One of Anodyne 2’s driving forces in engaging its players is its unapologetic absurdity. Designed to be half a Link’s Awakening dungeon crawler and half a polygonal Playstation 1 creepypasta fan-fic come to life, Anodyne 2 barrages you with flowery dialogue and abstract imagery right up front and it does it so intensely that the you’ll go from “oh wow, I don’t know if I can take however-many-hours of this nonsense” to “alright, it know what it’s doing, I’m here for this” all in the span of a tutorial.
The first Anodyne conveyed its abstract themes through pixelated madness in its explorative overworld that takes inspiration from games like Link’s Awakening, however the sequel (which has nothing to do with the first) brings its overworld into a 64-bit 3D realm. Jump, run and drive around the crudely designed terrain of New Theland in a strangely nostalgic, and surprisingly endearing addition to its own formula.
The 3D overworld is solely designed for exploration and advancing the story so you won’t find much challenge there (you have no health meter here) but it is an absolute joy to just gaze upon the low rez textures pasted on nonsensical buildings or meeting the absurdly designed denizens that don’t seem to obey any sensible notion of anatomy. You’ll also find yourself trying to see what any of these adorable abominations have to say in their clever sometimes 4th-wall breaking, sometimes existential-crisis-inducing but always world building banter.
It’s here with the NPCs that you’ll be able to delve into the true action of the game. By entering the shrinking down to size and entering the psyches of certain characters, the game takes the 2D dungeon levels from the first game and works them into the main puzzles of the game that act as ever evolving combat areas and obstacles that don’t stop coming until the very end. It may the super simple premise of just vacuuming up objects, shooting objects out of your nano cleaner and attack enemies with stars.
Not only are you treated to most of the gameplay variety found in the game in these areas but you get to really experience the stories of some of these NPCs and understand the dilemmas they are going to in their personal lives that caused them to be so corrupted by the dust.
And dust is the flowing theme of the game’s story. Just as you sucked up dust in the original game, Anodyne 2 embeds its entire lore in the idea of dust and how it creeps into every nook and cranny with the sole purpose of corrupting everything in the world of New Theland. And you are Nova, a creature born of an egg with the nurtured purpose of cleaning the world of the dust. Nova is sent to fulfill this purpose by The Center, the origin of everything, as well as the Glandilock Seed attached to her very self and fills her with the urge to destroy the dust.
While there are a few inconsistencies with the story as well as a player choice at the end that really misses the mark, it is a pleasant and wholesome coming-of-age story focused on being able to follow one’s own path amidst staggering peer pressure and expectations.
Anodyne 2 offers just enough quiet absurdity to its story as well as enough puzzle elements to keep the player engaged all the way through its 12 hour playthrough. With a game that looks as crude and janky as it does, it runs surprisingly well and his held together solidly. Not to mention the devs weren’t afraid to get too weird or existential with its story and gameplay elements and some of the scenarios are must-plays. If you choose to play through Return to Dust you’re into one of the most endearingly weird gaming experiences of the last year or so.
The first Anodyne conveyed its abstract themes through pixelated madness in its explorative overworld that takes inspiration from games like Link’s Awakening, however the sequel (which has nothing to do with the first) brings its overworld into a 64-bit 3D realm. Jump, run and drive around the crudely designed terrain of New Theland in a strangely nostalgic, and surprisingly endearing addition to its own formula.
The 3D overworld is solely designed for exploration and advancing the story so you won’t find much challenge there (you have no health meter here) but it is an absolute joy to just gaze upon the low rez textures pasted on nonsensical buildings or meeting the absurdly designed denizens that don’t seem to obey any sensible notion of anatomy. You’ll also find yourself trying to see what any of these adorable abominations have to say in their clever sometimes 4th-wall breaking, sometimes existential-crisis-inducing but always world building banter.
It’s here with the NPCs that you’ll be able to delve into the true action of the game. By entering the shrinking down to size and entering the psyches of certain characters, the game takes the 2D dungeon levels from the first game and works them into the main puzzles of the game that act as ever evolving combat areas and obstacles that don’t stop coming until the very end. It may the super simple premise of just vacuuming up objects, shooting objects out of your nano cleaner and attack enemies with stars.
Not only are you treated to most of the gameplay variety found in the game in these areas but you get to really experience the stories of some of these NPCs and understand the dilemmas they are going to in their personal lives that caused them to be so corrupted by the dust.
And dust is the flowing theme of the game’s story. Just as you sucked up dust in the original game, Anodyne 2 embeds its entire lore in the idea of dust and how it creeps into every nook and cranny with the sole purpose of corrupting everything in the world of New Theland. And you are Nova, a creature born of an egg with the nurtured purpose of cleaning the world of the dust. Nova is sent to fulfill this purpose by The Center, the origin of everything, as well as the Glandilock Seed attached to her very self and fills her with the urge to destroy the dust.
While there are a few inconsistencies with the story as well as a player choice at the end that really misses the mark, it is a pleasant and wholesome coming-of-age story focused on being able to follow one’s own path amidst staggering peer pressure and expectations.
Anodyne 2 offers just enough quiet absurdity to its story as well as enough puzzle elements to keep the player engaged all the way through its 12 hour playthrough. With a game that looks as crude and janky as it does, it runs surprisingly well and his held together solidly. Not to mention the devs weren’t afraid to get too weird or existential with its story and gameplay elements and some of the scenarios are must-plays. If you choose to play through Return to Dust you’re into one of the most endearingly weird gaming experiences of the last year or so.
AstrinSchmidt
7 months ago