Games

Animal Well

Shared Memory

2024•Platformer•PEGI 7•About 10 hours

Taste attributes: actionadventurehorrormysteryanimalsfresh & originalunsavouryimaginaryintricatebig & variedfighting evilhuman spirit/resilience/survivalrescue/escape/jeopardysolving the riddle/not as it seems

See which match your taste

Boxlist takeA fantastical platformer that is wide-ranging, inventive and unsavoury. Best if you like the extraordinary over the everyday.

Pace: balanced · Originality: fresh · Tone: dark · Weight: balanced · Realism: imaginary world · Story: balanced · Structure: balanced · Look: balanced · Scale: big and varied · Emotional punch: balancedHow we score

IGDB rating

85 / 100

128 ratings

Your matchTake the taste test to see your match

Based on your film and TV taste: games are matched on the same ten characteristics, with your own match bands.

About This Game

What lurks beneath the surface of this deceptively minimalistic adventure? In Animal Well there is more than what you see. Explore a dense interconnected labyrinth, and unravel its many secrets. Collect items to manipulate your environment in surprising and meaningful ways. Encounter creatures both beautiful and unsettling, and try to survive what lurks in the dark.

Summary: IGDB

Story

It is dark. It is lonely. You don't belong in this world. It's not that it’s a hostile world... it's just... not yours. As you uncover its secrets, the world grows on you. It takes on a feel of familiarity, yet you know that you've only probed the surface. The more you discover, the more you realize how much more there is to discover. Secrets leading to more secrets. You recall the feeling of zooming closer and closer in on a very high-resolution photo. As you hone your focus, the world betrays its secrets.

Characteristics

Where this game sits on each taste spectrum

SlowPACEFast

FamiliarORIGINALITYOriginal

DarkTONEWholesome

LightWEIGHTINESSHeavy

FantasyREALISMRealistic

SimpleINTRICACYIntricate

Non-LinearLINEARITYLinear

UnderstatedSTYLEStylised

IntimateSCALEEpic

RestrainedEMOTIONIntense

Genres and themes

ActionAdventureHorrorMysteryAnimalsFighting evilHuman spirit/resilience/survivalRescue/escape/jeopardySolving the riddle/not as it seems

Keywords

ExplorationRetroDarkMetroidvaniaCuteAtmosphericPixel artSurreal

Where to play

Details

Developer: Shared Memory
Publisher: Bigmode
Released: 9 May 2024
Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch
Modes: Single player
Perspective: Side view
Time to beat: 6h rushed, 10h normally, 19h complete
Age rating: PEGI 7
Taste scores: How we score
Source: IGDB

How game matches work

Games are scored on the same ten characteristics as films and matched with the same formula and your own match bands, from your film and TV taste. Game scores are estimates, made by fixed rules from IGDB genres, themes, keywords and descriptions.