Animal Well as an experience is better than Animal Well as a game. That doesn't mean Animal Well isn't a fun game, but it's not the kind of game that works nearly as well past a first playthrough. For most people, that's perfectly fine. You play through a game, find its secrets, and then quit. But for a game that actively encourages you to experience it, then continue to experience it again and again, the cracks begin to show pretty evidently.

Animal Well is a puzzle platformer metroidvania. You, some little slime dude, are dropped into the world with no information other than...well actually, just no information. A key element that brings out Animal Well's unique charm is how completely informationless you are and remain throughout the entire duration of play. No matter how far you get, no semblance of real narrative or lore is ever dropped on you. This combined with the game's stellar art and ambience gives the player a rich and mysterious atmosphere as they play. It's dripping in atmosphere all over, and it is gorgeous. On the other hand, though, the utter lack of information makes for a playthrough that's full of questioning. "Why am I doing this?" "What's my goal?" "Is there any reason for me to be here?" You aren't ever given any answers, and outside of the game-given goal of "getting the four flames", there is zero forward momentum within the game to drive a player. This is a divisive thing though, for some people, the intrigue will outweigh their need for answers. For me, however, I found it very difficult, especially after specific events to become very engaged with the game and its utter lack of clues. Depending on how long you play, the lack of anything other than your own ambition will set in harder and harder.

The best way to showcase the dichotomy of the game's failings (in my eyes) is through the game's three "layers". Layer 1 is collecting the four flames and reaching the credits. When you play through Layer 1 of this game, you will have gone through a majority of the screens, collected a decent amount of hidden easter eggs, and maybe glimpsed some deeper things, but not many. After reaching the credits, you enter "Layer 2" where your goal (if you continue playing) is to find any screens you missed, collect all the remaining easter eggs, and maybe find something new...hopefully. In this layer, the mostly filled-in map will be to your detriment. The remaining pieces of the game are harder and harder to find, and the retreading of screen after screen in search of an amorphous "second ending" of some kind will push any thoughts of fun out of the way. If you play genuinely blind, this is where things start to decline fast. And then you hit "Layer 3", the cryptic, unknowable, super-duper secret post-game puzzles that are designed specifically for sickos. For only certain people will this entertain, for me I turned the game off. The reward of more cryptic and more hidden puzzles after solving a bunch of cryptic and hidden shit isn't very rewarding. At no point do I learn anything interesting about the world or what's going on, and my only driving motivator to continue engaging with it is to "find secrets for secret's sake". At some point, the egg cracks. Many tout this game's insane depths as some sort of selling point and huge intrigue, but I find it quite the opposite. I really enjoyed playing through the metroidvania layer, finding new tools to utilize, and solving quick byte-sized puzzles. The different puzzle-solving tools are incredibly unique and interesting, combined with thoughtful level design and it becomes a fun experience.

But that's it. The best example of Animal Well's desire for you to replay what is essentially a game you are continually replaying just to find another secret is the fact that there is a reward you get for beating the entire game without dying and without saving. Sure, you could definitely argue that this is just a challenge for enthusiasts, but in a game so seeped in mysteries, are you really going to deny that people might unintentionally expect more clues for some deeper secret after beating the game deathless?

I know that this review is pretty harsh, but don't get me wrong, I think Animal Well is a fun game. I just don't think it's one I will really think about going back to. There is such a thing as too cryptic. And beyond the deeper puzzles, Animal Well just doesn't have enough going for it for me. It was fine, but...that's it...

Animal Well as an experience is better than Animal Well as a game. That doesn't mean Animal Well isn't a fun game, but it's not the kind of game that works nearly as well past a first playthrough. For most people, that's perfectly fine. You play through a game, find its secrets, and then quit. But for a game that actively encourages you to experience it, then continue to experience it again and again, the cracks begin to show pretty evidently.

Animal Well is a puzzle platformer metroidvania. You, some little slime dude, are dropped into the world with no information other than...well actually, just no information. A key element that brings out Animal Well's unique charm is how completely informationless you are and remain throughout the entire duration of play. No matter how far you get, no semblance of real narrative or lore is ever dropped on you. This combined with the game's stellar art and ambience gives the player a rich and mysterious atmosphere as they play. It's dripping in atmosphere all over, and it is gorgeous. On the other hand, though, the utter lack of information makes for a playthrough that's full of questioning. "Why am I doing this?" "What's my goal?" "Is there any reason for me to be here?" You aren't ever given any answers, and outside of the game-given goal of "getting the four flames", there is zero forward momentum within the game to drive a player. This is a divisive thing though, for some people, the intrigue will outweigh their need for answers. For me, however, I found it very difficult, especially after specific events to become very engaged with the game and its utter lack of clues. Depending on how long you play, the lack of anything other than your own ambition will set in harder and harder.

The best way to showcase the dichotomy of the game's failings (in my eyes) is through the game's three "layers". Layer 1 is collecting the four flames and reaching the credits. When you play through Layer 1 of this game, you will have gone through a majority of the screens, collected a decent amount of hidden easter eggs, and maybe glimpsed some deeper things, but not many. After reaching the credits, you enter "Layer 2" where your goal (if you continue playing) is to find any screens you missed, collect all the remaining easter eggs, and maybe find something new...hopefully. In this layer, the mostly filled-in map will be to your detriment. The remaining pieces of the game are harder and harder to find, and the retreading of screen after screen in search of an amorphous "second ending" of some kind will push any thoughts of fun out of the way. If you play genuinely blind, this is where things start to decline fast. And then you hit "Layer 3", the cryptic, unknowable, super-duper secret post-game puzzles that are designed specifically for sickos. For only certain people will this entertain, for me I turned the game off. The reward of more cryptic and more hidden puzzles after solving a bunch of cryptic and hidden shit isn't very rewarding. At no point do I learn anything interesting about the world or what's going on, and my only driving motivator to continue engaging with it is to "find secrets for secret's sake". At some point, the egg cracks. Many tout this game's insane depths as some sort of selling point and huge intrigue, but I find it quite the opposite. I really enjoyed playing through the metroidvania layer, finding new tools to utilize, and solving quick byte-sized puzzles. The different puzzle-solving tools are incredibly unique and interesting, combined with thoughtful level design and it becomes a fun experience.

But that's it. The best example of Animal Well's desire for you to replay what is essentially a game you are continually replaying just to find another secret is the fact that there is a reward you get for beating the entire game without dying and without saving. Sure, you could definitely argue that this is just a challenge for enthusiasts, but in a game so seeped in mysteries, are you really going to deny that people might unintentionally expect more clues for some deeper secret after beating the game deathless?

I know that this review is pretty harsh, but don't get me wrong, I think Animal Well is a fun game. I just don't think it's one I will really think about going back to. There is such a thing as too cryptic. And beyond the deeper puzzles, Animal Well just doesn't have enough going for it for me. It was fine, but...that's it...