Animal Well is an exquisite Metroidvania-themed puzzle video game known for making the players excessively obsessed over its exciting gameplay, because the video game is new it lacks reviews that strongly back the gameplay, but we happen to review it in this blog, tune in for the game that is receiving positive reception alongside favorable loads of reviews.
Narrative and Gameplay: Animal Well Review
The video game invites players to explore a dense, and interconnected labyrinth that encompasses countless intricate puzzles. Animal Well allows players to manipulate the surrounding environment once they have the requisite items. The environment can be surprising and amusing together.
In the game, players navigate a blob-like creature through a pixelated world. The video game features non-linear progression, allowing players to encounter surprises.
The majority of the game’s content is reliant on exploration, players embark on adventures to uncover hidden doors, secrets eggs, and mysterious orbs. Players can utilize various tools to overcome obstacles.
The upgrades are definitive but are enigmatic. Once you acquire an item, you will receive abilities that can allow you to interact with the world in unexpected ways.
The game’s immersive experience is subject to the real-time gravity impression and controller vibrations. The game allows players to feel the effects of screen-shaking by implementing real-time gravity effects and the mechanics correspond to the controller.
If players focus on the primary objectives, the gameplay is about 6 hours long. But if you strive to explore all of its aspects, it will likely consume 16 hours of yours. The video game is available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Windows with exclusive discounts that won’t last long.
Characters: Animal Well Review
While indie games emphasize characters very much, Animal Well has an ordinary and scarce character cast. The entirety of the video game’s gameplay revolves around The Blob, an undefined object that fearlessly takes on perplexing puzzle stages.
In each stage, you will encounter lively creatures, some will be helpful, while others will be a little ominous. The video games’ brilliance lies in its puzzles, secrets, and intellectual challenges.
Graphics and Animation
Animal Well is practically a perfect example for explaining why you need gameplay over visual fidelity or extremely meticulous graphics. Despite its 2D format, the video game boasts stunning visuals. The video game adds to its spectacle with flashy neon graphics, representing the environment.
The video game’s surreal art contributes to its brilliance. It has raw and evocative visuals, that cater to people of different standards.
Animal Well Pros and Cons
Animal Well has garnered quite some attention from gaming enthusiasts. However, it’s still nowhere close to being called a perfect piece of art. Here is the list of pros of the game and what you should sacrifice to indulge in it.
Pros:
- Delightful Puzzles: The video game features proper and astoundingly crafted puzzles and platform layouts that separate the game from the ordinary. The heart of the game lies in overcoming challenges, which vary from intricate to serene. Without inspecting puzzles the Animal Well review is lacking.
- Unique Art Style: The visuals of the video game are hand drawn, which ultimately creates a distinct and captivating experience. There are countless video games with pixelated graphics, but we bet you would have never played something like Animal Well. The details of waving water or sublime movement of Spirogyra and stoneworts are breathtaking.
- Extensive Class of Animals: Animals are what the game is all about. The programmer Billy Basso added animals from different regions of the world into the game. From capybaras to sea horses, from hungry chameleons to sticky hedgehogs, the variety in the video game just explains one thing, and that is this video game is open-ended.
- Sparse Tutorials: In some cases, sparse tutorials can be problematic. However, Animal Well shines due to the lack of tutorials, which are unnecessary and could have potentially spoiled the gameplay to some extent.
Cons:
- Lack of Direction: While the tutorial may not be necessary, the direction of the path is requisite to progress with the gameplay. Animal Well is a brain-teasing game, featuring intricate and several paths. This is why players are often finding themselves going in circles. And the lack of guidance is the reason.
- Steep Learning Curve: The initial puzzles are undoubtedly challenging, which results in a decline in users. This setup discourages newcomers.
Internet on Animal Well: Review
Animal Well is among the best video game releases of May 2024, receiving positive receptions from gamers, critics, journalists, and even countless entertainment websites. It hasn’t even been 2 weeks but the video game has received positive reception. Popular internet figures like IGN and Metacritic have praised the video game for its devilishly cryptic puzzles and hidden secrets that define the video game.
The critics have deeply analyzed the video game for its content and their work is conspicuous on metacritic, where the Metascore is solid 91/100. This is the most for any game that has been released this month, outranking titles like Stellar Blade and TopSpin 2K25.
The critics are astounded by how meticulously the video game is produced. Some are also pointing out how it encompasses secrets, while others are praising it as a masterclass in puzzle design and tight platforming.
The year 2024 has presented enchanting games that are revolutionary. However, there are still not many games this year that have achieved a score of 10/10 from Steam. But Animal Well has gone beyond imagination to achieve what many assume is the perfect score on Steam.
Conclusion: Animal Well Review
Animal Well is a video game that connects with people through its soothing soundtrack, mesmerizing gameplay, fantastic themes, and stunning graphics. It’s an indie game that has been the center of attention for two consecutive weeks. Which is nothing short of extraordinary. Hence, why the reviews are all positive, inviting players to hop onto their accounts and immerse in its open-ended adventure.
Have you installed the game yet? If you haven’t, install it right away and tell us in the comments or on Facebook and Instagram about whether you enjoyed the game or despised your gameplay session.
