Animal Well just released on steam and it is already getting many loves from the gaming community. This new Metroidvania game is developed by indie developer called Billy Basso and it is published by Bigmode. This new Metroidvania game has amazing visuals with a lot of puzzles and interconnected labyrinth. You can collect items to manipulate the environment and encounter beautiful creatures. The game feels like a jungle from a fever dream.
“Encounter lively creatures small and large, helpful and ominous as you discover unconventional upgrades and unravel the well’s secrets. This is a truly unique experience that can make you laugh in fear, surprise, or delight.”
A Labyrinthine Descent
The game throws you off into a vibrant unsettling world. It feels like a you are stuck in a digital realm with many animals. You will take the control of this mysterious blob who needs to explore the interconnected labyrinth. The blob hatches from the bioluminescent hatches from a flower.
The world will confuse you and will unfurl before you. You need to go through many passes that are teeming with wild life. The bioluminescent flora makes the entire game looks visually stunning.
Unraveling the Enigma
Usually, Metroidvania heavily emphasizes on combat but Animal Well took a unique route. Animal Well focuses on environment manipulation instead of combat. As you progress further in the game you will see you need to find items that will make way for you. For example, a simple world will be used as a weight to push pressure plate or trigger a hidden mechanism. The game challenges your intuition and how you can easily solve the obstacle.
The interconnect world makes you backtrack a lot. You can revisit areas with new abilities to get more items or backtrack to area which was not accessible before. Use items like grappling hook to reveal a hidden camber. As the game is non-linear you can do whatever you want the order does not matter.
A World Alive with Secrets
The world of Animal Well holds a lot of secrets that you need to uncover. The animals you meet in your way are not just for visual effect. Some of these animals will give you cryptic clues that might react with your actions. Don’t overlook cryptic messages or murals on the world they usually hold deeper lore of the story.
The narrative of the environment is scattered throughout the world. You will not encounter cutscenes but the story is stitched within the game and you need to pay close attention to it. You need to put your detective hat and trying dig deeper into the lore if you really want to enjoy the game fully. You need to learn how innocuous details can be meaningful and how you can leverage those to be useful in your journey.
A Technical Masterpiece
The pixel art of Animal Well is very intriguing. The color scheme of blue and green makes it feel like some psychedelic theme. Moreover, the bioluminescent flora really enhances the beauty of game. The developer also implemented layered lighting technique which is quite rare for 2D game to have. Moreover, the low latency engine enables you to have precise controls which is important for areas with difficult platforming.
A Symphony of the Unsettling
The soundtrack of Animal Well deserves extra praises. The ambient music is unsettling yet it is ethereal and goes with the entire vibe. The sound effects are meticulously created to make your experience more immersive. You can hear the dripping water or skittering creatures. Sound effects are very important for the games and the developer really nailed that.
Conclusion
Animal Well is more than just an indie Metroidvania game it also focuses on environmental manipulation and cryptic storytelling. The world is built beautifully with haunting eeriness to it. If you are a fan of puzzle solving and environmental manipulation then you should definitely give Animal Well a try. Moreover, don’t forget you can catch a glimpse of your favorite animal in the game.
