It was very tempting to make this a spoilered review, to provide examples, to talk about specifics.

In the end I decided it wasn't worth it. Suffice it to say that Anodyne 2 is a rare beast: a game made by people who know how to make a game and choose not to. It is cavalier in its disregard, but not in the slapdash, unbound way that amateur and outsider attempts often are. It is smartly constructed, satirical without being too on the nose, quietly amusing, bitter, incisive. The game itself is one of discovery, both in play and theme. To talk about the specific ways is to rob someone else of the chance to find out how, and why.

Reviewed on Sep 05, 2023


3 Comments


8 months ago

Would you recommend this even for someone who couldn't get into the first game? They seem very different so that wasn't too big of a concern, but still.

8 months ago

@electrode I would. I liked the first game, but wasn't blown away by it. There are some minor thematic links here, but the game literally opens by saying that the first game is its own beast and that the games are not reliant on one another. Beyond that, I feel this game in particular shows tremendous growth when compared to its predecessor.

8 months ago

Thank you, I'll probably check it out then.