# Animal Well Notes > [!warning] > Spoilers below! ![[Animal Well Notes.pdf]] ## Stats - Started Playing: 5/10/24 - Beat: 5/31/2024 - Total Playtime: 7~8 hours ## Legacy Dunkey/Bigmode’s first published game. Hard to gauge a legacy off the bat. ## Overall Seems easy enough to reacclimate after a week or so off. - What a mentally engaging game. I want to explore and uncover secrets. There is so much to discover. - But I do only want to engage to the level of the platinum. There are secrets beyond that, like freeing all the cats. Is the thrill of the hunt and delight in solving the puzzle enough. - I want to play more and may pursue the platinum. But I do feel satisfied. The curse of seeing credits roll. My brain has checked it off. ## Gameplay - Good jump. Tight. Anticipatory. - Not a lot of health. Good understanding of world and rules. - Ghost mice. Tip toeing ostriches with snake-y necks. Very odd animals. - Puzzles do feel Jonathan Blow. Marty Sliva’s comparison was apt. Like, why is there a three lever sine wave puzzle in this game? - I love seeing multiple tools come together to solve a puzzle. Feels rewarding. - Why do firecrackers not carry over on saves/deaths? - This may be the most frustrating bit. - Game got the spooks. - Surprised at the lack of “boss” fights. The chameleon set the tone for me. The rest felt like their defeat came suddenly. Not really a challenge. ### Tools/Items - Firecracker – Great light show - Yo-yo – Holy cow these physics. It can lead capybaras! - Firsbee disc – Bounces back and forth. Can ride them in a way that reminds me of Kirby. - Slinky – Slinky, slinky, everyone loves a slinky. - Flute - Wakes up animals and TELEPORTS YOU! - Teleportation/shortcut room - Right, right, left, left, down, down, up, up - Bubble Wand - Make bubbles and jump on them. The rhythm to platform with them is a little tough to get down. - Bubble *bubble* wand - I’m a double bubble blowing baby now! - Pencil - Draw on map - Lantern - light up the dark babyyyyyyyyy ## Music/Sound Design - Foreign. Plip plop. Echoes. - An ethereal peace washing over - SFX are blip blop crunch goodness ## Graphics - The scanlines versus the raw pixels is so stark. The vibe of scanlines feels so integral to the game though and I have a soft spot for them. - I don’t think I have ever seen pixelated foliage and lanterns move with such fluidity before. It is [captivating and mesmerizing](https://x.com/TerminX13/status/1788789298730242527). - The water reflections 🥵 ## World - First open-well game - The map can only be viewed in rooms bright enough to read. - I feel like there is so much to discover, but I have one flame left. Curious what happens after that. - There is an infinite loop. This well is gnarly.