reviewed Animal Well

A gorgeous Metroidvania game that's absolutely jam-packed with FEZ/TUNIC-style secrets.
2 major complaints and 1 minor one:
1. It's not always 100% clear from the map if there's something you've missed in an area, so finding some of the collectables and hidden paths basically requires going over the entire game with a fine-toothed comb. I didn't really feel like doing that, so I wound up eventually seeking some outside help to point me in the right direction of things I missed. I would've killed for a more informative map or something like TUNIC's seeking spell to clue me in on whether there's anything left to find nearby.
2. Frankly, I did not enjoy the platforming in this game. In general I feel like there were a lot of random gaps that required slightly more precise timing than I was expecting while just casually exploring, leading to an annoying number of missed jumps (yes the bubble wand exists but it's way less convenient than a built-in double jump), and while the actual intended platforming challenges weren't the hardest thing in the world, they're so out of step with the rest of the game that I always found myself just wanting them to be over so I could get back to the exploration/puzzle stuff I was enjoying.
3. Swapping between the many, many tools you eventually have is a little clunky, even being able to have just two of them bound to buttons at once would have been great.
Those pain points aside though, this was a really cool game, and I love how wild some of the secrets get.
Reviewed on Jun 06, 2024