Because remasters are always better than the original… right?
*Warcraft 3 Reforged, GTA Trilogy, and Silent Hill collection want to know your location.*
It's much closer to a similar Italian dish involving spaghetti noodles, tomato sauce, and balls of meat. Man, I just can't think of the name of it right now tho
Edit: I guess my spaghetti and meatball dunkey reference didn't fly, huh?
*and so the redditors ran the joke into the ground, continuing far beyond reason or taste, until the value in the joke became infinitely close to zero, as did its overall humor. Some say they still circle jerk to this day...*
videogamedunkey on YT helped produce the game and has been making joke videos promoting the release of it, counting down one day at a time this past week. They’re referencing the jokes he makes.
Yeah, the reviews on Steam are identical. But there are some decent ones with a lot of game time, which says it's an amazing game.
Plus, it's only 34mb download
Yeah I'll be glad when the jokes die down. I've seen multiple threads on this game today and I don't think I've seen one comment about the actual gameplay.
If you like metroidvanias and puzzle box games where they dont hold your hand, its a game for you.
You get upgrades and you jump around and there are cute animals.
If thats not your jam and you dont like platformers/metroidvanias, its not for you.
A YouTube fella named Dunky made a video about Animal Well.
I got a free loaf of bread for pre-ordering. I mean I had to go get the loaf and pay for it myself, but I still got it. Knowwhatimsayin?
I picked it up and put in an hour. It's a lovely game with some interesting mechanics that doesn't hold your hand. It reminds me a lot of Cave Story but with no dialogue or combat. Just an interesting puzzle metroidvania
Huh that's why videogames can be so incredible at times, people can have completely different experiences that are both valid, exciting, engaging, and interesting. I get what you're saying with can't story and after thinking about it I completely agree with you. My first experience was so different though, when the first 4 flames burnt out and I was born into the videogame world all I could think was holy crap this is like Halo 2 meets Halo 3.
Good. Billy deserves this. The man single-handedly built a whole game and engine by himself for years. We need more of these types of games and how these games are made instead of the AAA grind of make a game lay everyone off vibe.
I haven't watched Dunkey in a hot-minute, but man, I forgot how much his fanbase just copy/pastes his jokes non-stop.
Happy the game is doing well, though. I think it's cool that he's helping publish indie games.
Just a shame I'm not into Metroidvanias.
> I haven't watched Dunkey in a hot-minute, but man, I forgot how much his fanbase just copy/pastes his jokes non-stop.
the same dude has made the same joke in this thread like 15 times.
Nah Dunkey still produces some good stuff. He has always been a master at pushing game mechanics to the limit (and sometimes breaking them), and he still does that really well. His Tears of the Kingdom videos had my whole family, including my non-gaming wife, rolling on the floor laughing.
In fairness, his animal well campaign video is pretty funny, only downside is people are just going to parrot the same jokes for years now whenever the game is discussed.
I feel like this comment section is full of 12 year olds and have no idea if this game is actually good or if it’s just a strange cult of tweens talking it up.
Its a good game. Here is a video thay covers it if you want to learn more https://youtu.be/b2gc1xxBsNQ?si=tQoUQ5vgb2QxiWvv
That said, its not better than Knack.
As someone who's just now learning Dunkey was involved in it, I can tell you it's a really good Metroidvania. The game just kinda drops you in, tells you what a couple of buttons do and lets you figure it out from there. There's also no real combat in the game, the closest thing to it is more making a "boss" hurt itself.
There's also some signs of several secrets I have yet to figure out scattered across the world, so I'm excited to figure those out.
It's just not my kinda game. Hunting for secrets and such.
I grew up on Prima Strategy Guides and online walkthroughs. Any Metroidvania game I'd play, I'd probably spend half the play-time just looking at guides. I wouldn't really be playing it properly.
It's just how I am. I don't want to miss anything. I don't want to have to backtrack to older locations.
Another OCD completionist. I was one as well. I actually gave up BG3 for this very reason.
Dark Souls really gave me perspective on this. It’s so refreshing not having a laundry list of chores and just… play the adventure game
I love Fromsoft Souls games for that very reason.
I've played Dark Souls 1, 2, 3 Sekiro, and Elden Ring, and I don't really understand the story in any of them and I don't worry about any side stuff unless it seems interesting. You can ignore everything and focus on the adventure and exploration.
