i'm a big fan of meta-puzzle games. you know, games there's a layer of brainteasers to solve that only reveals a deeper hidden layer of puzzles that are are not solved by items, but rather the knowledge of how the game works (i love them so much i even made a list of them, if you'd like to check it out). animal well is indeed one of these games, however i didn't feel as satisfied cracking out its myriad of mysteries as opposed to other games within the same genre. a good amount of its basic progression triggers feel like honest trial-and-error to figure out, or feel ridiculously hidden to the point where you're combing through a (usually very dark) screen looking for hidden spots where there might be a place for you to jump or a wall that might give in to one of your items. such pixel-hunting feels adequate for obscure, very hidden secrets, but in this game they're there by default.

i wouldn't be as harsh if the game respected your time more: it's a fairly short game but there's a sizable amount of backtracking that's clunky and tedious to do. its fast-travel system isn't as convenient enough, and while there's shortcuts by the dozen to unlock they hardly feel like they make navigating the terrain any easier. the game has the audacity to give you the ability to bypass most of its platforming hurdles at the very VERY lategame where you basically don't have any reason to traverse the map anymore.

speaking of, the items you unlock don't feel innovative enough to feel joy using them. there's some fun, non-explicit secrets and techniques that you can pull off with them but they feel limited by the game's scope and terrain. i can't help but compare it to last year's void stranger, where unlocking an item legit feels like a game-changer and a significant help in both navigating its map and solving its puzzles, unlike in this game. not only that but it's somewhat clunky to cycle through all the items you get: you can either press X to open the menu, navigate to the item, choose it then close the menu, or cycle through them with the shoulder buttons for "easier" access, which once you unlock more than 8 of them it feels like a slog going through them one-by-one just to use that one specific tool to clear an obstacle. this, coupled with a terrain that actively demands items to traverse at all times, only makes exploration that much more unbearable.

i might have come off as too critical of this game's flaws, especially considering this is mostly a solo project made by a debuting developer, but i'm being critical of it precisely because i wanted this game to be much more than what i got. without a good plot or at least fun gameplay to go along with it, i find it very hard to commit to uncover all of this game's secrets without it feeling like a chore.

it's a modern remake of my favorite game of all time. what else is there for me to say? 30 fps is truly the one thing that's keeping me from 5 starring this, but otherwise it's a fantastic new spin on an old classic, with added QoL fixes and extra bonus content for those who really want to squeeze every last drop of content out of it (like me). the charm and soul this game has is second to none and it truly shines in today's gaming landscape just like it did back in 2004. i can not recommend it enough.