice cuts in, &#8220;Hang on a minute, I&#8217;m just gonna run to the loo.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Co-op in horror games doesn&#8217;t have the greatest rep. The argument&#8217;s simple &#8211; so obvious, it barely qualifies as an argument at all: horror thrives in isolation, silence is the foundation of tension, so shove a second person into the mix and even before you&#8217;ve both subconsciously slipped into idle chit-chat, the set-up is antithetical to sustained atmosphere.<\/p>\n<p>Before I started writing this, I did try and think of some horror games that disprove the theory, that successfully pull co-op off, using it to enhance rather than detract from mood. In the end, though, my list was pretty small. Supermassive&#8217;s run of cinematic horrors &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/the-quarry\">The Quarry<\/a>, its Dark Pictures Anthology &#8211; do, I think, make it work. These are explicitly designed as popcorn blockbusters; the video game equivalent of a James Wan movie where everything is ultimately in service of a good jump scare. This is horror as a communal experience; where you&#8217;ll clench together, jump, and laugh together when it&#8217;s over. And, of course, it&#8217;s fun making decisions together and seeing how you fail or succeed as a team. Here, not much is lost to co-op, I reckon, and everything is gained. And I think co-op works for something like Phasmaphobia too, where the safety of companionship is the starting point, and it&#8217;s then deliberately exploited, introducing contrasting isolation and separation to build fear.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"primis_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"primis_video\">\n<p><span class=\"embed_placeholder\" data-type=\"targeting\"><br \/>\n<span class=\"message\">To see this content please enable targeting cookies.<\/span><br \/>\n<button class=\"optanon-show-settings link\"><br \/>\nManage cookie settings<\/button><\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption>Here&#8217;s Eurogamer&#8217;s Reanimal review in video form.<a class=\"video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=HGrZL3Bb0DE\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>As to <em>why<\/em> I&#8217;ve been pondering all this, that&#8217;ll be Reanimal; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/little-nightmares\">Little Nightmares<\/a> developer Tarsier Studios&#8217; latest foray into horror &#8211; which, if you haven&#8217;t read <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/reanimal-review\">my four star review<\/a>, is a damn good time. It&#8217;s the tale of two young protagonists lost in a bleak, violent hellscape at once eerily familiar and thoroughly unknown. It&#8217;s also wonderfully, darkly atmospheric, its masterful artistry creating a thoroughly enveloping mood. That&#8217;s playing solo though, and after reaching the credits, I was curious how things might change with a friend in tow. If co-op really is a mood killer, and Reanimal&#8217;s most obvious asset is its ambience &#8211; how would it fare in two-player? Would it still work? Would it be its undoing? Might it even be improved?<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Regardless, it&#8217;s immediately evident that Tarsier&#8217;s thought carefully about co-op here. It&#8217;s baked right into the heart of the experience, and it&#8217;s rare that more than a few minutes are allowed to go by without our two protagonists &#8211; Boy and Girl &#8211; interacting in some way. In solo (still a great way to play), the inclusion of an AI-controlled second character and a bit of streamlining means it&#8217;s probably not something you&#8217;ll find yourself thinking about too much, but two-player co-op brings a different sort of texture, a little more friction, to proceedings.<\/p>\n<p>The most obvious example is Renanimal&#8217;s crescendo chase sequences. Unsurprisingly, two players attempting to orchestrate their escape in real-time is far more likely to end in disaster than just one. But more interesting is the way Tarsier constantly plays around with the rhythm of co-op. Some interactions are so intuitive they barely require thought at all; you might reach an obvious impasse, for instance &#8211; a ledge requiring a leg-up, maybe &#8211; and you&#8217;ll both instinctively hit the corresponding buttons, no discussion required. Other times, coordination and communication are more crucial &#8211; when you&#8217;re cranking a handcar, say, or turning a valve. It feels like an attempt not just to inject some variety, but to introduce a flow that doesn&#8217;t ride roughshod over the atmosphere by constantly forcing players into conversation.<\/p>\n<div class=\"gallery\">\n<div class=\"image_wrapper\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/reanimal-co-op-7.