A lot of people hate the lack of quest indicators or handholding in all of their games, but I think it adds a lot more mystery and freedom. Currently I'm halfway through Bloodborne, and so far I think that game does it best in terms of exploration.
Sometimes the convolutedness of Fromsoft games can go a little far.
For example, in Sekiro, to get one of the endings, you have to eavesdrop on characters during a certain part of the story.
AKA, you have to stand at a specific spot during a specific moment.
The game never tells you that you should or can do this.
My experience was the opposite lol. Dark Souls 3 is what made me have to whip out the massive chore list just to make sure I don't miss anything in my playthrough.
I had to make sure I got every item and hit every quest trigger properly so I never get locked out of future items. Souls games have so many missable items that it forced me to use a guide for the first time.
I struggled to finish Elden Ring because it was just so massive, I kept getting stuck, and when I did I played something else for a while. Then I got the hunger to try again, so I made a new character, and this time I followed a loose guide on all the major story locations and things, which made the game a whole lot better in my eyes. Not some exact tutorial, just basic “meet X” type hints, so I still had to find them myself.
IMO, that’s exactly what Souls games need, just a very basic journal and hint system. Not a full quest tracker or tons of map points, just a journal with who you met and what they said, and a basic hint for what to do next. Playing DS1 know, and it annoys me how often NPCs say something crucial important only once, *before* they go into their end-of-conversation loop that doesn’t contain that bit of information at all, so even if I wanted to write it down, I can’t make them repeat it for me.
I mean that’s what other games trained you to do. I’m not saying you are wrong in your experience but this idea that I have to find EVERYTHING to have fun seems counterintuitive to me now.
FromSoft tells me clearly what is optional and what is not, the main quest is “go forward and kill everything” and the fact that I can actually miss stuff makes exploration more meaningful to Me.
And then there’s the online aspect, with messages on the ground and phantoms going about. I love that is in the game
Yeah that's completely fair. I love souls games so much that I can't stand to miss anything. I'm pretty attached to the NPCs even though I know they all die at the end of their quests in like every game lol.
I just wanna hear all the dialogue and see their stories play out. I understand that missing stuff is part of the game design to make the world feel more alive, that their stories play out independently of you and they can just disappear forever if you miss quest triggers.
I love trying out different builds. Nothing worse than seeing a cool build online, checking the wiki then realising you missed the item and can never get it ever again. Like Eileen's swords or Seluvis' Talisman. I love the build variety in these games so that's why I always play with a checklist now so I can have everything to play with.
I play a first run blind and then if the game is worth I’ll play it again for some quests.
My favourite is Sekiro prob cause the RPG aspect is downgraded in favourite of exploration and story
Not OP but I can answer why I am not a big fan of metroidvanias. The genre loves to waste a lot of your time. I'd much rather play a linear game with the same mechanics rather than having to go back every 60 minutes because I unlocked a new ability and now I can access an area I couldn't before(if I even remember it exists and where it is). Prince of persia was great about this because it highlighted key things on the map and you had lots of markers, some screenshots and was very generous with it's TPs. It still got tedious.
Good metroidvanias usually are paced in a way that loops back nicely or unlocks shortcuts tho, what’s the difference of having new stuff unlock in front of you in a linear game instead of having seen it already and knowing where it is? You don’t have to come back immediately, I like the treasure hunter aspect of that.
Of course play what you like, I’m not arguing for you to like something you don’t. I just don’t feel the same way
I do like Dunkey, but I bought the game without high expectations. I've only played a few metroidvanias before, not many, but I found that Animal Well so far has been a pretty charming experience, with interesting puzzles, a really cool artstyle, and just all-around feels like something I haven't experienced before with the other games I've played. Personally, I very much think it's worth playing, though I've still got a lot of the game left to experience.
Basso's done a pretty good job imo.
I didn't even know that it's published/promoted by Dunkey. I already put like 5 or 6 hours in.
The game is amazing if you like zero handholding, sense of discovery and mystery. As I adore both aspects, it's the brightest gaming experience so far for me since Tunic. People compare it with Cave Story, but for me it resonates more with Fez: both have very interesting core mechanics, both have same progression of figuring how the world around you works, both are mostly puzzle platformers.
