At the end of August, Tarsier Studios, which released the Little Nightmares duology, announced a new project — the cooperative horror Reanimal. At the Tokyo Games Show 2024, editor-in-chief Rodion Ilin managed to talk to the game's producer Stefan Mohr and learn the main details of the upcoming horror.
VGTimes: Can you tell us about the key features of your new game?
Stefan Mohr: We're making a co-op horror adventure. Reanimal will have local and online modes, but it can also be played solo. You play as two kids who are going through a dark and twisted world trying to save their friends, one by one.
Yes, it's a bit of a scary game, and if you're familiar with Tarsier Studios' previous titles, you can see the general direction and know that it's dark. There are some bright spots, too, because it's a game about kids, so it's going to tug at your heartstrings. But it's mostly horror, and we embrace that.
VGTimes: Why should players choose your game over other games on the market?
Stefan Mohr: I think Tarsier's style is unique. It makes the game stand out from many others. You only need to look at the game once to know that there's something special about it, just like Little Nightmares 1 and 2.
The gameplay feels very intuitive. It really draws you into the story and the world, and it's challenging. We also give players a little more freedom of movement than Little Nightmares 1 and 2. For example, you can ride a boat, which adds to the open-world feel. I wouldn't say it's a full-fledged open world, as the game remains linear at its core, although it does give the player a bit more freedom to explore.
VGTimes: Which games are the closest in terms of gameplay and art direction? Where did the developers draw inspiration?
Stefan Mohr: I think we were heavily influenced by ICO, especially in terms of revealing the main characters and their relationships through animations and other means. ICO also influenced the atmosphere of the game. But of course, Tarsier has its own unique style, which was formed on the basis of Little Nightmares and other projects.
Silent Hill also influenced the atmosphere and horror component of the game. I would say that is another source of inspiration.
VGTimes: Can you tell us what THQ considers a good sales level? What do you consider a success, what is normal, and what is a failure?
Stefan Mohr: I can't give you exact numbers, but we hope to repeat the success of Little Nightmares. We hope that the audience will love this game as much as the previous Tarsier titles, maybe even more. We are very optimistic that we will be able to give players a good experience.
VGTimes: Is 100,000 sales realistic?
Stefan Mohr: [Laughs] I don't think it will be enough to make all the money back.
VGTimes: What platforms is the release planned for and when?
Stefan Mohr: The game will be released on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC. The release date is not yet known.
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It's too early to draw conclusions about Reanimal, but I want to believe that Tarsier will release a worthy successor to Little Nightmares. Let us remind you that Little Nightmares 3 is currently being made by Supermassive Games. What do you think about the upcoming release? Share your opinion in the comments!
Interview conducted by: Rodion Ilin.
VGTimes has been operating since 2011 and during this time has visited dozens of exhibitions and festivals, where our journalists have collected many exclusive materials. For example, in 2019 we got to a closed screening of Cyberpunk 2077 at gamescom, in 2017 we prepared a photo report from WG Fest, in 2020 we were at the largest gaming event in Central Asia CAGS, and also visited IgroMir several times, where we saw Hideo Kojima and other famous developers.