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.7777777777777777\" width=\"1920\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt data-autosize=\"bounds_lossy\" data-uri=\"reanimal-co-op-7.jpg\" height=\"1080\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.7777777777777777\" width=\"1920\"><br \/>\n<span class=\"loading spinner large\"><\/span><\/p>\n<nav class=\"pagination--hoverable\">\n<div class=\"previous\">\n<button class=\"button pagination-button\"><br \/>\n<span aria-label=\"Previous\" class=\"icon\" role=\"img\" style='--icon-mask-image: url(\"\/static\/solid\/angle-left.svg\")'><\/span><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"next\">\n<button class=\"button pagination-button\"><br \/>\n<span aria-label=\"Next\" class=\"icon\" role=\"img\" style='--icon-mask-image: url(\"\/static\/solid\/angle-right.svg\")'><\/span><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/nav>\n<div class=\"details_overlay\">\n<div class=\"counter\">\n<span class=\"current\">1<\/span> <span class=\"of\">of<\/span> <span class=\"max\">6<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"details\">\n<div class=\"button-wrapper\">\n<button aria-label=\"Toggle information\" class=\"toggle button outline\"><\/button><br \/>\n<button aria-label=\"Close fullscreen gallery\" class=\"close button\"><\/button>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"thumbnails-wrapper overflow-shadow-x\">\n<div class=\"thumbnails\">\n<button class=\"thumbnail active\" data-attribution=\"Eurogamer\/Tarsier Studios\" data-uri=\"reanimal-co-op-7.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/reanimal-co-op-7.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1920\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"reanimal-co-op-7.jpg\" height=\"1080\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1920\"><br \/>\n<\/button><br \/>\n<button class=\"thumbnail\" data-attribution=\"Eurogamer\/Tarsier Studios\" data-uri=\"reanimal-co-op-9.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/reanimal-co-op-9.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1920\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"reanimal-co-op-9.jpg\" height=\"1080\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1920\"><br \/>\n<\/button><br \/>\n<button class=\"thumbnail\" data-attribution=\"Eurogamer\/Tarsier Studios\" data-uri=\"reanimal-co-op-5.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/reanimal-co-op-5.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1920\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"reanimal-co-op-5.jpg\" height=\"1080\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1920\"><br \/>\n<\/button><br \/>\n<button class=\"thumbnail\" data-attribution=\"Eurogamer\/Tarsier Studios\" data-uri=\"reanimal-co-op-8.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/reanimal-co-op-8.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1920\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"reanimal-co-op-8.jpg\" height=\"1080\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1920\"><br \/>\n<\/button><br \/>\n<button class=\"thumbnail\" data-attribution=\"Eurogamer\/Tarsier Studios\" data-uri=\"reanimal-co-op-1.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/reanimal-co-op-1.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1920\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"reanimal-co-op-1.jpg\" height=\"1080\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1920\"><br \/>\n<\/button><br \/>\n<button class=\"thumbnail\" data-attribution=\"Eurogamer\/Tarsier Studios\" data-uri=\"reanimal-co-op-4.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/reanimal-co-op-4.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1920\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"reanimal-co-op-4.jpg\" height=\"1080\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1920\"><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fullscreen_info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<span class=\"label\"><br \/>\nCaption          <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"text\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"attribution\">\n<span class=\"label\"><br \/>\nAttribution          <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"text\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"inline-gallery-caption\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"advert_container\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>I&#8217;m not going to claim Reanimal doesn&#8217;t lose some of its ambience in the constant companionship of co-op, mind. It&#8217;s definitely, perhaps inevitably, one to play solo if you want the full uninterrupted force of its insidiously creeping menace. But even so, I think Tarsier&#8217;s found a space where co-op feels additive. It helps that Renanimal isn&#8217;t really interested in traditional scares; jolts and jumps are minimal, and there&#8217;s no intricate escalation of tension that might be undermined if your attention is suddenly pulled elsewhere. And it helps, too, that there&#8217;s just the barest wisp of story to focus on. But more than that, co-op feels like it gets to the heart of Reanimal, its tale of two doomed siblings lost in something like hell. What better way to reinforce that narrative bond &#8211; that one tiny sliver of hope and humanity &#8211; what better way to accentuate its emotional core, than by piggybacking on players&#8217; real-life connections, allowing them to face hell together with a lover, a family member, or a friend?