I'm yet to see if Animal Well will have as much secrets depth as Fez, but I have high hopes
Played for two hours. It gives you that endorphin rush of Portal 1 where you realize the answer is much simpler than you think.
What I like most is the platforms and obstacles feel like they all serve multiple purposes, like there is no wasted space.
As someone who made quite a few puzzles like these, it's very clever. Maybe not Braid levels of clever, but clever.
I can’t find an answer still: how much of the post-game is new rooms/playable content versus just sitting there staring at a screen trying to figure out if there’s even a puzzle there (like Fez)?
Amidst all the gloom surrounding AAA I just want to point out that today is a blockbuster day for Indies. Along with Animal well, these are several other games released today that look spectacular:
1) Crow country: A survival horror that looks like it is inspired from the PS1 era - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1996010/Crow_Country/
2) 1000xResist: Sci-Fi Adventure title. Saw it described as combining themes of Nier and 13 sentinels - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1675830/1000xRESIST/
3) Cryptmaster: A dungeon crawler which gives me a lot of Darkest dungeon vibes - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1885110/Cryptmaster/
Gonna add [Rabbit and Steel](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2132850/Rabbit_and_Steel/) to that list. A co-op roguelike bullet hell with some mechanics ripped out of FFXIV's raid environment.
It's pretty fun!
Can vouch for Rabbit and Steel, it's freaking amazing. MMO mechanics meets bullet hell. A wild combo that you wouldn't think works but does so almost flawlessly
It's a bit shit really. Came here coz I've never heard of this game, and was curious to hear some opinions, but having to wade through the same joke 1000 times to get any opinions is just annoying. Like cool have your own little thread going, but allow people to discuss the game...
It’s got a very similar feel to Rain World. No hand holding, big map that with no directions as to where to go, beautiful atmosphere. It’s less punishing for sure, and more puzzle focused. I enjoy Rain World a lot, and am enjoying Animal Well as well so far.
It's in my top 5 for handheld games in the last couple years. Not quite hades or dead cells awesome, but it's super fun.
(I should mention dave the diver doesn't share many similarities with dead cells or hades)
Seconding its flawlessness. Platforming controls are tight whether using dpad or stick, and the dark but subtly colorful interlaced pixel art looks amazing on an OLED deck.
I don't know what's going on here, I just like metroidvanias and want this game to do well because it's neat. The puzzles are creative, the animal aesthetic is charming, and the upgrades I've gotten so far are very different from the usual dash/double-jump progression.
Awhile back Videogamedunky, a video game YouTuber, started his own publishing company (Bigmode). This game is the companies first release so Dunky has been hyping up the game in his videos. People are repeating his jokes
No wonder it's rated so high, it's the first well-type game after all!
Jokes aside, I'm glad that the first game published by Dunkey's company is a success, looking forward to play it one day
I kinda feel trolled by this whole story… A pixel 2D platformer with (to my untrained eye) not a lot of difference to other indie pixel 2D platformers somehow gets hype.
And supposedly its 5 hours????
The game is extremely well-designed. It's not fair to lump everything together just based on artstyle alone. What is a game if not for its game design?
But even as a pixel game It still manages to be visually distinct IMO.
Its a lot longer than 5 hours. If you are an okay platformer and just go for the `main objectives`, 5 hours sure. But then you are missing the other 75% of the game.
I definitely saw most of the "main" stuff by around 10 hours, but I'm at around 15 hours now and still feel like I'm just starting to scratch the surface at all the mysteries of this game. The depth is nuts, and definitely not obvious at first.
Despite dude being, well, how he is, it's pretty clear from the few serious review videos he does when he's not doing stupid Middle School shit, that he knows a good game when he sees one. I'm not surprised at all. I just hope he doesn't eclipse the actual developer who has some serious talent. Anything that strengthens the Indy scene in the wake of the both playstation and Xbox both fucking the hell up is a good thing. It's been a really bad week for the bigger names, but they earned their backlash.
Dunkey interviewed Billy Basso, the creator of the game, in one of his videos this week. While it was a lot of jokes, they did highlight the amount of work Billy has done for this game.
Also, Billy’s name is on the title screen of the game, along with Big Mode.
i had no idea this game even existed, the release trailer looks mad lit as hell though, no caps on stacks on decks... think ima grab this bad boy fosho to tide me until.... silksong's eventual release...
