Warning: very mild spoilers for early game
Animal Well is a new 2d platformer by the renown youtuber Donkey. It got good reviews so I decided to download it. But I find it really difficult. It is a bit like a meteoidvania in the sense that it is set in a single large world and access to areas is gated by the need abilities/items acquired by progressing the game. But I get lost so often it is really frustrating. I'm really bad with directions in general which is probably why. I got to a part where I couldn't jump high enough to get on a ledge and also a large beautiful kangaroo beat the shit out of me. I went there again after I died but the kangaroo was somehow gone. I think that's a bug for sure. I did some pro gamer shenanigans with the disk item to reach the ledge and went ahead. What's bothering me is that I don't know if the game expected me to do the disk shenanigans or if the I was supposed to acquire some other ability/item before proceeding. After a while, I am stuck again and this doubt is gnawing at my mind.
Anyways the game looks and plays well. Just wanted to talk about my frustrations. Thanks for reading.
Sorry dong, I’ve only played the more popular spin off, Animal Neutral.
I beat it a while ago. Feel assured, you are playing correctly. The game wants you to use and abuse it's items and systems.
The game was decent, not my favorite but I enjoyed it and do not regret paying near full price.
I did, because it is on the free* offerings for PS+. Also because I heard the same people raving about it.
Didn't do much for me. Metroidvanias are not really my jam to begin with, and I really prefer more structure in my games than what it had. It is a big issue I have with some other open-ended games people love, like Elden Ring or Breath of the Wild. Anytime people throw me in an open-ended game and go "Okay, go do stuff!" I just feel lost.
I put a bit of time into it hoping there would be some big revelation that made me see why people loved it, but seemed to be more platforming/metroidvania stuff. I think I got up to the area with a couple dogs chasing me.
*Free as in "I already paid for it".
