The range!!! This studio always makes games that tell wonderful, nuanced stories about existing slightly outside of systems, but also: the games are funny as hell. They are weird and delightful and silly and cutting and satirical. Also, mechanically, they are super diverse and do a great job of setting up interesting elements, making you stretch your brain a bit, and then moving on before beating you to death.
And yet every time, I spend years agonizing over "am I in the right space to play this?" Yeah, man, they're excellent. You should be running towards their latest release, not letting them languish on a backlog.
And yet every time, I spend years agonizing over "am I in the right space to play this?" Yeah, man, they're excellent. You should be running towards their latest release, not letting them languish on a backlog.
We can be more than we are made to be.
The best out of all the Analgesic games. The 2D visuals retain the 16-bit quirkiness of the first Anodyne, and the 3D environments bring a nice PS1 feeling of loneliness and simplicity.
The story is a bit predictable, but the character interactions are what make it. The second half of the game is really strong, with the secret ending tying things up nicely and leaving you wanting for more.
My only critique is that, like the PS1 games it was inspired by, some of the environments feel kinda barren. This is somewhat fixed by metacoins on the second half (they even show up out of bounds!) but it's still not enough of an incentive in my opinion. Some spots just scream secret collectible, makes you wonder if something was cut out late in development.
I didn't really care for the Anodyne 1 references in the post game, but that's probably because I don't like the first Anodyne all that much to begin with. Maybe someone who enjoyed it more than me will find them at least neat.
The story is a bit predictable, but the character interactions are what make it. The second half of the game is really strong, with the secret ending tying things up nicely and leaving you wanting for more.
My only critique is that, like the PS1 games it was inspired by, some of the environments feel kinda barren. This is somewhat fixed by metacoins on the second half (they even show up out of bounds!) but it's still not enough of an incentive in my opinion. Some spots just scream secret collectible, makes you wonder if something was cut out late in development.
I didn't really care for the Anodyne 1 references in the post game, but that's probably because I don't like the first Anodyne all that much to begin with. Maybe someone who enjoyed it more than me will find them at least neat.
This review contains spoilers
I love, love, love this game. It's 1:30 in the morning, and I should be going to bed, but I just finished this game, and I need to write about it while it's fresh on my mind or I won't be able to sleep.
Back in mid-2019, not long after this game came out, I picked it up and started playing it. Fairly quickly you get an idea of what the core gameplay loop is going to be: explore a 3D world, to find entrances to 2D Zelda-esque adventure sections. Explore the 2D sections to find dust and cards, and use the dust and cards to unlock new 3D sections. Pretty straight-forward. I got about halfway through the second (of five-ish) act of this before life got in the way, and I ended up abandoning the game. If this was all the game was, I'd be giving it about 3.5 stars.
Well, this week I revisited this game and decided to start fresh, and I am so glad that I did. At the end of act 2, the developers basically throw that core gameplay out the window, and the resulting game has some truly great moments.
The writing is easily the biggest strength of this game, as with the rest of the games this team has put out. This game manages to seamlessly meld the quirky and dark humor of Anodyne with the contemplative commentary on human nature presented by Even the Ocean. It manages both laugh out loud funny moments mixed with some real tear-jerkers, and even some moments of great tension, without any of it feeling forced or at odds with one another.
The gameplay is solid and dependable. It's not the main draw to the game, but neither does it get in the way of things. The 3D sections are mostly about exploration, with the occasional moment of platforming, but the double jump and automatic glide means the platforming never feels punishing, and the Ridescale ability (i.e. your character transforming into a car) makes the necessary backtracking not feel like a chore. The 2D sections use a similar engine to the prequel, but the use of a vacuum cleaner as your primary weapon (allowing you to inhale and spit out enemies) keeps the game feeling fresh.
The music does a fantastic job of setting the tone; the 3D sections all have an ethereal and somber feel to them, really giving you a sense that all is not well in the world. Meanwhile, the 2D sections (where more of the action tends to be) get themes that suit the moods of the individual areas. Highlights of the soundtrack for me include Upon Soaring Highways, Pastel Horizon, Stargaze Valley Night, and the theme for the last 2D section of the game, which I won't name because it's a pretty big spoiler.
The graphics are the kind of retro graphics that I love - the kind that makes you think "this could have been done on a 16-bit console, right?" Yeah, they could have, but no one did, back then. What's new to me is a game that captures that feeling but for early 3D graphics; the 3D sections of the game simultaneously look like they could have been on the Playstation and also better than anything the Playstation actually produced.
All in all, this game is fantastic. I'm so, so happy I came back to this game, as this is now genuinely one of my favorite games of all time. Would highly recommend for anyone who likes narrative-heavy games with a little action spread throughout.
