Summary

• Metroidvania done right with unique puzzles.
• Immersive world with versatile items for exploration.
• Dense, mysterious game full of secrets to discover.

The indie video game scene is one that lends itself almost naturally to the genre of the 2D Metroidvania. With a focus on playing repeated sections of the game world with new power ups to progress, it can be a good way for studios to show off interesting elements of game design with limited resources. Enter Animal Well, from developer Shared Memory and publisher Bigmode, for something a little bit different.

Animal Well sees the player taking on the role of an adorable little blob, who hatches out of a flower in a strange, scary and beautiful underground world. There, the player must explore the world around them, meeting all sorts of odd creatures along the way, friendly and antagonistic alike. In turn, this strange pixel-graphics adventure ends up being one of the most intriguing indie platformers in recent memory.

Metroidvania Done Right & Done Memorably

Understanding The Genre Near Perfectly

The Metroidvania market can sometimes feel a little oversaturated, with lots of indie titles turning to that gameplay structure as the core of their games. As such, it can take something quite special to stand out from the crowd. Luckily, Animal Well is exactly that, and one of the most impressive Metroidvania titles of recent years thanks to its bold world design and a key focus on its gameplay mechanics.

Animal Well stands out from the crowd predominantly because of its heavily puzzle-focused gameplay. Although there are dangers in its game world - and the player will end up dying at points - the emphasis is always on solving that particular problem. This works extremely well, as while combat can feel like a chore in lesser Metroidvanias, almost placed as a form of repetitive runtime padding, Animal Well completely avoids this, meaning there is little chaff to be found among the wheat.

Once you've found it, the stamp can be used with the game's map to mark notations in the game world. This is a useful tool if you spot something you want to come back to later when you have more equipment.

Animal Well respects the player's time, and that's something to be cherished. The best of the new era of Metroidvanias try to limit unnecessary backtracking, making backtracking feel worthwhile with new experiences with new skills, and this is something that the title also generally gets right. Although sometimes the player may feel as though they've walked through certain rooms many times before, overall Animal Well succeeds on making things feel fresh.

A Dense and Spiralling Adventure

A Strong Progression Structure With Amazing Mysteries

Animal Well finds plenty of success in using the Metroidvania game structure with something more puzzle-oriented, and a big part of this is the way that player growth is utilized. The player gains new abilities through discovering new items within the game world, such as a slinky, a yoyo, or a bubble blower. What's great about this is how the game's items will have multiple, ingenious uses the solve the game's various puzzles and supposed dead ends, relying on the player's creativity to progress.

The star of these options is likely the extremely versatile Frisbee disc, which opens up so many new pathways if the player sets their mind on doing it. This use of items for exploration is brilliantly executed, helping the player feel like an active participant in the game world, organically discovering new things. These items aren't all created equally - the yoyo controls feel a little slippery, for instance - but they all have their own very important part to play.

Even after spending hours with the game, it feels like there's so much more to uncover, as in every nook and cranny it feels like there's something new to be found.

This outlines just how beautifully-crafted Animal Well is as a game. There are so many neat and unique ideas packed into its game world, meaning that it's a joy to uncover a new way to approach an individual screen, not to mention the smart way the game implements boss creatures scattered around the map. It's a similar kind of joy to that found in the indie platforming classic VVVVVV, which took a simple gameplay mechanic and used it in brilliant, varied ways, except Animal Well takes it to another level by taking that approach to all its mechanics.

A Magnificent Game World That Is Worth Exploring

Weird In The Best Possible Way

Put all of this together, and you end up with a game that could absolutely thrive on being full of secrets, and that's what Animal Well provides, with mystery after mystery to find. Even after spending hours with the game, it feels like there's so much more to uncover, as in every nook and cranny it feels like there's something new to be found. Whether it's the game's collectibles or areas to explore that fall outside the core 'story', there's so much to find. As such, with the amount of items available to pick up, it wouldn't be surprising if it took players a very long time to uncover everything.

It certainly helps that Animal Well is such a gorgeous game to look at. There's a natural element that travels through the game, not just with the obvious critters of the caverns but through every bit of overgrown plant life or drip of water, all bathed in subtle colours. The title feels both peaceful and foreboding at the same time, a heady and otherworldly mix that remains successful throughout a player's time in the game.

Our Review Score & Final Thoughts

4.5/5 - "Must-Play" By Screen Rant's Scoring Metric

Animal Well is something quite remarkable. A Metroidvania title that still feels fresh in 2024 thanks to its puzzle-centric gameplay, incredible atmosphere and army of secrets to discover, this is a must-play for those who like a bit of mystery in their games. Players should just make sure to discover the secrets themselves.

Screen Rant was provided with a PC code for the purpose of this review.