You’ve seen the screenshots. They look like a neon-soaked fever dream from 1988, all grainy scanlines and glowing pixels. But here’s the thing: Animal Well isn't just a retro throwback. Honestly, it’s probably the most dense, frustrating, and brilliant piece of software I’ve poked at in years. It’s the definitive game of the month for anyone who misses the feeling of actually being surprised by a video game.
Billy Basso, the lone developer behind this thing, spent seven years building a custom engine from scratch just to make lights ripple in water. That's a level of dedication that borders on the obsessive. It shows. When you first drop into the well as a little brown blob, you have no map. You have no weapon. You just have the sound of dripping water and the distinct feeling that something very large is watching you from the shadows.
What is Animal Well, exactly?
Most people call it a Metroidvania. That's a bit of a shortcut. While you definitely explore a sprawling, interconnected map and unlock new items to reach new areas, it feels more like a surrealist puzzle box. Think Toki Tori meets Metroid, but filtered through a David Lynch lens. You aren't killing monsters here; you’re mostly trying to survive them.
The items are weird. Really weird.
Instead of a double jump or a dash, you get a Frisbee. You get a bubble wand. You get a yo-yo. At first, these feel like toys. Then you realize you can jump on your own bubbles to cross gaps, or use the yo-yo to distract a giant, terrifying cat that wants to eat your face. It's about lateral thinking. The game doesn't hold your hand. In fact, it barely acknowledges you’re there.
The Layered Secret Sauce
There is a specific reason why this is the game of the month and not just another indie platformer. It’s the layers.
Layer one is finishing the game. You collect four flames, you reach the "end," and you see the credits. Most players will stop there, and they'll have a great time. It takes about 6 to 10 hours. But that is maybe 30% of what is actually happening in the well.
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Layer two involves finding secret eggs. There are 64 of them. Some are hidden behind fake walls. Some require you to play a literal flute (using the d-pad) to perform songs you found etched into a wall three rooms away. This is where the community started losing their minds.
Then there’s layer three. This is the stuff that requires a spreadsheet and a PhD in cryptology. We are talking about puzzles hidden in the game’s code, or visual data that can only be seen if you manipulate the save files or use a specific item in a specific spot at a specific time of day. It’s the kind of "Search Action" depth that reminds me of the original FeZ.
Why the Atmosphere Works
It's claustrophobic. The use of lighting is genuinely revolutionary for a 2D game. Every time you throw your glow-in-the-dark frisbee, the light bounces off the walls, reflecting in the puddles. It creates this tactile, humid feeling. You can almost smell the moss.
And the animals? They aren't your friends.
The crows will dive-bomb you. The chameleons will snatch you with their tongues. There is a specific encounter with a giant ghost dog that is more stressful than anything in a Resident Evil game. Because you have no way to "fight" back in a traditional sense, every encounter becomes a frantic scramble to use your tools in a way the game never explicitly taught you.
The Big Misconception: Is it "Too Hard"?
I hear this a lot. "I don't like puzzles that make me feel stupid."
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Look, Animal Well is hard, but it isn't unfair. It’s about observation. If you see a platform you can’t reach, the answer isn't a "pixel-perfect jump." The answer is usually that you haven't looked closely enough at the background. Or you haven't experimented with your tools enough.
The game respects your intelligence. It assumes you can figure it out. In an era where most AAA games have a protagonist who mutters the solution to a puzzle out loud after thirty seconds, this is incredibly refreshing. It’s okay to be lost. Being lost is the point.
A Masterclass in Sound Design
If you play this, wear headphones. Seriously.
The audio cues are everything. You’ll hear the pitter-patter of a squirrel before you see it. The way the music swells when you enter a new biome—moving from the damp greenery of the starting area into the metallic, clanking depths of the pipe section—is seamless. Basso handled the sound too, and it’s clear he wanted the well to feel like a living, breathing ecosystem.
Technical Marvels Behind the Scenes
Most games today are bloated. They take up 100GB of hard drive space and require a 40-series GPU to run at a decent framerate. Animal Well is less than 40MB.
Let that sink in.
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The entire game, with all its lighting effects, complex physics, and hundreds of rooms, is smaller than a high-resolution photo taken on an iPhone. This is peak optimization. It runs perfectly on the Steam Deck, which, let's be honest, is the best way to play it. Curling up on a couch in the dark while you try to outrun a giant ostrich is an experience you won't soon forget.
The Verdict on the Game of the Month
We see a lot of "soulslikes" and "roguelikes" every single week. They blend together. Animal Well stands out because it feels like it was unearthed from a time capsule. It’s a game that would have been a schoolyard legend in 1995—the kind of game where you’d hear rumors like "if you stand in this corner for ten minutes, a secret door opens," except in this game, those rumors are actually true.
It’s the game of the month because it brings back the sense of mystery. It makes the internet feel like a community again, with people sharing map coordinates and flute melodies like they’re trading secrets in a dark alley.
Actionable Next Steps for New Players
If you're ready to dive into the well, don't just run in blindly.
- Get the Flute Early: As soon as you find the room with the fast-travel statues, start looking for the flute. It is the key to everything. Without it, you’re just a blob in a hole. With it, you’re a god.
- Mark Your Map: The in-game map allows you to place stamps. Use them. If you see a chest you can't reach or a weird symbol you don't understand, mark it. You will forget where it was ten minutes later.
- Watch the Background: Many "walls" aren't walls. If the grass is moving or the shadows look slightly off, try to walk through it.
- Experiment with Tool Combinations: Can you throw the frisbee and then jump on it? Yes. Can you use the yo-yo to hit switches through walls? Sometimes. The physics are remarkably consistent—if you think something should work, it probably does.
- Don't Use a Guide (Yet): Try to get at least the first ending on your own. The "Aha!" moment when you solve a major puzzle is the best feeling in the game. Save the Discord deep-dives for when you're hunting those last ten eggs.
This isn't just a game you play; it's a game you inhabit. It's weird, it's spooky, and it’s a reminder that one person with a clear vision can still outshine a studio of five hundred. Go play it. Get lost. It’s worth it.