5/5
Back in mid-2019, not long after this game came out, I picked it up and started playing it. Fairly quickly you get an idea of what the core gameplay loop is going to be: explore a 3D world, to find entrances to 2D Zelda-esque adventure sections. Explore the 2D sections to find dust and cards, and use the dust and cards to unlock new 3D sections. Pretty straight-forward. I got about halfway through the second (of five-ish) act of this before life got in the way, and I ended up abandoning the game. If this was all the game was, I'd be giving it about 3.5 stars.
Well, this week I revisited this game and decided to start fresh, and I am so glad that I did. At the end of act 2, the developers basically throw that core gameplay out the window, and the resulting game has some truly great moments.
The writing is easily the biggest strength of this game, as with the rest of the games this team has put out. This game manages to seamlessly meld the quirky and dark humor of Anodyne with the contemplative commentary on human nature presented by Even the Ocean. It manages both laugh out loud funny moments mixed with some real tear-jerkers, and even some moments of great tension, without any of it feeling forced or at odds with one another.
The gameplay is solid and dependable. It's not the main draw to the game, but neither does it get in the way of things. The 3D sections are mostly about exploration, with the occasional moment of platforming, but the double jump and automatic glide means the platforming never feels punishing, and the Ridescale ability (i.e. your character transforming into a car) makes the necessary backtracking not feel like a chore. The 2D sections use a similar engine to the prequel, but the use of a vacuum cleaner as your primary weapon (allowing you to inhale and spit out enemies) keeps the game feeling fresh.
The music does a fantastic job of setting the tone; the 3D sections all have an ethereal and somber feel to them, really giving you a sense that all is not well in the world. Meanwhile, the 2D sections (where more of the action tends to be) get themes that suit the moods of the individual areas. Highlights of the soundtrack for me include Upon Soaring Highways, Pastel Horizon, Stargaze Valley Night, and the theme for the last 2D section of the game, which I won't name because it's a pretty big spoiler.
The graphics are the kind of retro graphics that I love - the kind that makes you think "this could have been done on a 16-bit console, right?" Yeah, they could have, but no one did, back then. What's new to me is a game that captures that feeling but for early 3D graphics; the 3D sections of the game simultaneously look like they could have been on the Playstation and also better than anything the Playstation actually produced.
All in all, this game is fantastic. I'm so, so happy I came back to this game, as this is now genuinely one of my favorite games of all time. Would highly recommend for anyone who likes narrative-heavy games with a little action spread throughout.
5/5
some of the writing especially early on comes off as overly twee earthbound-derivative shit a la undertale BUT the third act goes into some really surprising places, with some memorable sequences that explore when one becomes uncertain of who they are. and then its "figured out" nice and neat by the ending, which wants to feel revelatory but just comes off as whatever to me. im hesitant to say the game is not worth playing at all, but i wish its cooler aspects werent layered under gameplay and storytelling sensibilities that are the essence of "quirky yet largely unchallenging", becoming too comfortable with predictability in its conclusion when its much more compelling at doing the opposite.
e: kinda want to keep this review mostly intact to give credit to my disappointment with the game, but now i feel like i shouldve turned down the vitriol a bit, so ill elaborate and chill a little. if you asked me whether i liked or disliked the game, no in between, id probably just barely say i liked it, bc the highs, the parts of the game that feel outside the scope of the main story but arent, are SO high. the writing just annoys me w its preciousness often, and i feel like the conclusion of the game rides too hard on that writing being better than it actually is once you center back onto the main story. i know its part of the charm of its influences as being awkwardly written yet evocative nonetheless, but in this case i was left wanting by this game's central argument. idk. maybe could use a replay but im not confident my opinion will change
e: kinda want to keep this review mostly intact to give credit to my disappointment with the game, but now i feel like i shouldve turned down the vitriol a bit, so ill elaborate and chill a little. if you asked me whether i liked or disliked the game, no in between, id probably just barely say i liked it, bc the highs, the parts of the game that feel outside the scope of the main story but arent, are SO high. the writing just annoys me w its preciousness often, and i feel like the conclusion of the game rides too hard on that writing being better than it actually is once you center back onto the main story. i know its part of the charm of its influences as being awkwardly written yet evocative nonetheless, but in this case i was left wanting by this game's central argument. idk. maybe could use a replay but im not confident my opinion will change
This game doesn't want you to play Anodyne 1 and maybe that's for the better. It clearly outshines Anodyne 1 in every way shape and form (music, story, graphics) but when you will be done with this game you may or may not gain appreciation for Anodyne 1
Nieporozumienie
I definitely need more time to fully gather my thoughts on this but this will probably end up being one of my favorite games ever.
