Going back to REANIMAL feels strangely familiar. You already know how Tarsier Studios uses silence, shadows and things that are better left unseen. But that familiarity doesn’t make The Prisoner any less unsettling. The Prisoner is the first of three planned story chapters expanding the world of REANIMAL. Instead of following the brother and sister from the main game, this chapter introduces The Soldier and The Prisoner, taking players into new parts of the island and revealing another piece of its disturbing history. And, in typical Tarsier fashion, that door doesn’t lead to many answers. It leads to more questions.

Two New Faces in a Familiar Nightmare

The biggest change is the new protagonists. The Soldier and The Prisoner bring a different dynamic to the story. Their journey doesn’t feel like a disposable side story. There are connections to the world we’ve already seen, and the chapter clearly has a larger purpose. It feels like the beginning of something.

The Island Still Knows How to Make You Uncomfortable

Tarsier’s greatest strength has always been atmosphere, and The Prisoner doesn’t need to reinvent it. The environments are bleak and strange, while the war-torn areas give the chapter a harsher feeling. What I appreciate most is that the horror isn’t constantly thrown in your face. There are moments when almost nothing happens. You walk, listen and notice something moving somewhere in the distance. Suddenly you’re wondering whether you should keep going. That restraint is what makes REANIMAL work.

The Puzzles Finally Make You Stop

One of the better parts of The Prisoner is its puzzle design. The main game had some good puzzles, but here they feel a little more involved. I actually had to stop and work out what the game wanted me to do instead of immediately seeing the solution. They’re still built around observation and interaction rather than complicated logic, which fits REANIMAL perfectly. The game wants you to notice something, try something, fail, and then realize the answer was sitting in front of you. That gives the quieter sections more purpose.

When Running Isn’t the Only Option

Combat is still not the focus, and thankfully, The Prisoner doesn’t suddenly turn REANIMAL into an action game. The characters remain vulnerable, and encounters feel more like situations you need to survive than fights you are excited to win. That keeps the tension intact. There are some memorable encounters here, including a dangerous flamethrower-wielding enemy. The Mother also returns in a sequence that adds another layer to an already disturbing character. I won’t spoil what happens. Just know that if you thought you were finished being afraid of her, Tarsier has other plans.

More Questions Than Answers

If you finished REANIMAL hoping the Prisoner would finally explain everything, prepare to be disappointed. The chapter continues the studio’s habit of giving players fragments instead of straightforward explanations. New mysteries and environmental details invite you to make your own connections. The problem is that The Prisoner is clearly only one piece of a larger story. Just when something starts making sense, the chapter ends. It’s an effective cliffhanger, but it also makes the short runtime more noticeable.

Beautifully Horrible

Visually, The Prisoner doesn’t need to reinvent REANIMAL. The original already had one of the most distinctive horror styles around, and the DLC continues it without losing that identity. The environments are grim, the creatures are disturbing, and the scale of the world makes the characters feel painfully small. The sound design remains important too, with quiet moments often proving more effective than loud ones. You hear something. You don’t see it. You keep walking anyway. That is REANIMAL at its best.

The Biggest Problem Is the Clock

Unfortunately, the biggest weakness of The Prisoner is also the easiest one to notice. It’s short. A typical playthrough can be completed in roughly an hour, depending on your pace and how much you explore. That’s not automatically a problem for a story chapter, but the price becomes harder to ignore when it ends so quickly. The season pass makes the proposition easier to swallow. Buying the chapter separately is a harder recommendation. I finished The Prisoner wanting more. That’s partly a compliment, but it also feels like the DLC ends just as things are becoming interesting.

A Small Chapter With a Bigger Purpose

The Prisoner doesn’t completely reinvent REANIMAL, and it doesn’t need to. It expands the world, introduces new characters, and gives us another glimpse into the nightmare Tarsier created. The puzzles are stronger, the atmosphere remains excellent, and some of the new encounters are genuinely memorable. The biggest issue is simply that there isn’t enough of it. As the opening chapter of a larger story, I understand why it ends where it does. I’m more curious about what comes next now than I was before playing it.

Real Talk

The Prisoner is a strange little expansion. It’s short. It doesn’t answer nearly enough. And somehow, I still want the next chapter immediately. Tarsier hasn’t abandoned what made REANIMAL special. The silence is still uncomfortable, the creatures are still horrifying, and the world still feels like somewhere you absolutely shouldn’t be exploring. The difference is that we’re now seeing another side of that world. The Soldier and The Prisoner have their own story to tell, and after this first chapter, I’m genuinely curious to hear it. If you loved REANIMAL, The Prisoner is an easy recommendation, especially if you’re already planning to pick up the Season Pass. Just go in knowing that this is Chapter 1, not a full-sized expansion. It feels like opening another door in a house you thought you understood. And behind that door, something is still moving.

FINAL SCORE: 80/100