It’s usually pretty easy to predict how a 2D metroidvania will turn out. At some point, you will probably unlock a double or even triple jump to reach previously inaccessible areas, get an air blow that will help you overcome large gaps and overcome certain dams, and acquire a weapon upgrade that can be used both as a finishing tool and as a means to progress past certain obstacles. Animal Well contains most of these things, but never in the expected way. Developed by solo developer Billy Basso and published by Bigmode, Animal Well is a surreal and delightfully surprising platformer. Even if it looks familiar on the surface due to its pixeafterd art style and genre replants, it is a game that often avoids common notions and is characterized by it.
You play as a nondescript blob emerging from a blooming flower in a strange and vibrant world full of creatures big and small. You can move and jump, but that’s pretty much the extent of your body abilities. When you wake up, you can explore in the direction of your choice. Animal Well does not hold your hand and is extremely non-linear, so you can unlock items and abilities in the order in which you find them. There is an end goal that will be revealed as soon as you discover a map and take a look at the terrain, because every corner of the map contains a flame that you need to collect to light the four beacons in the center. Why, you might ask? There is no explicit explanation for everything they do, but this sense of secret is part of what drives the adventure forward.
The other part is the world of the animal fountain itself. At first glance, the pixeafterd art style seems simple, but each screen contains a deceptive level of detail that goes beyond the neon-drenched exterior. Whether it’s the cascading background elements, reflections on the surface of the water, the swaying of bushes and vines as you pbody by them, or the realistic smoke that rises into the air after lighting a firecracker, the optics offers more than it might seem at first glance. There are also physics, lighting and particle systems in the game that modernize the game’s Commodore 64-inspired graphics, creating a world that feels very alive, not to mention the abundance of wildlife.
From great Technicolor swans to iguanas with an elongated tongue that can catch other animals, Animal Well’s creations have a seductive and dreamlike quality. The music is used sparingly, the sounds of nature-the chirping of birds and the splashing of falling water-dominate the soundscape. When music gets into the fray, it’s usually done to heighten the tension by introducing disturbing synth sounds that would feel out of place in an ’80s thriller.
Unlike many other Metroidvanias, Animal Well does not offer action; the focus is solely on solving puzzles and the platform. However, this does not mean that their lives are not pressurizeed. The tense music is there to complete a plethora of anxiety-inducing moments as you experience aggressive animals and other villains. Being haunted by the ghostly apparition of a demonic cat is exciting, just as it is incredibly exciting to have to curl up under the ground while the long neck of an ostrich is waving towards you-its beak is chewing on the dentition -. Consumable firecrackers can scare some creatures, while others simply force them to escape. Nevertheless, it is the advanced arsenal of tools at your disposal that makes a real difference.
Like any good Metroidvania, Animal Well offers various items that serve as keys to progress, while introducing new game mechanics. As I have already mentioned, the options here are pleasantly surprising, since they differ from the norm. For example, instead of unlocking a conventional double jump, you acquire a magic wand that creates bubbles and allows you to jump over a floating ball to reach higher platforms. It may not sound revolutionary, but considering how certain enemies and objects in the environment can interact with these bubbles, their effects are much more diverse than a simple double jump could ever be.
Frisbee, on the other hand, can be used as a temporary scoreboard; provided there are two surfaces in the middle of which it can jump. You can also throw it to operate remote levers or to distract some animals, such as dogs, so that you have the opportunity to pbody by unscathed. This focus on action avoidance makes enemy experiences seem like puzzles to solve, which blends seamlessly with the rest of the game’s engaging puzzle design.
I have never been confused by one of the Animal Well puzzles for a long time, but the solutions were almost always creative enough that I felt satisfied every time I solved one. Most of the puzzles revolve around opening the way forward by activating a series of switches. This can be done by dropping a slinky and moving blocks to guide him on the right path, or by getting animals to step on switches that they themselves cannot reach. Sometimes you can use a yo-yo to flip a switch underneath you, bounce the frisbee off two different levers to turn the platforms on and off-creating a platform section based on timing-or use a crank to turn the platforms and redirect the jet of a water fountain into a bowl. I’m purposely describing some of the previous puzzles because discovering the various Animal Well puzzles by yourself is an important part of the experience. But these examples are a decent insight into the great variety.