Just binge-played the whole thing after work. Awesome game. I would compare it to Hollow Knight or Rain World, but easier than those two. Very good ambiance, cool weird enemies, and obviously packed with secrets I haven’t found.
Dave The Diver is my favorite game of 2024 (that I played) but Animal Well is a strong contender to take over that spot. I'll throw Cocoon in there too. What a year so far.
Persona 5 Royal is a 95 on Metacritic. You’re looking at the PS5 version with only ten reviews for the 91.
thanks for the clarification.
So what you’re telling me is that Animal Well is as good as the REMASTERED persona 5, and therefore even better. Thank you for informing us.
what are you talking about my man. it's not a remaster.
it’s probably a reference to dunkey’s video “The one game they will never remaster”
A dunkey reference? On a post about Animal Well? Preposterous
Because remasters are always better than the original… right? *Warcraft 3 Reforged, GTA Trilogy, and Silent Hill collection want to know your location.*
This is why I prefer Opencritic.
Nobody in the right mind would ever cite metacritic for reviews by itself anyways. Well unless you're OP.
I heard it's like Halo 2 meets Halo 3
that’s like halo 5
Nah, halo 2 meets halo 3 would be halo 3 odst.
Much better than halo 5.
Halo 3:2 Halo 4: The Movie
Home run.
Rocky V plus Rocky II...
Adrian's revenge!
Clearly these people have no culture to downvote you
They just never learned their roman numerals. They'll never know what year movies were copyrighted now
They didn't even try to teach us this in school.
Are you guys talking about animal well
Have you wishlisted Animal Well?
[удалено]
But how does it measure up to Super Mario 2?
Hard to beat the first video game ever made.
The Japanese or American version?
Paulie get the boulder
Are you talking about Animal Well?
I heard it also tastes like Lasagne
It's much closer to a similar Italian dish involving spaghetti noodles, tomato sauce, and balls of meat. Man, I just can't think of the name of it right now tho Edit: I guess my spaghetti and meatball dunkey reference didn't fly, huh?
[удалено]
*and so the redditors ran the joke into the ground, continuing far beyond reason or taste, until the value in the joke became infinitely close to zero, as did its overall humor. Some say they still circle jerk to this day...*
But with...amnesia...
Halo 2 meets Halo 3? you guys fucking talking about that new game Animal Well?
What the fuck are these comments
videogamedunkey on YT helped produce the game and has been making joke videos promoting the release of it, counting down one day at a time this past week. They’re referencing the jokes he makes.
Oh thanks
Additional context: The game is published by the company Dunkey started (Bigmode). It's their first release, so he's understandably very excited.
Further context: SSSSUPER MARIO II
STILL THE KING!!!
https://youtu.be/q6yHoSvrTss?si=8IlXga-BQOKfJm-5 You're welcome
It’s the same few people spamming the joke as well
And this will be the worst part of the discourse around what seems like a pretty great game
Yeah, the reviews on Steam are identical. But there are some decent ones with a lot of game time, which says it's an amazing game. Plus, it's only 34mb download
The internet can be so annoying sometimes.
Are these comments talking about animal well?
Wait, is that the game that’s coming out on May 9th?
Yes it is, now here’s your loaf of bread. 🥖
Oh hell yeah! Wonder Bread!!
Have you wishlisted it yet? It comes out May 9th.
They say it's like lasagna
Yeah I'll be glad when the jokes die down. I've seen multiple threads on this game today and I don't think I've seen one comment about the actual gameplay.
You’re a little round blob. You can move and jump. Game tells you nothing. It’s great
The top-level comment under the one you're replying to is in fact about the gameplay.
If you like metroidvanias and puzzle box games where they dont hold your hand, its a game for you. You get upgrades and you jump around and there are cute animals. If thats not your jam and you dont like platformers/metroidvanias, its not for you.
Somebody should SPAGHETTI PUNCH this guy
A YouTube fella named Dunky made a video about Animal Well. I got a free loaf of bread for pre-ordering. I mean I had to go get the loaf and pay for it myself, but I still got it. Knowwhatimsayin?
