It seems odd to call Animal Well a Metroidvania, even if the cap fits, because it feels more like a type of game that predates Metroid itself. For those of us of a certain vintage, its faux 8-bit décor conjures images of ancient arcade adventures that dumped you into open-plan worlds with little to no information about what you were supposed to achieve. Harsh, yes. But every screen was a discovery, every puzzle a mystery, every insight a revelation. And that's the case here too.
Fast Facts
Release date: May 9, 2024
Platform(s): PC, PS5, Switch
Developer: Billy Basso
Publisher: Bigmode
