I’ve played too many indie games with the mechanical depth of a puddle and the insight of an Intro to Creative Writing student to feel the whole ‘indies rule, AAAs drool’ is anything more than the gaming of equivalent of a high schooler who just discovered Vonnegut and now fancies themself a dangerous intellectual. I mean, some indies are genuinely great. The vast majority, however, are just as dull as your average big-budget, FPS meat grinder, but with a twee aesthetic in place of ‘fast plane go zoom’. There was a time where ironically, indie games had a samey-ness to them that really burnt me out. Mostly hook and no substance. Either a gimmick concept or mechanic and that’s it. They look good in a trailer and are quickly forgotten on release. Hollow is hollow at the end of the day.
The “Metroidvania” sub-genre has certainly been overdone, but I look at it as having happened because it just wasn’t being serviced at all for a while there. Nintendo treated Metroid like the plague for about a decade and then Konami decided they weren’t in the market for video games anymore, so there was a big hole there indie devs looked to fill. I’m fine with pixel art staying. Honestly, it’s been pixel games that have held up the best, visually, of the games industries’ relatively brief lifespan. I’m not fine with these indie games looking more like mobile games I’ve already played and I’m not really seeing any real risks or innovation being done. I like the genre a lot, but there being so many of them has also made it so you need something unique to stand out.
Bigmode created by YouTuber Dunkey and his wife Leah committed to publishing Animal Well – a 2D combat-free puzzle platformer that puts a charming spin on the “Metroidvania” sub-genre. My preview time with Animal Well was only minutes, but it was enough to realize that this game is going to be something special once it is completed.
About Animal Well: Hatch from your flower and spelunk through the beautiful and sometimes haunting world, a pixelated wonder rendered in intricate audio and visual detail. Encounter lively creatures small and large, helpful and ominous as you discover unconventional upgrades and unravel the well’s secrets. This is a truly unique experience that can make you laugh in fear, surprise, or delight.
Video Games aren’t like other media. Oftentimes, I’d argue even most of the time, they need actual production value. They need good, experienced animators. They need someone who understands encounter design. They need someone whose skills at character portraits are actually worth a damn. Otherwise, all you’re left with is a solid idea without the requisite good execution to keep my butt in the seat till the credits roll. My initial impression with Animal Well is that it has innovative mechanics and is bold enough to take chances and risks. I played it enough at PAX West 2023 (three times over three days) that it was easily my game of the show.
Animal Well is currently in development. Release date: TBA.