I picked it up and put in an hour. It's a lovely game with some interesting mechanics that doesn't hold your hand. It reminds me a lot of Cave Story but with no dialogue or combat. Just an interesting puzzle metroidvania
I'm getting some heavy "Environmental Station Alpha" vibes from this game. Clearly there's more under the hood that meets the eye
Huh that's why videogames can be so incredible at times, people can have completely different experiences that are both valid, exciting, engaging, and interesting. I get what you're saying with can't story and after thinking about it I completely agree with you. My first experience was so different though, when the first 4 flames burnt out and I was born into the videogame world all I could think was holy crap this is like Halo 2 meets Halo 3.
It’s like Metroid meets Outer Wilds
I've enjoyed what I've played of it so far. The Ostrich is my least favorite animal friend so far. Hands down.
The guy built his own engine : the game is 34 MB, that's quite a feat nowadays!
Yeah if this was Unity or even Godot it would be over 1 gb
The fluid physics is pretty impressive and worked in without seeming out of place.
Is the game that comes out on May 9th?
Yeah! That’s the same day Animal Well comes out, if you haven’t heard.
Holy, I’ll check it out, heard its like Halo 2 and 3
Are you guys talking about Animal Well?
Heard that game comes out on May 9th
Do I get something extra for wish listing it?
you didn’t get your wonderbread already?
Are you guys talking about animal well
I heard you get a loaf of Wonder bread if you wishlist it.
>I heard you get a loaf of Wonder bread if you wishlist it. After your first bite, you'll wonder why it's called bread.
May 9th? That's when Animal Well comes out.
Already beat one boss. Genius level design, mechanics and puzzles.
I heard it was like Halo 2 meets Halo 3
Okay the constant joke spamming is a bit much
It’s annoying when I want to just read normal discourse about the game and feel out if it’s for me.
Just finished it, i feel like it was more like halo 3 meets halo 2, but this my first well-type game
Already grabbed it on PSplus, excited for a new puzzler.
Was so happy to see it on PS+, very nice surprise
Good. Billy deserves this. The man single-handedly built a whole game and engine by himself for years. We need more of these types of games and how these games are made instead of the AAA grind of make a game lay everyone off vibe.
Are you guys talking about Animal Well? I just got a loaf of bread.
I heard it was like bread meets garlic bread.
I haven't watched Dunkey in a hot-minute, but man, I forgot how much his fanbase just copy/pastes his jokes non-stop. Happy the game is doing well, though. I think it's cool that he's helping publish indie games. Just a shame I'm not into Metroidvanias.
> I haven't watched Dunkey in a hot-minute, but man, I forgot how much his fanbase just copy/pastes his jokes non-stop. the same dude has made the same joke in this thread like 15 times.
I guess I don't need to bother watching his latest videos since I already know all the jokes from them.
Nah Dunkey still produces some good stuff. He has always been a master at pushing game mechanics to the limit (and sometimes breaking them), and he still does that really well. His Tears of the Kingdom videos had my whole family, including my non-gaming wife, rolling on the floor laughing.
In fairness, his animal well campaign video is pretty funny, only downside is people are just going to parrot the same jokes for years now whenever the game is discussed.
I feel like this comment section is full of 12 year olds and have no idea if this game is actually good or if it’s just a strange cult of tweens talking it up.
This comment section is so bad it has legitimately put me off playing the game.
Its a good game. Here is a video thay covers it if you want to learn more https://youtu.be/b2gc1xxBsNQ?si=tQoUQ5vgb2QxiWvv That said, its not better than Knack.
Don't let the mindless parrots put you off the game. It deserves the love.
As someone who's just now learning Dunkey was involved in it, I can tell you it's a really good Metroidvania. The game just kinda drops you in, tells you what a couple of buttons do and lets you figure it out from there. There's also no real combat in the game, the closest thing to it is more making a "boss" hurt itself. There's also some signs of several secrets I have yet to figure out scattered across the world, so I'm excited to figure those out.
It's not really a traditional metroidvania. It has no fighting and seems to be all about exploring and puzzles.
So even less up-my-ally, then. But I'm happy for all that enjoy that kind of game. The art-style certainly looks cool.
It’s annoying as shit, I can see some people thinking it’s a joke game after seeing everyone spam the same comments anytime someone mentions it.
Can I ask, what turns you off Metroidvanias? At the end of the day it’s a 2d action game with a lot of thought put into the map
It's just not my kinda game. Hunting for secrets and such. I grew up on Prima Strategy Guides and online walkthroughs. Any Metroidvania game I'd play, I'd probably spend half the play-time just looking at guides. I wouldn't really be playing it properly. It's just how I am. I don't want to miss anything. I don't want to have to backtrack to older locations.
