Hidden Depths, Full of Animals

Animal Well is a game of secrets. And precision platforming.

On the surface, Animal Well is a rare entry in the - for lack of better term - puzzle-vania subgenre, like a Metroid or a 'vania whose interconnected world map is populated with puzzles instead of enemies. (Well, there are some enemies, too. I'll get to that.)

It uses a sense of intrigue, of abstract mystery, as its "hook" -- like Toki Tori 2+ (or Hollow Knight), the game opens with minimal guidance and no explicit instruction. The dark, dank art style and creepy ambient audio fill you with foreboding loneliness, while the map entices you with out-of-reach ledges and arcane mechanisms. Animal Well doesn't just ask you to figure out how to solve its platforming puzzles, it asks you to figure out what the puzzles are.

Personally I think it leans a little too hard into the obscurity angle; especially early on, when I was still finding its basic equipment - and discovering what that equipment could do - I flailed around in several puzzle rooms without realizing I didn't have the required item. Consulting online guides certainly dulled some of the game's appealing mystery, but felt necessary for me to get un-stuck.

I also struggled with Animal Well's intense, sometimes Super Meat Boy-ish demand for precision -- and extremely unforgiving checkpoints. Missing a jump, or mis-timing a button press, or failing to outrun a fucking ghost dog monster would far too often force me to re-tread and re-solve an annoying number of screens.

To be clear, I did really enjoy my time in Animal Well; exploring its world and experiencing its vibe was satisfying overall. But I know there are many more mysteries hiding in here yet, and I also know that I don't have the patience to see them.

Better than: Pocket Kingdom
Not as good as: Iconoclasts
I really don't think it would've hurt: to have more generous save points and quicker retries. Just look at VVVVVV!

Progress: beat the "manticore" (?), collected 27 eggs.