If you cast your mind back to the April 2023 Indie World showcase, you might remember the reveal of Animal Well — a pretty but punishing pixel art platformer being published by YouTubers videogamedunkey and Leahbee’s Bigmode. Well, that very game has now got a release date, and it’s coming to Switch on 9th May.
Animal Well is one of those games that brings vibes by the bucketload. You play as a little blob, making your way through a gorgeous pixel art labyrinth and collecting items to help you along your way. The only catch is that this labyrinth is filled with animals. And a lot of them are going to want to eat you.
It looks like Animal Well is going to keep us entertained for a while. During the Summer Game Fest 2022 Day of the Devs presentation, developer Shared Memory’s Billy Brasso said that the game is full to the brim with puzzles, some of which are required to progress from A to B, while others are less obvious and are planned to be discovered for years to come. Looks like we’re in for the long run, eh?
You can get a look at some of the game’s features and a handful of screenshots below.
Explore – Illuminate the Dark
• Dense atmospheric puzzle box world with tons of secrets
• Light candles for safety and gradually fill out your map
• Nonlinear — explore and collect items in whatever order you chooseSolve puzzles – Observation is rewarded
• Enemies, environment, and items interact in surprising and systemic ways
• All items have multiple uses
• Learn how innocuous details can become meaningfulSurvive – Tread Carefully
• Assess for yourself what is safe and dangerous
• Focus on tension and suspense rather than action
• You are disempowered, but can make clever use of your environment and items
Animal Well will be jumping onto the Switch eShop this May for $24.99 (or your regional equivalent).