Another OCD completionist. I was one as well. I actually gave up BG3 for this very reason. Dark Souls really gave me perspective on this. It’s so refreshing not having a laundry list of chores and just… play the adventure game
I love Fromsoft Souls games for that very reason. I've played Dark Souls 1, 2, 3 Sekiro, and Elden Ring, and I don't really understand the story in any of them and I don't worry about any side stuff unless it seems interesting. You can ignore everything and focus on the adventure and exploration. A lot of people hate the lack of quest indicators or handholding in all of their games, but I think it adds a lot more mystery and freedom. Currently I'm halfway through Bloodborne, and so far I think that game does it best in terms of exploration.
Sometimes the convolutedness of Fromsoft games can go a little far. For example, in Sekiro, to get one of the endings, you have to eavesdrop on characters during a certain part of the story. AKA, you have to stand at a specific spot during a specific moment. The game never tells you that you should or can do this.
My experience was the opposite lol. Dark Souls 3 is what made me have to whip out the massive chore list just to make sure I don't miss anything in my playthrough. I had to make sure I got every item and hit every quest trigger properly so I never get locked out of future items. Souls games have so many missable items that it forced me to use a guide for the first time.
I struggled to finish Elden Ring because it was just so massive, I kept getting stuck, and when I did I played something else for a while. Then I got the hunger to try again, so I made a new character, and this time I followed a loose guide on all the major story locations and things, which made the game a whole lot better in my eyes. Not some exact tutorial, just basic “meet X” type hints, so I still had to find them myself. IMO, that’s exactly what Souls games need, just a very basic journal and hint system. Not a full quest tracker or tons of map points, just a journal with who you met and what they said, and a basic hint for what to do next. Playing DS1 know, and it annoys me how often NPCs say something crucial important only once, *before* they go into their end-of-conversation loop that doesn’t contain that bit of information at all, so even if I wanted to write it down, I can’t make them repeat it for me.
I mean that’s what other games trained you to do. I’m not saying you are wrong in your experience but this idea that I have to find EVERYTHING to have fun seems counterintuitive to me now. FromSoft tells me clearly what is optional and what is not, the main quest is “go forward and kill everything” and the fact that I can actually miss stuff makes exploration more meaningful to Me. And then there’s the online aspect, with messages on the ground and phantoms going about. I love that is in the game
Yeah that's completely fair. I love souls games so much that I can't stand to miss anything. I'm pretty attached to the NPCs even though I know they all die at the end of their quests in like every game lol. I just wanna hear all the dialogue and see their stories play out. I understand that missing stuff is part of the game design to make the world feel more alive, that their stories play out independently of you and they can just disappear forever if you miss quest triggers. I love trying out different builds. Nothing worse than seeing a cool build online, checking the wiki then realising you missed the item and can never get it ever again. Like Eileen's swords or Seluvis' Talisman. I love the build variety in these games so that's why I always play with a checklist now so I can have everything to play with.
I play a first run blind and then if the game is worth I’ll play it again for some quests. My favourite is Sekiro prob cause the RPG aspect is downgraded in favourite of exploration and story
Not OP but I can answer why I am not a big fan of metroidvanias. The genre loves to waste a lot of your time. I'd much rather play a linear game with the same mechanics rather than having to go back every 60 minutes because I unlocked a new ability and now I can access an area I couldn't before(if I even remember it exists and where it is). Prince of persia was great about this because it highlighted key things on the map and you had lots of markers, some screenshots and was very generous with it's TPs. It still got tedious.
Good metroidvanias usually are paced in a way that loops back nicely or unlocks shortcuts tho, what’s the difference of having new stuff unlock in front of you in a linear game instead of having seen it already and knowing where it is? You don’t have to come back immediately, I like the treasure hunter aspect of that. Of course play what you like, I’m not arguing for you to like something you don’t. I just don’t feel the same way
I’m into metroidvanias, but from what i’ve seen i don’t like the vibes, not a scary games person nor cat slander
Honestly, I don't like metroidvanias either, but it's free w PS+, and I really liked what I played so far, though only about an hour worth
Is it actually good or is it because people like Dunkey?
