To echo the disclaimer in my review of Even the Ocean, I'd already decided I like Analgesic's games before I played them, and now I've actually played two, my confirmation bias is getting, erm... more confirmed?

Anyway. If you don't already know, Anodyne is a dreamy, vague tale set inside a copy of Link's Awakening. You play as Young, who is sent out on a quest to rescue Briar from the Darkness. And that's about as specific as it gets, for the most part.

How this plays out is a mechanically familiar affair, exploring from one tile to the next, chatting to NPCs, collecting bits, battering enemies with your broom. Where this shines though is in the v i b e s it creates through the twisted and diverse world that Young inhabits, and the uncanny way the game unfolds.

Oh, and the soundtrack absolutely slaps. Big Radiohead feels in the hotel level.

I'll leave you with a quote from one of the NPCs, looking out over a cityscape at night:

"Behind every light is a person with hopes and fears and secrets... Looking out is both terrifyingly lonely and fiercely personal.
"I think I love every person behind every window.
"I love you, people, for being my stars.
"I love you no matter how fucked up your life is or how far you think you've fallen. You are lovely for tonight..."