Animal Well Review – Indie Game of the Year

It was a depressing thing about the news of the past weekwith Microsoft's abhorrent, but sadly predictable, treatment of its developers seeming even worse every new detail that leaks out. So it's a happy coincidence that there's a plethora of extremely interesting indie games being released this week (confirming that indie developers are just as bad at planning as big publishers).

We've already discussed the charmingly gruesome Crowland, but there's also Little Kitty, Big City; Gift; and the full release of V Rising. We don't want to prejudge their reviews by making early comparisons, as they are all quality games, but what's especially impressive about Animal Well is that it's all the work of just one person: American programmer Billy Basso.

Basso has been working on Animal Well for seven years, on and off, and while what he's created is technically a Metroidvania, with all the back-tracking and collecting capabilities you'd expect, it's also so much more, with some of the smartest puzzles and well-hidden secrets we have ever seen.

While this wasn't so much the case seven years ago, the 2D Metroidvania is now quite a well-known concept among indie games. We fear that this, combined with the disappointing screenshots – which barely show how great the game looks in motion – will put off a significant number of people. That would be a shame, because this is a very different experience than the average Metroid or Castlevania clone.

For starters, it's almost entirely non-linear, with no explanation for who you are or what's going on. It's not even clear whether your little multicolored blob of a character is animal, vegetable, or mineral, as you start the game from a flower and immediately try to avoid being eaten by the game's menagerie of birds, lizards, and mammals. Eventually you find out that the broader goal is to collect four flames, but why exactly is not made clear.

When you start the game all you can do is jump, but that's fine because the game doesn't really have any combat. Since you're apparently such a tasty little blob, everything is out to eat you and running away to hide, usually in a narrow part of the map they can't reach, is the default response to enemies nearby. That or using a fireworks plant to deter them.

Not only are there no weapons to collect, but all the new abilities you acquire, in traditional Metroidvania fashion, are distinctly… non-traditional. One of the most important is a bubble-blowing wand that you can use Bubble Bobble-style to jump on and act as makeshift platforms, while also allowing you to interact with the environment and enemies using the impressive physics engine of the game.

Animal Well is much more puzzle-based than other similar games and many of the items you collect have more in common with Zelda, such as the Frisbee which can be used to press remote switches but is also something you can press you can jump or use. to distract animals (dogs love it).

There are a ton of switches in Animal Well, and many of the items offer new ways to reach them, including a yo-yo that can hit it on a platform below you and a Slinky that can be dropped and sent on its way. on your behalf – ideally after you've visited the platforms to ensure it gets where you want it to go.

Visually the game may not look like much from screenshots, but if you watch the trailers you will see how good the animation is and how the game world is layered with various particle and lighting effects, somewhat similar to Pac-Man Championship Edition. It looks fantastic, with lots of weird neon effects that Jeff Minter would be proud of, making everything seem alive and mobile despite the essentially 8-bit resolution.

The game isn't particularly difficult and the map isn't particularly large, so most people will be able to complete it in at least six hours. That's barely half the challenge, though, because while the name is perfectly descriptive – you're stuck in a pit with lots of animals – this really should have been called Secrets: The Game.

Animal welfare screenshot — Animal Well – it looks great in motion (Bigmode)

Animal Well is an incredibly well-designed and visually stunning video game. The basic form may seem overly familiar, but one of the game's main appeals is how uniquely different it feels. The only real shortcomings are some occasionally frustrating checkpoints and difficulty spikes, caused by the fact that most of the platforming is very simple – until suddenly, for brief periods, it isn't anymore.

These are very minor issues, however, in what is easily one of the best games of the year and welcome proof that big companies will never destroy the fun and ingenuity of traditional video games, no matter how hard they try.

Animal Well Review Summary

In brief: Much more than just an indie Metroidvania, as the intricate level design, beautiful visuals and clever use of items combine to create one of the most entertaining puzzle adventures of the generation.

Pros: A fantastically well-designed game, in terms of puzzles, platform layouts and the countless hidden secrets. Interesting and varied tool items. Fantastic visuals and animation.

Cons: Some tricky difficulty ramps up, when the platforming suddenly becomes difficult for short sections, and restarting only on your last save point can be annoying.

Score: 9/10

Formats: Nintendo Switch (reviewed), PlayStation 5, and PC
Price: £20.99
Publisher: Bigmode
Developer: Shared Memory
Release date: May 9, 2024
Age rating: 7

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