| Platform | OVERALL |
|---|---|
| PC | 8.80 |
| Overall | 8.80 |
|
This is a brilliant creative puzzle platformer in the style of Fez and Tunic with a level of player experimentation that almost feels Zelda like. Animal Well has the structure of a Metroid game, you enter zones and find new items which allows you to acess more areas but thats just the surface level layer of the game. Observant players will notice objects that seem to stand out in the background, patterns repeating in different rooms, hidden secrets that give optional items which lead to access to more optional areas. It's that sense of constant discovery that made my time with Animal Well so addicting, I just had to see how deep the rabbit hole went. Mechanically the game is very sound with great responsive jumping and intuative items to use. I absolutely love how little the game explains, it just throws you into the world with no direction, no instructions, its just you and the environmental queues which give the player the hints they need to try out a certain action. The items in this game are extremely creative; from bubbles that can be used to create jumping platforms, to a frisbee that be thrown at distant objects to activate switches, to a rubble ball that just bounces around like a certain... to a slinky which... well you figure it out. Whats best about them is even though they seem to have a simple main function, nearly every single one can accomplish multiple actions, necessary ones for the deeper layer puzzles. This means the aha moment doesn't just come from solving a puzzle in your mind, it comes from figuring out something mechanically through gameplay experimentation, very Zelda like. The world design is nothing short of brilliant. It opens up just enough to keep you focused but allows for plenty of exploration and sequence breaking. I was almost always in a constant state of awe as new mechanics opened before my eyes, many times in places I had previously ran through thinking there is nothing there... there is always something there. The map is a decent size, plenty of varied zones with its own challenges and themes; but more than that, the amount of puzzles integrated into every area is staggering. A pen and note pad is an absolute must as the puzzles increase in complexity, some span the entire game world. There isn't much combat per say, there are some enemies that can kill you and you have items which can neutralize them. In one area a gigantic creepy ghost dog chases you around the map, you can distract it with some firecrackers. The enemies are more obstacles than skill based combat encounters, same with the big boss battles. I appreciate that they even have bosses and enemies, it prevents this from feeling like just a puzzle game. The enemies and environmental obstacles lead to platforming challenges rather than combat based challenges. Don't expect meat boy level platforming challenges but every once in a while there maybe an optional puzzle which requires high level platforming skills. For the first 10 hours or so, and the first two layers of the game, I felt Animal Well was hitting on all cylinders. When you start to reach the deeper secrets it becomes way too obtuse and annoying. Granted none of this is necessary, you can see a "true ending" by just completing two layers but I know there is more so I of course have to go for more. I spent hours just circling the map looking for anything that seemed like an answer, once in a while something would click but it stopped having that great flow when a cascade of new possibilities would open with every new item, now it became an annoying easter egg hunt. There was even meta level secrets which the online community literally has to work together as the answers arent all in the game itself. It's impressive the layers of secrets they provided and I bet those into computer code breaking and ARGs really enjoyed it, I just lost steam and quit. Animal Well deserves all the praise it is getting, fans of puzzles and platformers need to get this. It plays great, has a retro look which seems simple but has loads of details old games never had. I think its core layer could have been longer, more focus on the parts that are possible to complete without being code breaker would have made for an instant classic. Still its one hell of an experience and probably the best of its type of game, I think its better than Fez, Tunic, La Mulana, its a new standard. |
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Posted by Dvader Thu, 11 Jul 2024 05:54:40
I can't really fathom how works from screens
Thanks for the review Vader!