Animal Well is a special game. It’s a game that begs the player to get lost in its atmosphere and labyrinthian level design. It’s a game that has no tutorials or guiding text, the player has to experiment with ideas and explore the world to figure out what to do. It’s a game that transported me into its ethereal world filled with mystery, spooky vibes, and of course, animals. It’s a game that I think everybody is capable of completing, yet it has much deeper secrets that require a dedicated community to uncover. It’s a game that I think you should play.

Metroidvanias are exceedingly common in the indie gaming landscape, but Animal Well stands apart from its peers. There is no combat and it doesn’t really focus on platforming either. Instead, Animal Well is about navigation and thinking. You have to figure out where you can go and how to get there using the tools at your disposal. After a short introductory area, you emerge into a great cavern with four pedestals and matching statues. There are four primary directions to choose from and a handful of other branching paths. It’s up to the player’s curiosity to lead them in a direction.

You may stumble across roadblocks and have to poke around in different directions to see what is accessible. But that is part of the magic of Animal Well. It is a real labyrinth that requires the player to be inquisitive about the world. I often went in a direction and had to turn around and find a different way to go, but I never felt discouraged or stuck. The cogs in my brain were always turning and thinking of where to go next and how to progress. The game’s dream-like atmosphere and gorgeously stylized visuals ensured that I wanted to stay in its world as long as possible.

I’ve never seen a game that looks quite like Animal Well. Its cutesy pixel art paired with simulated lighting and fluid effects is truly remarkable. The world is dark, mysterious, and ominous at times. There are even moments of outright terror. But the faint light from lanterns and fireflies provides a comforting glow. Firecrackers provide flickering illumination as well as a hazy smoke effect to distort the environment. The ambient darkness and the understated soundtrack go a long way to make Animal Well immersive. This is further assisted by its cast of creatures.

One of my favorite aspects of Animal Well is of course the animals. The world is populated by cute, charming, and sometimes ferocious creatures. From little chinchillas that you can ride atop, to dogs that chase you down, to a whale that shoots jets of water at you, the animals aren’t just set dressing. They feel like real residents of this world with their own personalities and behavior. Figuring out how to avoid or use the animals to solve puzzles is not only satisfying, but intuitive.

The commitment to crafting an ethereal world filled with animals is further reflected in the playful toolset of Animal Well. You never acquire the classic double jump or explosive item to blast open walls, instead the things that you find are more interesting. The player will most likely come across the Bubble Wand and Frisbee as their first couple of items. Figuring out how these seemingly mundane and silly tools can be useful is very enjoyable. Experimenting with how to use these gadgets to traverse the world, solve puzzles, and interact with animals is wonderful.

The only potential hiccup in the main part of the game is the existence of a handful of awkward jumps. I don’t feel like Animal Well really is a platformer. Of course there is platforming in the game, but it rarely asks the player to make a series of difficult jumps. Which makes it odd when there is a particularly awkward jump seemingly out of nowhere. This is made more frustrating because oftentimes when you miss a jump you fall to a previous screen or even get reset at a checkpoint. I think having real stakes when exploring is great, but I can see how some players may get frustrated if they miss a particularly tricky jump a few times in a row and lose their progress.

Animal Well is known for being a “layered” game. From the moment you start to the first time you see the credits roll is the main part of the game and is known as “Layer 1”. There are 3 deeper layers, each with increasing obscurity and there are secrets that still haven’t been found months after release. I strongly disagree with a common sentiment that “the real game doesn’t start until after the credits”. To me, Layer 1 is the most enjoyable due to the exponential growth of complexity and obscurity that the deeper layers require.

I was able to complete Layer 2 and made some progress in Layer 3 before I called it quits. Layer 2 is a fairly straightforward completionist egg hunt. You have to dig through the nooks and crannies of the world to find 64 hidden eggs. I think this is mostly fine, but hunting down those last few eggs can be a little painful as you have no idea where they could be. I spent hours running around the map in circles looking for those last few secrets. Layer 3 is where things quickly get insane. There are 16 bunnies hidden across the map and simply finding them requires a ton of dedication and observational skills. To actually solve the puzzles and acquire the bunnies often requires extreme out-of-the-box thinking. I don’t think that these puzzles are unfair or unsolvable, but I’d be shocked if anybody got all 16 bunnies without outside help. I didn’t even touch Layer 4 and I assume it is only for the most dedicated of puzzlers.

I admire how layers upon layers of secrets are built on top of one another. I love the feeling when you discover something that was expertly hidden right in front of your eyes. While I gave up early on in Layer 3, I appreciate that there are deeper and more obscure puzzles for players who want them. I think the downside of this is that the game will almost always end on a limp note for many players. At some point you are going to reach your limit of obscurity and throw in the towel. It doesn’t feel great to have a great experience end because you had to quit. There’s not really a way to avoid this in a “layered” game like Animal Well. It’s a necessary tradeoff to allow for the iceberg of secrets that the game hides.

Animal Well really is a game that you just have to experience. It’s hard to describe how gripping its dreamlike world is. Exploring the depths of the well and uncovering its secrets is something that I had a hard time stepping away from. Even though I wasn’t able to peel back all the layers, the first layer by itself is spectacular. It is for these reasons that I give Animal Well a 9/10. It’s an experience with unparalleled atmosphere, thoughtful puzzles, and has a mix of memorable moments that are charming and terrifying.