Animal Well

Overview

Animal Well is a 2024 Metroidvania puzzle-platformer video game developed by Billy Basso as Shared Memory and published by Bigmode. The player controls an unnamed blob creature and explores an underground animal-filled labyrinth which incorporates nonlinear platforming and puzzle solving. The game is presented as an interconnected set of rooms, or flip-screens, with 2D pixel art. No plot or backstory is given, and the game world is filled with puzzles and secrets, including some puzzles that require groups of players working in collaboration or several playthroughs to solve.

Billy Basso developed Animal Well, his first solo work, over the course of seven years. He planned the game as he developed it by inventing mechanics and deriving puzzles from their interactions. The design aesthetics were inspired by gardens and urban areas around Chicago, as well as his own artwork. Basso developed the entire game himself, including the underlying engine; he partnered with Dan Adelman after four years of development to handle marketing, and partnered with Bigmode a year later as their first published game, after YouTuber Jason Gastrow (videogamedunkey) saw Animal Well at a festival.

Animal Well was released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Windows in May 2024, and for Xbox Series X/S in October. It released to critical acclaim, especially for its aesthetics and layered puzzles, and was featured in several lists of the best games of 2024. It won Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction at the 28th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, and was nominated for numerous categories at multiple awards ceremonies, including at the Game Awards 2024, the 25th Game Developers Choice Awards, and the 21st British Academy Games Awards.

Official trailer

Announcement Trailer. Watch on YouTube

Gameplay

Animal Well - PS5 30 Minutes of Gameplay (No Commentary), afterMark Gaming. Watch on YouTube

Screenshots

Game details

Genres

Platform, Puzzle, Adventure, Indie

Developer

Shared Memory

Publisher

Bigmode

Engine

Proprietary Engine

Platforms

Xbox Series X/S, Windows, PlayStation 5

Age rating

ESRB E

Modes

Single player

Yes

Local multiplayer

No

Online multiplayer

No

Co op

No

Age ratings

PEGI

7

ESRB

E

GRAC

ALL

USK

12

CLASS IND

L

ACB

PG

CERO

A

Release dates

Editions

Buy this game

Subscription history

Trophies

Trophies21

Platinum possibleYes

Platinum

1

Gold

8

Silver

7

Bronze

5

Total

21

Points

1305

Platinum time

20 hours

100% time

20 hours

Difficulty

5 out of 10

Playthroughs for platinum

1

Playthroughs for 100%

1

Platinum without online

Yes

Online trophies

0

Boosting needed

No

DLC has trophies

No

Platinum includes DLC

No

100% includes DLC

No

Missable trophies

1

Separate trophy lists by region

No

Only in a language other than English

No

Languages

English, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Ukrainian

Region note

Text only; the game has no spoken dialogue.

Online-only version

No

Digital-only

No

Disc-only

No

Trophy list shared with other versions

No

Other versions

There is no PS4 version.

Players with the platinum

22.27%

Missable trophies

• SNEAK

Grind

• BUBBLE ECSTASY: pop 1000 bubbles

• PLATINUM WELL Earn every trophy Platinum 22.27% of players
• EXPLORER Find the map Bronze 82.47% of players
• SECRET EGG Find a secret egg Bronze 86.05% of players
• EGG ENJOYER Find 8 secret eggs Silver 40.86% of players
• EGG HOBBYIST Find 16 secret eggs Silver 35.15% of players
• EGG LORD Find 32 secret eggs Silver 27.58% of players
• EGG WELL Find all secret eggs Gold 22.88% of players
• SECRET RABBIT Find a secret rabbit Gold 29.59% of players
• CHAMELEON Find the V. flame Gold 34.29% of players
• GHOST Find the P. flame Gold 32.69% of players
• SEAHORSE Find the B. flame Gold 33.85% of players
• OSTRICH Find the G. flame Gold 34.39% of players
• CANDLE BRIGHT Light all candles Silver 24.18% of players
• MANTICORE Release the Manticore Gold 31.26% of players
• SNEAK Sneak up on a squirrel Silver 25.79% of players
• GOOD ENDING Get crushed by a chinchilla Bronze 29.6% of players
• BACK AND FORTH FOREVER Find a new way to get around Bronze 43.78% of players
• BUBBLE ECSTASY Pop 1000 bubbles Silver 27.57% of players
• TRAVEL FLUTE Find a new way to get around Silver 32.35% of players
• WALK THE DOG Find a new way to get around Bronze 35.61% of players
• EXIT Leave the well Gold 22.75% of players

Space and patches

Space needed96.4 MB

Update patch01.000.011

The updates on record for this game.

DLC

There is no DLC. The developer chose to add nothing after release.

Playable today

Playable offline todayYes

Single-player, still sold on the PlayStation Store.

Online

Online servers runningNo online features

Plays offlineYes

No online features. The whole game plays offline.

Services

Service	Status
Online features	Does not exist

Staff and cast

Staff

Role	Name
Developer	Shared Memory
Publisher	Bigmode
Creator	Billy Basso (design, programming, art and engine)
Business and marketing	Dan Adelman

Credits

Publisher

Bigmode

Developer

Shared Memory

Director

Billy Basso

Released

2024-05-09

Age rating

ESRB E

Region

US

Time to beat

about 7 hours