Game Thoughts: Animal Well
As a hobbyist game developer (theoretically, anyways) I have been warned many times "don't idolize one-person indie developers". Most one-person indie titles never make it, and realistically any indie title that does make it ultimately has a production team, a QA team, and all kinds of other people that make "one-person" less true.
I can't help myself, however. There's something about games crafted painstakingly by a single mind that just makes the ones that float to the top special. Early Minecraft, Stardew Valley, Undertale, Cave Story, Iconoclasts -- these are games that execute a vision and they do it so well I can't help but idolize. If not the creators themselves, then the process and the drive.
Animal Well is one such game, created by Billy Basso. Eventually picked up by Bigmode Games which brought it into the spotlight, the game presents an eerie metroidvania world full of puzzles, charming graphics, and horror vibes.
I absolutely loved my time with this game. The bosses were wild, exploration was a blast, and every puzzle was fun. The game elicits a kind of joy I've only experienced playing one-person games. It's full of weirdness that would have been voted out in a team-built game. Everything's connected and lovingly thought out, everything feels coherent. It's like getting to know somebody without ever meeting them.
The game has several "layers" to it, and despite loving the title I tapped out after layer 1 -- beating the final boss and rolling credits. You can continue on to find all the collectibles in the game to unlock more, which usually isn't my cup of tea. I did shoot for getting all the eggs but decided to tap out at 50-something, as I was starting to rely on guides and having less fun.
Does this title belong on the shelf with Undertale and Stardew Valley? I don't think it has the same impact as its peers, each of which generated massive fanbases and countless clones -- yet I'd happily categorize this as another one-person masterpiece and proudly shelf it with the others.