10 AMAZING Recent Video Games NO ONE Saw Coming
5. Animal Well
Animal Well is yet another mind-bogglingly impressive game whose solo-developed nature belies just how monumental it actually is.
A mesmerising riff on the well-trod Metroidvania, Animal Well tasks players with navigating a bewilderingly trippy underground labyrinth filled with animals - exactly like it says on the tin, then.
Except, this is a game whose atmosphere is so thick you could almost choke on it - the underground murk melds with a gorgeous ambient synth score and overpowering sense of mystery to ensure there's never a dull moment, even with the lack of dialogue.
The sense of discovery, of finding new tools to help traversal or puzzle-solving, is a constant joy, and even once you've rolled credits on it, there's still so, so much more to seek out.
Animal Well proved about all else that there's still plenty of room to do something new with the Metroidvania, evidenced by its truckload of nominations during the most recent awards circuit.