Animal Well Review

Watch our Animal Well review! Reviewed by Rebekah Valentine on Switch and PC, also available on PlayStation 5.
Animal Well is a veritable feast of brain teasers that’s far more concerned with twisting your mind into knots than any grueling platforming challenges. It’s lovely to look at thanks to gorgeous pixel art and dynamic lighting, and an excellent use of haptics and well-tuned physics systems make it fun to touch, too. The steadily unlocked toybox of tools thoroughly rewards play, curiosity, and experimentation for hours upon hours after the credits roll. Though that late-game maze of mind-teasers might grate once in a while if you’re reluctant to ask for help, the massive onion of Animal Well’s secrets remains dense, clever, and thrilling even when you’ve peeled back as many layers as you think you possibly can… and then peeled a few more beyond that.
#IGN #Gaming #AnimalWell

[@TheFinalsHater]

It's like Halo 2 meets Halo 3

[@yellowletters9465]

Damm that sounds like Halo 5

[@joink25]

Hey are you talking about Animal Well? It comes out May 9.

[@ItWasAllPartOfMyPlan]

Facts 7/10

[@drooport3458]

hey, you guys talking about animal well?

[@Boss_Fight_Wiki_muki_twitch]

what's the context for the punchline?

[@Malek-dg4gh]

IGN giving a game dunkey published a 9 after he's mocked them for years is sort of endearing to me, they show no hard feelings

[@JustChadC]

Rare IGN W for taking it on the chin when it comes to professional review bias

[@darth_hylian]

Videogamedunkey has light humor & it's not really drama so this verdict shouldn't be surprising

[@michaellong2439]

reviewers arent a company. some single reviewer isnt going to watch a dunky video and have a grudge, and remember that grudge for years until theyre one day selected to make a review of a game dunky is publishing, then actively decide to give their game a worse review then they think the game deserves. what a crazy take

[@CaH6633]

To be fair. He mocked them for giving EVERY game an 8, 9, or 10 score...so they're still doing the thing he mocked them for in a way. Lmfao.

[@JustChadC]

@@CaH6633 lol maybe. But what if it really IS a game that deserves an 8, 9 or a 10?

[@Baysck]

This game really makes you feel like you’re playing Animal Well

[@ConnorLumsden]

7/10

[@jk4Him]

Well done

[@galvinmoore6528]

It has a little something for everyone.

[@pathaleyguitar9763]

Personally it makes me feel like I'm playing Halo 2 meets Halo 3

[@willostrand6555]

Only 9/10??? She clearly doesn’t understand the franchise should’ve gotten someone who was gonna actually enjoy the game

[@hetsu_]

The first ever well type game

[@GigerGang]

What about Downwell?

[@metaljay77]

And a well made one at that!

[@Illager_Fries_Gaming]

you mean the first ever open well type game?

[@jamesbond3125]

isnt hollow knight based in a well as well?

[@docicusalignjon]

Finally, the spiritual successor to Knack 2

[@timdalton919]

What was the IGN score of bowsers big bean burrito?

[@mistadopeman]

👏

[@bereketterefe829]

Knack is back baby!

[@sachadontcry]

But has the blob got amnesia?

[@danielx1224]

In..... Animal Well.... the blob..... well, he got amnesia...

[@theslimreaper]

Amneeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesia...

[@donkyot7152]

Day 1, Is it a remaster yet?

[@TenchiSenpa1]

You don't even play as an animal... or a well. Rippoff. 0 outta 10

[@TheNightquaker]

The blob got amnesia, it forgot that I'm him!

[@boobootittleman7299]

Congrats to bumkey on his studios’ first published game.

[@ravkhar927]

You mean Donsley?

[@CarlosLins1]

What's about mankey?

[@macksnotcool]

But also congrats to Billy Basso for developing this by himself.

[@dalejeremiah08]

don cheadle actually

[@walterroux291]

​@@dalejeremiah08 actually think you mean Terrance Howard. Don't worry it's an easy mistake to make.

