Animal Well - one dev, Dunkey-released Metroidvania with animals in a well

[Maxie]

This dropped yesterday. Dunkey's first attempt at publishing an indie game, made by Billy Basso on his own.
The question is, is it good, or good for what it is™?

 

[PlayerEmers]

it looks unique and interesting enough to maybe be worth checking it out, even tho its published by that dunkey retard

 

[deama]

This thing any good? Some guy on the metroidvania general thread said something about the game's unique mechanism to use "verbs"? What?
If I wanted to use verbs, I'd open up one of those "books" things, wtf is this shit?

 

[Jenkem]

Keep saying it...

 

[Jenkem]

This thing any good? Some guy on the metroidvania general thread said something about the game's unique mechanism to use "verbs"? What?
If I wanted to use verbs, I'd open up one of those "books" things, wtf is this shit?

dunno about "Words" but from what I've read on /v/ the game is rather short to complete but there's a lot of post-game content that is ARG-like in how you figure shit out but it really doesn't amount to anything besides collecting the rest of the eggs. no real payoff whatsoever.. also there is no combat in the game it's mostly puzzle solving, which makes going back looking for secrets kind of boring. I'm waiting for the hype to die down and will play it when it gets a deep discount and/or bundled.

 

[PorkyThePaladin]

The real question is... a thread about a game with animals started by

... Hhmm, coincidence? Or something very, very sinister?

 

[Fedora Master]

Throw the dog down the well

 

[Shinji]

From the trailer, It's looks interesting from a technological perspective. The world seems to react naturally to some interactions, so lots of room for hidden stuff.

Unfortunately there's dunkey associated with it.

 

[Grauken]

It's a fun collectathon with no combat, a relaxing and chill atmosphere, and enjoyable pixel art. If you like puzzles of the kind FEZ offers, you might like this even more. Has three layers and the first is the base game that is about finding and sort-of beat 4 bosses and then go to the main boss. Around 5 to 7 hours depending on your playstyle. 2nd layer is the collectathon which is about finding 64 or so eggs, some of which you will find during your normal go-around finishing the 1st layer, some of which are incredibly well hidden, and at whose end you meet the boss you finished after the 1st layer, again. Third layer is ARG puzzles and stuff, which I didn't care for and left alone.

If you don't buy into the hype, you get a nice, fun metroidvania.

 

[HansDampf]

If you like puzzles of the kind FEZ offers, you might like this even more.

Does it have QR codes and alien alphabet?

 

[H. P. Lovecraft's Cat]

Thank you for sharing. It looks awful.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

Tad spendy but Solo dev did all that? Damnnnnn!

Wishlisted for some day maybe.

 

[3 others]

There's a good review of Animal Well in the vatroidmenia topic.

 

[Jenkem]

Keep saying it...

 

[Nifft Batuff]

A "metroidvania" with no double jump, no wall jump, no dash, no hookshot: i.e. one of the most original and innovative game of the last 20 years.
Also a pixel art game made using a specific self developed game engine, no unity, unreal or similar third party general engines: this is even more unique.

 

[3 others]

A "metroidvania" with no double jump, no wall jump, no dash, no hookshot: i.e. one of the most original and innovative game of the last 20 years.
Also a pixel art game made using a specific self developed game engine, no unity, unreal or similar third party general engines: this is even more unique.

Yeah, it has plenty of things going for it, but in the end I found Animal Well to be "just" a bit better Environmental Station Alpha. The items/abilities are certainly unique, and I respect the performance (and the compact 30MB size) of a focused self-made engine.

It's a good game, and there's nothing wrong with that, I just don't see what the big hype is all about. Just another quality non-linear platform game, which are many in this blessed genre.