The joy of getting lost in Animal Well’s cryptic world

Talk to someone who is fully immersed in the indie game Animal Well, and you’re bound to hear some strange things. They might get excited about a new way to use a Frisbee or be frustrated about playing music for a caged cat. They’ll probably chat your ear off about the dozens of different-colored eggs they’ve collected, and all of the ones that seem just out of reach. Mostly, though, what they’re saying will sound like gibberish. That’s because the world of Animal Well is so odd and cryptic it almost requires its own language to discuss — but once you speak it, it’s hard to think about anything else.

Animal Well is the first release from solo developer Billy Basso, and it’s probably best described as a Metroidvania. You play as a little round… thing that’s dropped in a vast underground labyrinth full of animals. Most of it is inaccessible at first. But as you unlock new items and skills, you’re able to slowly expand where you can go and what you can do. It also has elements of platforming games, with lots of perilous gaps to jump across and, at times, horror. It might not be obvious from the pixel art graphics, but it’s pretty terrifying when you’re being chased by a floating ghost dog or rampaging kangaroo.

Your main goal, at least initially, seems to be to collect a whole bunch of eggs for a giant peacock. But that’s never explained outright. In fact, almost nothing in Animal Well is explained. You’re simply dropped into this world and left to figure things out. And that process requires a lot of experimentation. Most of its elements don’t lend themselves to obvious interpretation. Your list of items, for example, will include things like a Slinky and a yo-yo, which you have to use in inventive ways to flip switches, distract creatures, and progress through the game. A lot of the time, I figured things out by accident. At one point, I got frustrated and started tossing my yo-yo around wildly, only to discover that it had a very notable effect on a nearby rat that helped me progress.

When you do figure these things out, it’s immensely satisfying primarily because it feels like you’re doing it on your own. And there are a lot of moments like that because Animal Well is a dense and layered game. Every detail — the sounds, the symbols, the animals frolicking in the background — seems to mean something. Each discovery, whether it’s a location, item, or skill, opens up some kind of possibility. Oftentimes, these are small wins, pushing the edges of the map a little further, but sometimes, they’re revelatory, like finding a new use for an item you’ve already had for hours. No matter the scale, each victory feels earned. I can’t tell you how happy I was when I finally got a simple pencil.

Still, Animal Well can get frustrating. There are some very difficult platforming and chase sequences that require quick reflexes and near-perfect timing, and there’s at least one boss that had me put down my controller for the night. (Since there’s no real combat in Animal Well, the bosses similarly require tight platforming skills.) It’s also just really easy to get stuck. This is partially by design, but that doesn’t make it any less tedious when you’re combing over the same few areas in search of that one little thing you’ve been missing.

Usually, that’s enough to turn me off of a game, but Animal Well’s secrets are so strange, satisfying, and plentiful that I can’t seem to help but push forward. It doesn’t hurt that, despite its seemingly simple style, the game manages to evoke a lot of atmosphere. It’s a world that feels alive: grass and vines blow with the breeze, and bioluminescent worms provide just a hint of light in otherwise dark, oppressive caverns. It can be gloomy or comforting or unsettling depending on which room you’re in. I played most of the game with headphones on, and I couldn’t help but jump when the aforementioned kangaroo appeared with a loud thrum.

It’s unclear to me just how big Animal Well really is; it feels like there are a lot more layers for me to peel back still, and I’m not sure I’ll ever see all of it. That’s part of what has kept me pushing through those frustrating moments, and also what has me excited for its release. On my own, I can only get so far, but with a group of like-minded players, I hope we’ll be able to collectively unlock much more of the game. We just have to speak the same language first.

Animal Well launches May 9th on the PS5, Steam, and Nintendo Switch.