[@bestgames64]

This is NOT knack 5

[@allenprieto8983]

:(

[@geeguy7429]

Nope even better, it’s like halo 2 and halo 3

[@autocorrect2313]

Its actually Knack 6 Nick, Knack, Patty, Whack adventures

[@NegoClau]

It's the prequel to Knack 5, Knack 6.

[@Japuckle]

It's like knack 2 meets knack 3

[@treyjohnson2223]

This game really makes you feel like its got a little something for everyone

[@AdiDoinStuff]

Dis comment is a masta PIECE

[@hunde2430]

​@@AdiDoinStuff the first Spaghetti and Meatballs genre

[@Hexen_Wulf]

I'm so proud of Billy and Dunkey, their first game at Big Mode got a 9/10! And it's not even a remake.

[@yourmannick3782]

Aye are you guys talking about Animal Well?

[@eoghanclark165]

Oh you know about Animal Well?

[@ImJeanGaming]

@@eoghanclark165 @yourmannick3782 you guys should play Animal Well. It's feels like you're really playing Animal Well

[@block827]

its like halo 2 meets halo 3

[@hhere2stay]

is the animal well?

[@hunde2430]

​@@hhere2stayis the animal

[@beazyb]

Its crazy the publisher is getting praise and not the developer 😂

[@megaroeny]

Seriously

[@helios3445]

i'm pretty disappointed in fellow dunkey fans. such a great game, and we're repeating the same jokes.

[@Bearbytez]

And yet you didn't mention Billy Basso by name either.

[@Mito383]

@@helios3445Dunkey fans have *always* repeated the same 5 jokes.

[@spastheghost]

Yeah but Dunkey's reach is what will really help the game take off.

[@acediaxxiii1622]

Can't wait to play the remastered version

[@ihazcheese]

Eagerly awaiting it.

[@Juicy_possum073]

Nobody knows about this game

[@bsigns1935]

Is there Bowser big bean burrito reference in this game?

[@wills2894]

One way to find out is to play the game...

[@GigerGang]

No but there's a Super Mario Bros 2 reference

[@carleykim6823]

But the real question everyone wants to know is.... Did you get your free wonderbread with the game?

[@Caninemuffin766]

It’s like Halo 2 meets Halo 3 in a perfect combination to make the worlds second strand type game.

[@CatLover_69]

Regurgitate someone elses vomit while you're at it.

[@orange6497]

true, but it is the first well type game

[@GTNOfficial]

Can we talk about how this game is somehow only 40mb and requires only 1gb of ram? What an incredible technical feat to squeeze so much into so little

[@MegaPrams]

We should fit it to the next voyager and let the aliens have some fun

[@imogenmcgough9689]

It makes a big difference to have a game made from scratch, vs cobbling a bunch of stuff together on top of Unity

[@takitakiboom]

@@imogenmcgough9689 true, Roller Coaster Tycoon is a gold standard example of this practice

[@happyspaceinvader508]

To be fair, the graphics are not that sophisticated by modern standards. And there’s no music either, which probably saves a load of space.

[@Spanishdog17]

The Cod devs/Activison need to take notes on this.

[@mentorassassin0282]

Finally a game that can surpass Knack in all its glory

[@mohamad.h4300]

Knack 1*

[@arcangel1172]

But knack 2 on the other hand

[@user-pe3se2md4p]

if you dont't have money buy it , always remeber:you can wishlist it for free!

[@Kean_Bean]

If wish listed, it comes with a free bag of Wonderbread!

[@OmeletteMcDomelette]

The devs at Wonderbread did a great job with this promotional game.

[@SplnSix]

"Dev" as in one man 😂

[@orange6497]

dev.

[@shftujftbc9176]

Dunkey will be happy

[@HydraTower]

This woman has the most satisfyingly enunciated Ps.

