A beautifully crafted metroidvania. You'll be in for a puzzle/platforming experience that is satisfying for the eyes, the ears, and the brain. Animal Well is one of those games that you're better off not knowing anything else if you're curious about it and don't want to end up missing out on some of the amazing discoveries and aha moments it has to provide.

Visuals are gorgeous, especially given the game's pixel art style, with vibrant and colorful sprites that react to the environment (and even to you shaking the game window!), breaks of light drawing the player's attention to the amazing backgrounds present throughout the vast map, and dynamic shadow, smoke and water effects that will delight you. Not everything that's important pops out, however, and for a good reason (more on that later).

Similar praise can be given in the audio department. Background music is reserved for specific occasions, but sound is very much a big part of Animal Well. The world sounds alive, with dozens of animals, some of which cute, some of which less so, and others quite creepy. Sound enhances your experience throughout your journey, be it through SFX that complement your puzzle-platforming or music that sets the tone when you're being chased by a ghost dog? cat? who just wants their disc back.

Gameplay-wise, you're given very simple goals from the start, and it's up to you to decide how and when you'll be going for them. The developer has paid a great deal of attention to just about everything in this game, but specifically to the flow of the player's progression as well. You'll inevitably need to revisit some areas as you go around collecting items, which will allow you to further progress past some block that you previously encountered in a particular room and decided to leave it for later. Important routes are thoughtfully gated so that the player must have experienced enough of the game to be able to pass. Key items are accompanied by simple yet effective tutorials that teach the player mechanics very clearly with no need for text.

In terms of puzzles, there are several layers of depth which are not all immediately apparent, but most of which will reveal themselves gradually through careful teasing of the player. Empty slots, suspicious shadows, strange gaps on the map will become more and more obvious with time. Curiosity and careful exploration are rewarded with secrets after secrets, ranging from extra consumables to very large sections of the map with extra puzzles, collectables, and/or items.

As for some of my personal notes and slight criticisms, I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed the path to 100% achievements, although with some assistance from online guides which helped me get through the some looser clues or other items and collectables that I missed myself which would've been too tedious or time consuming to figure out compared to the enjoyment I would get from a pure solo experience. Some of the late-game items felt a tad redundant, too specific and not as well explained as the earlier ones. Also, due to some puzzles requiring a bit more creative thinking and quick platforming, sometimes I felt like it wasn't super obvious that a puzzle I was attempting was not yet solvable and I just needed a different item for it. A couple items required for 100% completion were in my opinion behind puzzles that were just a tad too cryptic. Finally, the quick switch system of inventory items, although super convenient, became a bit too crowded by the late game which made it annoying to manage sometimes.

That being said, don't let any of these negative points dissuade you from trying out this amazing game. Dozens of hours of enjoyment will make you wonder how all of this content is able to fit in just 33 MB in 2024, which is just the first feat of art you'll experience when you install Animal Well.

PERSONAL SCORE: 9/10

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