<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"2\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>I don&#8217;t want to oversell it, though. There&#8217;s nothing revolutionary, or even especially remarkable about Reanimal&#8217;s co-op. But the couple of hours I&#8217;ve revisited, this time in two-player mode, have been an unexpectedly good time. We&#8217;ve &#8220;oooh&#8221;ed together as Tarsier&#8217;s gorgeously cinematic camera swings for another big reveal; we&#8217;ve &#8220;oh no&#8221;ed together as the studio sets up its next big set-piece; we&#8217;ve laughed in the ensuing chaos. And more than that, we&#8217;ve shared a bond &#8211; two small things fighting together, thinking together, hunting for secrets together, helping each other &#8211; in a dark, unforgiving world.<\/p>\n<p>All of which is me saying co-op is an enjoyably different way to experience Renanimal&#8217;s impressive artistry, even if it does mean the intensity of the mood is inevitably dialled down. And with split-screen couch-play and online co-op supported &#8211; even a friend pass so you only need to buy one copy to rope in a pal &#8211; it&#8217;s clear this isn&#8217;t a facet of Reanimal Tarsier is trying to hide away. Just don&#8217;t be the mood killer &#8211; pee first, play later. That&#8217;s the golden rule.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"poll_wrapper\" data-fixed=\"true\" data-hashid data-init=\"false\" data-poll-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<div class=\"desktop_mpu\">\n<div class=\"mpu1 lazyload\" data-dfp-id=\"eurogamer_net\/mobile_web_display\/article\" data-dfp-sizes=\"300x250\" data-dfp-targeting=\"site=eurogamer.net,pos=1,gto=false,position=desktop-article-mpu,gnpos=1\" data-dfp-collapse=\"false\" data-dfp-above-the-fold=\"true\" data-dfp-refresh-direct=\"true\" data-prebid-config=\"MPU_1\" id=\"desktop_mpu_1\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Silence. Two crouched shapes silhouetted in the moonlight, breath held tight as something stirs. A torch beam slices through the shadows; strange grasping limbs slide into view; tension mounts, hearts pound, and then suddenly a voice cuts in, &#8220;Hang on a minute, I&#8217;m just gonna run to the loo.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Co-op in horror games doesn&#8217;t have the greatest rep. The argument&#8217;s simple &#8211; so obvious, it barely qualifies as an argument at all: horror thrives in isolation, silence is the foundation of tension, so shove a second person into the mix and even before you&#8217;ve both subconsciously slipped into idle chit-chat, the set-up is antithetical to sustained atmosphere.<\/p>\n<p>Before I started writing this, I did try and think of some horror games that disprove the theory, that successfully pull co-op off, using it to enhance rather than detract from mood. In the end, though, my list was pretty small. Supermassive&#8217;s run of cinematic horrors &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/the-quarry\">The Quarry<\/a>, its Dark Pictures Anthology &#8211; do, I think, make it work. These are explicitly designed as popcorn blockbusters; the video game equivalent of a James Wan movie where everything is ultimately in service of a good jump scare. This is horror as a communal experience; where you&#8217;ll clench together, jump, and laugh together when it&#8217;s over. And, of course, it&#8217;s fun making decisions together and seeing how you fail or succeed as a team. Here, not much is lost to co-op, I reckon, and everything is gained. And I think co-op works for something like Phasmaphobia too, where the safety of companionship is the starting point, and it&#8217;s then deliberately exploited, introducing contrasting isolation and separation to build fear.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"primis_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"primis_video\">\n<p><span class=\"embed_placeholder\" data-type=\"targeting\"><br \/>\n<span class=\"message\">To see this content please enable targeting cookies.<\/span><br \/>\n<button class=\"optanon-show-settings link\"><br \/>\nManage cookie settings<\/button><\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption>Here&#8217;s Eurogamer&#8217;s Reanimal review in video form.<a class=\"video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=HGrZL3Bb0DE\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>As to <em>why<\/em> I&#8217;ve been pondering all this, that&#8217;ll be Reanimal; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/little-nightmares\">Little Nightmares<\/a> developer Tarsier Studios&#8217; latest foray into horror &#8211; which, if you haven&#8217;t read <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/reanimal-review\">my four star review<\/a>, is a damn good time. It&#8217;s the tale of two young protagonists lost in a bleak, violent hellscape at once eerily familiar and thoroughly unknown. It&#8217;s also wonderfully, darkly atmospheric, its masterful artistry creating a thoroughly enveloping mood. That&#8217;s playing solo though, and after reaching the credits, I was curious how things might change with a friend in tow. If co-op really is a mood killer, and Reanimal&#8217;s most obvious asset is its ambience &#8211; how would it fare in two-player? Would it still work? Would it be its undoing? Might it even be improved?