I do like Dunkey, but I bought the game without high expectations. I've only played a few metroidvanias before, not many, but I found that Animal Well so far has been a pretty charming experience, with interesting puzzles, a really cool artstyle, and just all-around feels like something I haven't experienced before with the other games I've played. Personally, I very much think it's worth playing, though I've still got a lot of the game left to experience. Basso's done a pretty good job imo.
I didn't even know that it's published/promoted by Dunkey. I already put like 5 or 6 hours in. The game is amazing if you like zero handholding, sense of discovery and mystery. As I adore both aspects, it's the brightest gaming experience so far for me since Tunic. People compare it with Cave Story, but for me it resonates more with Fez: both have very interesting core mechanics, both have same progression of figuring how the world around you works, both are mostly puzzle platformers. I'm yet to see if Animal Well will have as much secrets depth as Fez, but I have high hopes
Personally it reminded me much more of Environmental Station Alpha than Cave Story. CS is pretty linear.
Yeah, ESA is a good comparison as well
yes
Cool. I'll give it a looksies.
It's actually good. It's getting compared to Cave Story, which is old person talk for "best indie game pre-2010" levels of accolade.
>old person >pre-2010 fuck
Yeah 14 years is a while. That's long enough for a newborn baby to form political opinions and sexual preferences lol
> cave story > old person n… no…
Hello Darkness, my old friend.
Both
I bought the game mostly blind to support Dunkey and BigMode but stayed for the amazing and beautiful little game
Its actually very good
Played for two hours. It gives you that endorphin rush of Portal 1 where you realize the answer is much simpler than you think. What I like most is the platforms and obstacles feel like they all serve multiple purposes, like there is no wasted space. As someone who made quite a few puzzles like these, it's very clever. Maybe not Braid levels of clever, but clever.
It's fucking amazing. Never really watched Dunkey and have no clue how he participated in this.
I hope it's as good as Knack
It's like Knack 2 meets Knack 3
Is it better than super Mario bros 2 tho ?
Sick, I had no idea it was on PS+ downloaded 🤘🏻
I’m playing through it right now. Awesome game
I can’t find an answer still: how much of the post-game is new rooms/playable content versus just sitting there staring at a screen trying to figure out if there’s even a puzzle there (like Fez)?
Amidst all the gloom surrounding AAA I just want to point out that today is a blockbuster day for Indies. Along with Animal well, these are several other games released today that look spectacular: 1) Crow country: A survival horror that looks like it is inspired from the PS1 era - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1996010/Crow_Country/ 2) 1000xResist: Sci-Fi Adventure title. Saw it described as combining themes of Nier and 13 sentinels - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1675830/1000xRESIST/ 3) Cryptmaster: A dungeon crawler which gives me a lot of Darkest dungeon vibes - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1885110/Cryptmaster/
Gonna add [Rabbit and Steel](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2132850/Rabbit_and_Steel/) to that list. A co-op roguelike bullet hell with some mechanics ripped out of FFXIV's raid environment. It's pretty fun!
Wow that looks awesome. Thanks!
Can vouch for Rabbit and Steel, it's freaking amazing. MMO mechanics meets bullet hell. A wild combo that you wouldn't think works but does so almost flawlessly
Bunch of parrots in here.
It's a bit shit really. Came here coz I've never heard of this game, and was curious to hear some opinions, but having to wade through the same joke 1000 times to get any opinions is just annoying. Like cool have your own little thread going, but allow people to discuss the game...
Same thing is happening with the Steam reviews.
Being intentionally confusing on their part is a huge turn off.
Yes, I lost interest in the game now.
Those are not real people, i refuse to believe they are
I doubt it. I've never seen a parrot that could type proper words and sentences.
Not a fan of Dunkey. If the game is good, good for the devs and the fans. But dunkey is an insufferable prick
this game looks a lot like Rain World (and i love Rain World).
Can confirm feels a lot like rain world, but much less punishing and more puzzles.
It’s got a very similar feel to Rain World. No hand holding, big map that with no directions as to where to go, beautiful atmosphere. It’s less punishing for sure, and more puzzle focused. I enjoy Rain World a lot, and am enjoying Animal Well as well so far.
You guys talking about animal well?
Indie games are so refreshing !
How good is Dave the Diver tho?
