Animal Well

2024-05-25
Writing this review I am quietly cursing the people who compared Animal Well to Outer Wilds. Outer Wilds is without a doubt one of THE greatest games of all time. Animal well is a merely fine puzzle game with some platforming. And you know what without that comparison I likely wouldn't have been as underwhelmed by this game. But I am. The things that elevate it: the visuals, the overall unsettling vibe, and the creative tools you use to solve puzzles are great but they are not Outer Wilds great.

The things that delighted me: realizing you could ride the frisbee, the yo-yo, the time you're running from a dog and it starts snaking through the tunnel behind you, the same thing as that but the ostrich.

The things that frustrated me: backtracking, lack of checkpoints forcing you to do tedious sequences of things over and over, people comparing it to Outer Wilds.

Ultimately I think Animal Well is a game for people who love puzzles. I don't so it's not the game for me.