<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Regardless, it&#8217;s immediately evident that Tarsier&#8217;s thought carefully about co-op here. It&#8217;s baked right into the heart of the experience, and it&#8217;s rare that more than a few minutes are allowed to go by without our two protagonists &#8211; Boy and Girl &#8211; interacting in some way. In solo (still a great way to play), the inclusion of an AI-controlled second character and a bit of streamlining means it&#8217;s probably not something you&#8217;ll find yourself thinking about too much, but two-player co-op brings a different sort of texture, a little more friction, to proceedings.<\/p>\n<p>The most obvious example is Renanimal&#8217;s crescendo chase sequences. Unsurprisingly, two players attempting to orchestrate their escape in real-time is far more likely to end in disaster than just one. But more interesting is the way Tarsier constantly plays around with the rhythm of co-op. Some interactions are so intuitive they barely require thought at all; you might reach an obvious impasse, for instance &#8211; a ledge requiring a leg-up, maybe &#8211; and you&#8217;ll both instinctively hit the corresponding buttons, no discussion required. Other times, coordination and communication are more crucial &#8211; when you&#8217;re cranking a handcar, say, or turning a valve. It feels like an attempt not just to inject some variety, but to introduce a flow that doesn&#8217;t ride roughshod over the atmosphere by constantly forcing players into conversation.<\/p>\n<div class=\"gallery\">\n<div class=\"image_wrapper\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/reanimal-co-op-7.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.7777777777777777\" width=\"1920\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt data-autosize=\"bounds_lossy\" data-uri=\"reanimal-co-op-7.jpg\" height=\"1080\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.7777777777777777\" width=\"1920\"><br \/>\n<span class=\"loading spinner large\"><\/span><\/p>\n<nav class=\"pagination--hoverable\">\n<div class=\"previous\">\n<button class=\"button pagination-button\"><br \/>\n<span aria-label=\"Previous\" class=\"icon\" role=\"img\" style='--icon-mask-image: url(\"\/static\/solid\/angle-left.svg\")'><\/span><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"next\">\n<button class=\"button pagination-button\"><br \/>\n<span aria-label=\"Next\" class=\"icon\" role=\"img\" style='--icon-mask-image: url(\"\/static\/solid\/angle-right.svg\")'><\/span><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/nav>\n<div class=\"details_overlay\">\n<div class=\"counter\">\n<span class=\"current\">1<\/span> <span class=\"of\">of<\/span> <span class=\"max\">6<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"details\">\n<div class=\"button-wrapper\">\n<button aria-label=\"Toggle information\" class=\"toggle button outline\"><\/button><br \/>\n<button aria-label=\"Close fullscreen gallery\" class=\"close button\"><\/button>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"thumbnails-wrapper overflow-shadow-x\">\n<div class=\"thumbnails\">\n<button class=\"thumbnail active\" data-attribution=\"Eurogamer\/Tarsier Studios\" data-uri=\"reanimal-co-op-7.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/reanimal-co-op-7.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1920\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"reanimal-co-op-7.jpg\" height=\"1080\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1920\"><br \/>\n<\/button><br \/>\n<button class=\"thumbnail\" data-attribution=\"Eurogamer\/Tarsier Studios\" data-uri=\"reanimal-co-op-9.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/reanimal-co-op-9.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1920\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"reanimal-co-op-9.jpg\" height=\"1080\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1920\"><br \/>\n<\/button><br \/>\n<button class=\"thumbnail\" data-attribution=\"Eurogamer\/Tarsier Studios\" data-uri=\"reanimal-co-op-5.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/reanimal-co-op-5.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1920\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"reanimal-co-op-5.jpg\" height=\"1080\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1920\"><br \/>\n<\/button><br \/>\n<button class=\"thumbnail\" data-attribution=\"Eurogamer\/Tarsier Studios\" data-uri=\"reanimal-co-op-8.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/reanimal-co-op-8.