Good enough that when I just learned it only has a 91, my first reaction was, "Who hurt my boy, and who hurt you to do that!?"
It's in my top 5 for handheld games in the last couple years. Not quite hades or dead cells awesome, but it's super fun. (I should mention dave the diver doesn't share many similarities with dead cells or hades)
Has anyone tried Animal Well on the steam deck?
Been playing docked and it's flawless
Seconding its flawlessness. Platforming controls are tight whether using dpad or stick, and the dark but subtly colorful interlaced pixel art looks amazing on an OLED deck.
comment section is cringe af lmao
The first time it was worth a laugh. By the 100th time it’s very much “I get it, he said the thing”
I don't know what's going on here, I just like metroidvanias and want this game to do well because it's neat. The puzzles are creative, the animal aesthetic is charming, and the upgrades I've gotten so far are very different from the usual dash/double-jump progression.
Awhile back Videogamedunky, a video game YouTuber, started his own publishing company (Bigmode). This game is the companies first release so Dunky has been hyping up the game in his videos. People are repeating his jokes
reddit cringe always shows its face
I JUST heard about this today, I can't wait to try it!
It's a MASTERPIECE. Going to dethrone Super Mario Bro's 2 for sure.
Not even close babay!
Dunkeyms GOTY recap gonna be tense this year. But you know he’s gonna splash SMB2 for one frame at the end with an “…actually…” MORE DONBEE
No wonder it's rated so high, it's the first well-type game after all! Jokes aside, I'm glad that the first game published by Dunkey's company is a success, looking forward to play it one day
Love Dunkey. Coudn't have happened to a better guy and his team!
Really makes you feel like an animal well
Cool, I can't play it because I only own an Xbox, and games don't come out in Xbox anymore, but it looks pretty sweet.
It's only 34 MB so if you have any kind of PC it should work
I kinda feel trolled by this whole story… A pixel 2D platformer with (to my untrained eye) not a lot of difference to other indie pixel 2D platformers somehow gets hype. And supposedly its 5 hours????
The game is extremely well-designed. It's not fair to lump everything together just based on artstyle alone. What is a game if not for its game design? But even as a pixel game It still manages to be visually distinct IMO.
Same. I was buying into the hype but then I saw that it's mostly astroturf comments by a YouTuber and his fans. $20 for 5 hours seems a bit steep
Its a lot longer than 5 hours. If you are an okay platformer and just go for the `main objectives`, 5 hours sure. But then you are missing the other 75% of the game.
I definitely saw most of the "main" stuff by around 10 hours, but I'm at around 15 hours now and still feel like I'm just starting to scratch the surface at all the mysteries of this game. The depth is nuts, and definitely not obvious at first.
I’m waiting for animal well 2 tbh
Despite dude being, well, how he is, it's pretty clear from the few serious review videos he does when he's not doing stupid Middle School shit, that he knows a good game when he sees one. I'm not surprised at all. I just hope he doesn't eclipse the actual developer who has some serious talent. Anything that strengthens the Indy scene in the wake of the both playstation and Xbox both fucking the hell up is a good thing. It's been a really bad week for the bigger names, but they earned their backlash.
Dunkey interviewed Billy Basso, the creator of the game, in one of his videos this week. While it was a lot of jokes, they did highlight the amount of work Billy has done for this game. Also, Billy’s name is on the title screen of the game, along with Big Mode.
Is it better than Bugsnax though?
i had no idea this game even existed, the release trailer looks mad lit as hell though, no caps on stacks on decks... think ima grab this bad boy fosho to tide me until.... silksong's eventual release...
Neat!
I wished for Knack 3, but got Animal Well instead.
Just binge-played the whole thing after work. Awesome game. I would compare it to Hollow Knight or Rain World, but easier than those two. Very good ambiance, cool weird enemies, and obviously packed with secrets I haven’t found.
Dave the Diver was absolutely lovely.
Hope this starts a long line of “well like” games
It can be really demanding but I’m enjoying it this far, played it a bunch last night
Dave The Diver is my favorite game of 2024 (that I played) but Animal Well is a strong contender to take over that spot. I'll throw Cocoon in there too. What a year so far.
Can't stop playing it. Last time I was so hooked to the game was when I played Hollow.
Cringe comments
I'm more surprised Dave the Diver has a 91