Hipsters get a lot of flak. They want to be different, cool, and edgy. Sometimes, they want to be different so badly that they come across as desperate and, even worse, cringe. But sometimes, hipsters have a point. Sometimes, the uniformity in popular media can get a bit annoying. Sometimes it’s nice to consume media that challenges you and doesn’t spoon feed you. Sometimes, you just want something that is a little different.
Animal Well is what I would describe as a hipster Metroidvania. It’s a Metroidvania that has next to no handholding, very limited fast travel, and very unique and stylish graphics. Trying to do something like this is not easy, and if not done right, can very quickly fall apart and leave the player incredibly frustrated. Luckily, Animal Well manages to walk that line extremely well. Billy Basso has created a game that is very intuitive, clever, and unique. It stands as one of the better non-traditional Metroidvanias I have ever played. It even makes being a hipster seem kind of cool (hopefully, I’m not already a hipster who doesn’t realize that I am a hipster).
Puzzles and Playthings
The genius of Animal Well, is that while it has a lot of very clever puzzles, they are all based around basic childhood toys. The game doesn’t tell you how to use each of its tools, but as you play around with the toys like a kid would, you start to discover all of the uses that will allow you to solve puzzles and find new areas to explore. I don’t want to go into too much detail on this because discovering all of the different ways to use each piece of equipment are some of the best moments in the game, but I will talk about my mental progression with handling the dogs in the game.
Trying to walk by dogs generally leads to them chewing on you and eventually killing you. Once I obtained the frisbee/disc tool in the game, my thought process was to throw the disc at the dog. Sure enough, the dog would catch the disc and chew on it, but only for an instant. This was usually enough for me to get by them, but once multiple dogs got thrown into the equation, things shifted again. I wasn’t sure what to do. As I explored the area, I started to notice that there were multiple statues showing dogs looking up at the sky. This got me thinking, and soon enough, I figured out that if I threw the frisbee and got it bouncing around above the dogs, they would just jump for it and completely leave me alone.
You also end up using tools like a bubble blower, a slinky, a yoyo, and firecrackers. The game comes up with creative uses for all of them, but they also all make sense within the context of playing with a toy in this unique world. I would say that the puzzles in Animal Well are always clever but never overly difficult or obtuse. I only used a guide twice while playing the game. One time, it turns out I solved a puzzle in a weird way, and it meant that platforms a few screens away weren’t moving the way they were supposed to in order to solve that puzzle. Another time, I just needed to find a certain area that was not super clearly marked on the map, and I didn’t want to spend 20 minutes wandering around looking for it. I didn’t even feel tempted to “cheat” in any other circumstance because it was so fun and rewarding to figure things out myself.
Just Let Me Fast Travel, Bro
I did find that some of the design choices around navigation in particular led to some of the frustration that is absent from the puzzles, unfortunately. As previously stated, Animal Well goes the hipster Metroidvania route and has extremely limited fast travel. This is a bit annoying with the way the game is structured in particular. The game lets you go wherever you want from the start, and it marks the most important points to get to, to give you some sense of direction. It’s very possible to go a certain way and get stuck because you don’t have the right tools quite yet. When you inevitably reach this point, it sucks to have to backtrack all the way in another direction to keep your progress going.
Sometimes, I found myself wishing I could fast travel within certain sections during platforming segments as well. Despite being much more of a puzzler than anything else, Animal Well does also have platforming segments. While I thought the platforming in the game was responsive, it is very slow and basic. There are segments where you need pretty precise platforming, and while this was mostly not a problem, there are occasionally areas where you also need to be speedy, and these segments always got a bit annoying. The game doesn’t punish you for falling in water, which I feel like was a slight admission that they knew the platforming in the game isn’t excellent. But there are a few sections where if you fall or make a mistake, you go to a new area and have to backtrack a little bit back to go to where you were before.
The games platforming segments get put to the test the most during its boss fights and chase sequences. I generally found these areas to be a bit more cumbersome than fun. The last sequence of the game, in particular, has a lot of trial and error as you try and solve puzzles while being chased by a ghost. You will inevitably have to die multiple times just to figure out the proper order to do things in, though it was a very satisfying feeling to finally best this creature.
After you “beat” the game, you actually unlock a few more tools that let you explore even more so that you can 100% the game. I felt content with what I had experienced at this point, but I can imagine this being the kind of game that achievement hunters really get a kick out of as they explore every inch of this map that is packed with secrets. While I did have some issues, it’s important to reiterate that the core of this game is the puzzles, and all of those were incredibly well thought out and fun.
Visual Treat
The visuals and atmosphere in the game also end up being well thought out and very engaging. Animal Well has a pixelated art style, with lots of interesting and even creepy designs. The dim lighting, lack of direction, and various animal sounds lend to a feeling like you are truly lost in a jungle. All of these effects also make the occasional explosions and firecrackers you can use pop even more, and it was always a delight when they happened. It’s probably not surprising to know that the game “ends” with a fireworks display, which really shows off this impressive effect in full. Animal Well’s visual style is that perfect mix of unique and subtle that enhances the game, but also doesn’t get in the way of what you want it to do.
And I’d say that pretty much describes the game as a whole, too. Animal Well’s goal is to get out of your way and let you enjoy the sandbox it has created with the various tools and toys it gives you. While this could have potentially led to disaster, it has a subtle, invisible hand that generally doesn’t allow you to get too frustrated. The answers are all there, and with a bit of thinking and experimentation, I believe anyone can figure them out. Score one for the hipsters today, as even with a few annoyances, this is one hell of a Metroidvania.
Score: 8.5/10
Big Nerd Gaming 
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