Animal Well is a masterclass in puzzle design, with tight platforming, set in a beautiful, oftentimes perilous world. It's actually at its weakest when it's just a Metroidvania, and instead, its world and the genre serve as a way to deliver some of the most intricate, interconnected puzzles of any game I've ever played.
What a completely pleasant surprise. Thr first thing that captures your attention are the amazing pixel graphics mixed with modern fog and transparencies. The next thing that hooks you is the gameplay. So many different and unique tools. The next thing that hooks you are all the secrets and mysteries. So, so many deep unique puzzles. It very much reminded me of Tunic in that way. A game which I also adore. If you consider yourself a true gamer this game is for you! It's truly legendary!
It's Breath of the Wild meets The Legend of Zelda: item progression meets near-boundless freedom. This is what Zelda would be if Aonuma ever had any good ideas.
But for now, we have Animal Well. And it's near perfect.
After a few hours it really starts to be felt that this game would benefit from more atmospheric music, for longer periods. Minus that, I have no complaints about this lovely indie gem.
Animal Well is something quite remarkable. A Metroidvania title that still feels fresh in 2024 thanks to its puzzle-centric gameplay, incredible atmosphere and army of secrets to discover, this is a must-play for those who like a bit of mystery in their games. Players should just make sure to discover the secrets themselves.
The level design is excellent, the platforming controls perfectly after a short time to get a feel for it, and the moody art is far more detailed with fancy effects than its pixely nature shows in screenshots. The heart of the game is its mysteries, though, whether that be something as basic as scanning the map for breaks in the wall that indicate a missed secret passage, or realizing that one of the tools has a less-obvious ability that completely changes how useful it is. Even beating the game is just another step towards solving it, because the credit roll means a whole new set of more intricate puzzles has opened up. Animal Well is a stunner of a metroidvania, usually charming but frequently creepy, mysterious but by no means unapproachable, and filled from top to bottom with secrets that are always satisfying to uncover.
Animal Well is an extraordinary Metroidvania with a dense atmosphere, as well as creative puzzles and platformer passages that often lure players out of their comfort zone.
Unparalleled level design and an incredible gameplay experience.When you get an item and you won't be able to fully master it for at least five hours, you'll be surprised when you realize how vividly the item interacts with the map
Beautiful game with an amazing atmosphere and some decent puzzles. However, as the difficulty ramps up near the end, the game goes from clever and fun to being overly fiddly and extremely frustrating. By the time I finished the first ending I basically had enough. Also a bug where an item was picked up during the credits but did not end up in my inventory essentially stopped me from playing the game any further. If you like metroidvania's and games where you die over and over to complete a difficult objective (think Elden Ring) then you will love this game, otherwise I would be wary.
Well made exploration puzzle platformer. While it did have some clever vibes reminiscent of older games like Solomon's Key and Adventures of Lolo, the lack of an overall narrative or purpose beyond just solving the puzzles didn't hold my attention for longer than the first couple of hours. It feels like an expensive tech demo/pet project at the $25 asking price. I'd only consider picking it up when it's below $10 on sale.
Generic and pretty forgettable, it's as if the developers had thrown 10 indie puzzle platformers into a blender and then called it a new game.
Don't let the paid reviewers tell you otherwise, try it yourself, it's cheap so you won't be losing too much.
Why is it that 90% of the games being highly rated by """critics""" are mediocre at best? it's almost like a red flag at this point, never fails.
PROOF OF GAMING REVIEW MARKETING
No really, I am sick of it. I saw that this game had a 9/10 rating because that Dunkey guy was behind it or whatever and I knew right away it had inflated reviews.
... and what do you know? I played it for like 10 miinutesand was bored to tears. I came back a second time and gave it another 15 minutes and now I am pretty sure this is just an extremely mid platformer.
Im sick of the review marketing around games.
SummaryExplore a dense, interconnected labyrinth, and unravel its many secrets. Collect items to manipulate your environment in surprising and meaningful ways. Encounter creatures both beautiful and unsettling, as you attempt to survive what lurks in the dark. There is more than what you see.