It’s an overwhelmingly personal and inspiring experience from front to back, and it makes me happy to be alive and in a world where art like this can be made.
It’s an overwhelmingly personal and inspiring experience from front to back, and it makes me happy to be alive and in a world where art like this can be made.
A runny yolk becomes inseparable from the egg. Your mother wishes you'd answer her texts.
I GET IT NOW
Brilliant conceptually, but unfortunately it falls a little short gameplay wise. It's absolutely genius to have an open-ended 3D hub world for linear 2D levels, but these 3D areas end up feeling pretty boring due to how non-interactive they are- it'd go a long way if the spark ability had any uses outside of just entering levels. The 2D levels aren't perfect either. They start off really strong with some great, textbook examples of introducing and expanding on new mechanics in a short timespan, but they quickly start over-relying on Very Special sections that completely veer off from the established gameplay. Of course, it's a comedy game, so sections like these are expected, even welcome, but frankly there's not enough of the "normal" game to justify how many "weird" sections there are. Non-sequiturs that deviate harshly from the norm are only meaningful when it doesn't feel like most of the game is non-sequiturs- I think I played two levels in a row where all I had to do to win was talk to several NPCs.
It's a game that has a lot to say story wise, and the story is generally well integrated with the gameplay, aside from when it matters the most. There's one sequence about halfway through that sticks out in this regard- it's a crucial and genuinely pretty powerful story beat that gets told almost entirely through a really length sequence of text boxes. In this way the story's pretty representative of the game as a whole: a fantastic vision that wasn't able to end up becoming a fantastic final product.
It's a game that has a lot to say story wise, and the story is generally well integrated with the gameplay, aside from when it matters the most. There's one sequence about halfway through that sticks out in this regard- it's a crucial and genuinely pretty powerful story beat that gets told almost entirely through a really length sequence of text boxes. In this way the story's pretty representative of the game as a whole: a fantastic vision that wasn't able to end up becoming a fantastic final product.
this game is a collection of sometimes slightly fun stories wrapped in an open world that is way too huge, which you traverse as a character that is way too slow. The visual style is random and inconsistent, and the music sounds random, as if made by someone who has never heard music before. I get that they were going for a sort of abstract and surrealist feel, but it does not work and ends up just feeling soulless and weird.
It's been a while since I finished playing Anodyne 2 but the game, which centers around taking you through fantastical vignettes detailing beautifully written stories tied together by a strong central plot, continues to stick around in my head in the same way a nice song does (the soundtrack is also a joy to listen to). Even more laudable is how well the writing manages to bypass the more irritating genre conventions that other indie media from similar spaces often have. I think going in without any specific knowledge helped endear it to me, so all I'll say otherwise is that it's very, very good.
A gift. Like a Dreamcast game from a time that doesn't exist. Bold and warm and earnest.
This review contains spoilers
Anodyne 2 combines true escapism with themes grounded in our own world. Its use of nostalgic mechanics, art and music are hard to ignore. I found myself recognizing concepts everywhere, though I'd never played the game before.
During my experience, I constantly found myself surprised. These surprises were always pleasant, never the kind of easy story-changing twist that can lessen everything else.
I would recommend this game to anyone who played and loved Playstation or PS2-era games, or those who want to play something totally non-modern.
During my experience, I constantly found myself surprised. These surprises were always pleasant, never the kind of easy story-changing twist that can lessen everything else.
I would recommend this game to anyone who played and loved Playstation or PS2-era games, or those who want to play something totally non-modern.
In a year of what feels like 5 all-time favorite games to me, Anodyne 2 stands out for its nostalgic, childish approachability, but also its surprisingly mature themings and sharp writing. Over the course of about 12 hours, I remembered what it was like to be a kid again, and also re-experienced some painful parts of growing up. Theming-wise theres a lot going on here, too much for me to recognize it all on one playthrough, but I feel like something will resonate with basically everyone.
A recommendation for Pathologic 2 or Disco Elysium would come with lots of qualifiers but I think I could recommend this game to anyone. It's at the same time progressive and immediately charming.
A recommendation for Pathologic 2 or Disco Elysium would come with lots of qualifiers but I think I could recommend this game to anyone. It's at the same time progressive and immediately charming.
É um conceito bem legal, isso com certeza. Você anda em um mundo 3D que parece que saiu do PSX (que não tem taaanta graça assim, exceto quando você vira um carrinho) e uns puzzles 2D bem legais. Mas a história é bem qualquer coisa, a execução também e eu não tive vontade de continuar jogando.