Animal Well is a puzzling platformer that delves deep into mystery

Animal Well doesn’t dwell on explanations. Trying to figure out why I was playing as a cute blob exploring a dark well full of what seems to be animal spirits is a riddle that may never be answered. It’s more important to concentrate on the puzzles spread throughout the game's adorably eerie world and checking every nook and cranny for possible paths less traveled. It’s taken seven long years for solo developer Billy Busso to complete the game, notably published by Dunkey's Bigmode label. So as he watched me play a short hands-on demo of the game at the Nintendo Switch Partners event during GDC 2024, I understood why he was being tight-lipped on the story.

Deep, dark secrets

Since the demo was on a strict 15-minute time limit, I quickly began to investigate the first few caves after the blob emerged from a flower. Having played a different demo of the game at past events, I mostly knew where to go for about five minutes or so. The opening sections serve as an immersive tutorial that shows how tricky some jumps are and how tangled the map is. In one area, I needed to hit multiple switches to reveal certain platforms and make others disappear. Since the gaps were wide, it took me several tries to get the sequence right and reach the last ledge.

Animal Well doesn’t have combat in the traditional sense, so requiring some tricky platforming right out of the gate is fair. Even if I cleared a few gaps, though, that didn’t guarantee that I knew how to proceed. More than a few screens provided a sneak peek of a hard-to-reach area, luring me into figuring out if I missed an entryway. Sometimes it’s a matter of finding a hole or entrance tucked away behind an outcropping or plant; other times, it’s figuring out how an object interacts with the environment. Early in the demo, I found a handful of firecrackers I was able to light so I could frighten away a spirit haunting a bridge. There was also an unlit candle nearby that seemed awkwardly placed on a single block until I discovered a match later in the level. Lighting it then made sure that the spirit did not respawn again when I returned through the chamber.

Spelunking through shadows

Moving past that point, I found myself able to head in several directions. Moving up a floor led me to a chamber with a peacock and several shelves that displayed any eggs I collected along the way. Looking at the doors along the left-hand side of the chamber, it would seem that earning a particular number of eggs would open them. Towards the right and up a ladder, I encountered a jumping challenge where I needed to evade about ten ghosts that tumbled vertically and horizontally. Accidentally hitting one removes a heart from the blob’s health gauge, but eating a fruit restores one lost heart. Dying respawns the blob at the nearest rotary telephone (yes, you read that right), so the only thing lost is progress.

Indeed, the eggs and the telephone are only a few of the game’s many mysteries. Several passages had me moving past a pair of cranes, a giant mural of a rabbit, and statues of various animals. Later on, a strange chameleon jutting out from a corner and a cat spirit that seems to follow the blob after picking up a key item can be seen as well. Given that dialogue and text are kept to a minimum, working out the plot will likely lead to more than a few theories on what’s really happening. That said, stumbling through the shadows of Animal Well, like wandering the bottom of the deep ocean, is a part of the appeal.

Animal Well is set to release on May 9, 2024 on Nintendo Switch, PS5, and PC via Steam. Busso revealed that no DLC for the game is planned for now.

This preview is based on a demo shown at the Nintendo Switch Partners event behind closed doors during GDC 2024.

Nick Tan

Contributing Editor

Once upon a time, Nick's parents confiscated his Super Nintendo because he was "playing it too much." He has secretly sworn revenge ever since. Nick is now a freelance writer for various video game sites. Powered by iced green tea, he typically plays RPGs of all kinds like Shin Megami Tensei, Elder Scrolls, and Fallout. In his spare time, he follows the latest season of Critical Role.