[@rabble_rousdower]

She has several scented candles

[@noneofyourbusiness4616]

IGN ASMR

[@maudlinfaust]

@@noneofyourbusiness4616is an anagram of MR NIGAS

[@ettel8358]

Animal well well well...

[@AlbertAlbertB.]

Dunkey is going to eat your shoes for not giving this a 5/5

[@Ian-ul6bu]

The first well-type game

[@bajdooo]

this is the dark souls of well games

[@trel4504]

So proud of Dunkey!! This is huge for indie games

[@MichaelAussie05]

Great review, thanks to Rebekah and team for their time and efforts in producing this thoroughly informative and entertaining video. Cheers.

[@narf1070]

Finally, a normal comment! The game is fun, and great review!!

[@mikekelliher99]

This is like the time Animal Well released on May 9th -Gex

[@donkyot7152]

Animal well is like having dinner at Tony Gorge Orewell’s house

[@ZBilbs]

Best game since Donkey Kong: Frozen Ape

[@driftwoods2229]

As someone who grew up with Braid and Super Meat Boy, Im beyond stoked to try this out

[@mrcupcake5309]

You explaining the game sounded like Playisms "La-Mulana" series which is severely underrated.

[@TheWickles]

They gave it a 9

[@sorenlundgreen9170]

Dunkey is not going to like that

[@HarperNguyen]

NPC

[@ssmelllyboi6589]

“NO FUCKIN WAY”

[@chiquita683]

IGN is a joke. Game is a masterpiece

[@anakyangbudiman8497]

Now this girl, is the killdest girl.

[@supremebuffalo6322]

All these comments seem to just be farming upvotes from Dunkey fanbase...Meanwhile a handful of viewers are hoping the game matches up to the pre-release ARG hype breadcrumb trail left by the creator, probably. I'm optimistic

[@gen0cider]

how the hell is this only 56mb??

[@ipohertroyanov464]

Well, it was developed from scratch, without using big engines. It looks like it basically has no textures. So there is the answer

[@perihelion7445]

Most games in the 90's with better graphics than this that were 2D were only 2MB in size. 56MB is probably overkill for this but better audio, greater colour palette and animation frames would push it up.

[@nicholashu489]

It really makes you FEEL like you’re in a well

[@rossmillington8700]

Shouts to binkus and the unbelievably talented dev who made the whole thing as a 1 man team passion project

[@MrEditorsSideKick]

The PS5 finaly gets it's KNACK KILLER. This game is just like halo 2 and 3 combined.

[@AlexBooth__BOOF__]

Finally, a quintuple A game. Right after the first ever quadruple A game in the same year! But seriously, this should be AAAAA because Dunkey’s the GOAT and BigMode is the publisher to watch!

[@willostrand6555]

0:27 why does this sound like something the dunk would say ironically lmfao

[@Herlgar]

It really has a little something for everyone

[@anandaditya479]

Using scanlines and dark theme is so cool

[@keeganbate8935]

Finally, the first well-type game

[@decimat_ixn]

ah yes the very first well-like game thank you bigmode

[@Swagghanistan]

They gave it a 12

[@travisstack5282]

It’s like Knack 2 had a baby with a well

[@alidavari6958]

Can't wait for the remaster to play it!

[@archithrough]

This game is truly a well-type game

[@sanguineel]

These IGN reviews' production value is getting better

[@honeyroha9780]

This game seems really cool and I'd love to check it out but does anyone know if it has an option to turn off flashing? I'm epileptic and the firecrackers really get to me

[@nattofirstofthefermented]

Yes, there is a reduce flashing switch in the pause menu

[@honeyroha9780]

@@nattofirstofthefermented Great thank you!

[@awtodor]

Congrats to the developers and Dunkey

[@theRealWeirdling]

Kojima Productions really nailed it with this one

[@Hench12]

This game is very strand-like

[@davidtimmons9900]

Billy Basso did it again boys

[@ethanharris7943]

It’s probably a ten if you consider the free wonder bread you receive when you preorder

[@f25mart]

The first ever well strand gaming experience is here

[@thecookiecrew]

Really makes you feel like Animal Well

[@rishiRdutta]

Billy Basso did everything in this magical game! Kudos!

