Platform(s): PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5
Genre: Metroidvania, Search Action, retro

If this new Metroidvania is any indication of the future of video game publishing, bring in more legacy YouTubers taking big chances then!

From Bigmode Games (the small-time game publishing company of Jason “videogamedunkey” Gastrow) comes Animal Well, a solo game dev act from Billy Basso which basically makes you rediscover the joys of playing a mysterious video game that respects its audience and players. Animal Well puts you in the shoes(?) of a blob stuck in the titular Animal Well, where a huge ecosystem thrives in a dank giant multileveled well.

Down The Rabbit Hole

Your task seems to be to collect four different-coloured flames, but there is clearly more to it that meets the eye. In 2D platforming fashion, you explore your surroundings, consult your basic map, solve many logic puzzles, and gain an assortment of items to help open up new pathways. These include a bubble wand that makes temporary platforms, a frisbee to distract dogs (lots of them in the well), a yo-yo, and a flute. Oh, and firecrackers; can’t forget about those.

As you go through the game, you’ll find many, MANY different applications for the tools you’re given, all crafted carefully so you feel that thin line between frustration and satisfaction once you beat the obstacle and brain teaser in front of you. The puzzles here aren’t crazy like The Witness, but they’re tricky enough to make you think outside the box.

Beyond that, you also need to buck up your platforming skills as there are many pitfalls and jumping from one end to the other to get through. Checkpoints are forgiving and fair; you save your progress by using telephone booths. But above all, the game immerses you in its giant secular world filled with animals big and small. You’ll wonder why giant herons are chilling out below you, as well as figure out why there’s a ghost dog that chases you if you take its frisbee away. Animal Well makes a damn good first impression with its awesomely-crafted pixel art, moody aesthetics, and ambient sound work. And within hours while you’re playing and even after finishing the game (6 to 8 hours tops), you won’t forget a sight like Animal Well.

My complaints are twofold: the game’s later bits do make you backtrack more than you should after repeated deaths, and the map can get hard to read and pinpoint. But perhaps that’s the vibe Animal Well is purposely emanating: mystery and discovery. These two crucial points are missing in mainstream games at times, and I’m glad there’s a title like Billy Basso’s that just dumps me in an unknown world that begs me to explore the unknown, finding weird gadgets to help me, and collecting eggs for god-knows-what-purpose. This one’s clearly an indie winner for “Most Unique Title” and “Most Esoteric Vibes”. To say more would be spoiling the air of mystique that shrouds Animal Well, waiting for your search action-loving mind to uncover.

Final Score: 80/100