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1920\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"reanimal-co-op-8.jpg\" height=\"1080\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1920\"><br \/>\n<\/button><br \/>\n<button class=\"thumbnail\" data-attribution=\"Eurogamer\/Tarsier Studios\" data-uri=\"reanimal-co-op-1.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/reanimal-co-op-1.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1920\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"reanimal-co-op-1.jpg\" height=\"1080\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1920\"><br \/>\n<\/button><br \/>\n<button class=\"thumbnail\" data-attribution=\"Eurogamer\/Tarsier Studios\" data-uri=\"reanimal-co-op-4.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/reanimal-co-op-4.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1920\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"reanimal-co-op-4.jpg\" height=\"1080\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1920\"><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fullscreen_info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<span class=\"label\"><br \/>\nCaption          <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"text\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"attribution\">\n<span class=\"label\"><br \/>\nAttribution          <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"text\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"inline-gallery-caption\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"advert_container\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>I&#8217;m not going to claim Reanimal doesn&#8217;t lose some of its ambience in the constant companionship of co-op, mind. It&#8217;s definitely, perhaps inevitably, one to play solo if you want the full uninterrupted force of its insidiously creeping menace. But even so, I think Tarsier&#8217;s found a space where co-op feels additive. It helps that Renanimal isn&#8217;t really interested in traditional scares; jolts and jumps are minimal, and there&#8217;s no intricate escalation of tension that might be undermined if your attention is suddenly pulled elsewhere. And it helps, too, that there&#8217;s just the barest wisp of story to focus on. But more than that, co-op feels like it gets to the heart of Reanimal, its tale of two doomed siblings lost in something like hell. What better way to reinforce that narrative bond &#8211; that one tiny sliver of hope and humanity &#8211; what better way to accentuate its emotional core, than by piggybacking on players&#8217; real-life connections, allowing them to face hell together with a lover, a family member, or a friend?<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"2\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>I don&#8217;t want to oversell it, though. There&#8217;s nothing revolutionary, or even especially remarkable about Reanimal&#8217;s co-op. But the couple of hours I&#8217;ve revisited, this time in two-player mode, have been an unexpectedly good time. We&#8217;ve &#8220;oooh&#8221;ed together as Tarsier&#8217;s gorgeously cinematic camera swings for another big reveal; we&#8217;ve &#8220;oh no&#8221;ed together as the studio sets up its next big set-piece; we&#8217;ve laughed in the ensuing chaos. And more than that, we&#8217;ve shared a bond &#8211; two small things fighting together, thinking together, hunting for secrets together, helping each other &#8211; in a dark, unforgiving world.<\/p>\n<p>All of which is me saying co-op is an enjoyably different way to experience Renanimal&#8217;s impressive artistry, even if it does mean the intensity of the mood is inevitably dialled down. And with split-screen couch-play and online co-op supported &#8211; even a friend pass so you only need to buy one copy to rope in a pal &#8211; it&#8217;s clear this isn&#8217;t a facet of Reanimal Tarsier is trying to hide away. Just don&#8217;t be the mood killer &#8211; pee first, play later. That&#8217;s the golden rule.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"poll_wrapper\" data-fixed=\"true\" data-hashid data-init=\"false\" data-poll-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home Features Reanimal Reanimal doesn&#8217;t exactly disprove co-op is the enemy of horror but it shows there&#8217;s a place for human connection too Friends in dark places. Image credit: Eurogamer\/Tarsier Studios Feature by Matt Wales News Reporter Published on Feb. 13, 2026 Follow Reanimal Silence. Two crouched shapes silhouetted in the moonlight, breath held tight [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,253],"class_list":["post-1766967","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-eurogamer-net"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1766967","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1766967"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1766967\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1766967"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1766967"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1766967"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}