EDIT - Changed my rating to a full 10/10 because, despite my qualms, it really does deserve it.
Honestly, if it weren't for PS Plus making this free for this month, I might not have checked out Animal Well right away. And what a shame that would be, because this game is truly special.
I will admit, it didn't seem that way to me initially. With the retraux pixel-art style and the TV scanline filter (which thankfully can be toggled off), it wasn't too appealing to me visually. No disrespect to games that also employ those visuals, but they can usually be a mixed bag, at least for me anyway.
Despite that, however, I do believe that Animal Well uses them to its benefit and helps sell its eerie, otherworldly atmosphere.
Speaking of which, there's next-to-no overt narrative in Animal Well, which is entirely a show-don't-tell experience that thrives on worldbuilding naturally during gameplay. That approach also extends to the gameplay itself, as your goals and abilities are things that you have to uncover as you go. This lends itself to some truly excellent Metroidvania level design and gameplay mechanics as you experiment with button combinations and obstacles to reach said goals.
Seriously, I cannot praise the puzzle design in this game enough. It genuinely belongs up there with the likes of Portal 1 + 2, Myst, and Obra Dinn. It's all incredibly intuitive, and really only once did I refer to a guide, and even then it was to confirm the answer.
That said, admittedly, Animal Well can get in its own way with how obtuse it is. There are a decent number of save points scattered throughout the map; however, backtracking to them is still necessary in some segments. There are also a couple of tedious parts, including a long-winded chase sequence with some jumps that you have to be pixel-perfect to make.
Nevertheless, Animal Well is truly spectacular and well-deserving of the 89 it currently has on OpenCritic, and then some. Any other Metroidvania developers currently playing through it must be equal parts excited and frustrated for what Billy Basso has brought to the genre. Kudos to you, sir.
10/10
Honestly, if it weren't for PS Plus making this free for this month, I might not have checked out Animal Well right away. And what a shame that would be, because this game is truly special.
I will admit, it didn't seem that way to me initially. With the retraux pixel-art style and the TV scanline filter (which thankfully can be toggled off), it wasn't too appealing to me visually. No disrespect to games that also employ those visuals, but they can usually be a mixed bag, at least for me anyway.
Despite that, however, I do believe that Animal Well uses them to its benefit and helps sell its eerie, otherworldly atmosphere.
Speaking of which, there's next-to-no overt narrative in Animal Well, which is entirely a show-don't-tell experience that thrives on worldbuilding naturally during gameplay. That approach also extends to the gameplay itself, as your goals and abilities are things that you have to uncover as you go. This lends itself to some truly excellent Metroidvania level design and gameplay mechanics as you experiment with button combinations and obstacles to reach said goals.
Seriously, I cannot praise the puzzle design in this game enough. It genuinely belongs up there with the likes of Portal 1 + 2, Myst, and Obra Dinn. It's all incredibly intuitive, and really only once did I refer to a guide, and even then it was to confirm the answer.
That said, admittedly, Animal Well can get in its own way with how obtuse it is. There are a decent number of save points scattered throughout the map; however, backtracking to them is still necessary in some segments. There are also a couple of tedious parts, including a long-winded chase sequence with some jumps that you have to be pixel-perfect to make.
Nevertheless, Animal Well is truly spectacular and well-deserving of the 89 it currently has on OpenCritic, and then some. Any other Metroidvania developers currently playing through it must be equal parts excited and frustrated for what Billy Basso has brought to the genre. Kudos to you, sir.
10/10
2 Comments
@LonelyDoku thanks so much for the kind words! and yeah, if you're a puzzle game afficionado, you're definitely going to want to check this one out :)
LonelyDoku
14 days ago