[@tomsentaylor1268]

It’s like Dungeons and Dragons in that way

[@HeyHedgehog]

What’s the music from this review from?

[@r1pperuk]

Im not watching this review....the game has "hidden" depth and want to go in blind! This game is hot people just buy it.

[@Ultilasagna]

Yeah even though they said it'd be spoiler free there are definitely some things that are probably spoilers

[@Bakugo24]

Rain world vibes

[@thedeadpoolwhochuckles.6852]

This opens up the possibilities of Animal Well-likes that are sure to come.

[@thrxshx]

This year: soulslikes Next year: wellslikes

[@hairyott3rr]

Little known fact that Big Mode was founded as Paul Beenis game by Paul Creenis. Glad to see they are still serving up masterpieces, here comes the money!

[@TheOneLaVon]

Just added this to my Steam Deck list

[@therealarien]

Reminds me of how fez felt dense with secrets and mysteries. Or the witness

[@brodyfergy]

They really made a new genre for well-type games

[@Kefroth1]

But can you play it on the Grush?

[@adamlassiter1296]

I'm really bothered by how many of you in the comments and every internet tabloid is praising Dunkey and not the Developer. His name is Billy Basso, he developed an entirely new game engine for this and created the entire game by himself. Dunkey is a publisher, typically they take the financial risk, they market the game, provide quality assurance among many other things. But just because it's his money, it's not his game.

[@felixthinks351]

Hmm, this isnt bookworm adventures deluxe Where is it?

[@staxxonstaxx6264]

Dunkey knows when you let the developer achieve their artistic vision, truly, something great will be created.

[@Salmontres]

can't say anything about the game (due to spoilers), but they make a 10 min video. IGN has mastered the craft of saying nothing

[@zRunes]

This game really makes you feel like going Big Mode

[@notme7880]

Finallly Paul Beenis games did it again! This games really surpasses their classics like the Kill Butt franchise.

[@arzen2816]

And that's how you get into Ikon Clan, baby.

[@asundelgun3487]

Spoiler alert...I know the ending after you find all the secrets....its a video of Dunkey's little brother breaking the record for Bowser's big bean burrito.

[@brandonalessio1586]

The way that traversal is one of the key aspects of gameplay makes me think that this might be the second ever “strand” game

[@ColorfulBoxOfCrayons]

Finally we get to see what the first Well-type game is!! Phenomenal! 9/10

[@heyscotty8052]

Im really excited by the first WELL game, exciting times to be a gamer

[@raphaelbaur4335]

My only question is - how did they make these visuals? They look incredible

[@TinchoCalderon]

Yes. Knack 2.

[@yolimap]

wrong, knack 3

[@VoteRFK]

Sooo is it a Well Like or a Well Lite? 🤔

[@Rastafarianinja]

Finally, a game that dares to venture into the untapped potential of animals in wells

[@liar6371]

They had the opportunity to do the funniest thing ever

[@tommybenton8930]

It has a little something for everyone

[@dogemcdogeface7901]

The fact that this is not only the best animal-type game, but also the first and best well-type game. My favorite part is when the donkey comes out of the well and said "Well, this animal is well." Truly one of the games of all time, Billy Basso and Dunkey are truly geniuses.

[@JacobBrzyski-ny3lz]

Congrats to Billy Basso for such an amazing game!

[@jaysengstacken2118]

Yea but it's not like Warbutt. In Warbutt you have shoot every animal in the well. The main character actually says "This time. Animal, well. " And then just shoots them.

[@limegpt]

Dunkey been real quiet since this review dropped

[@crazygsxr6969]

How tf stellar blade getting 7 and this getting 9

[@goop0]

but is it better than knack?

[@GXJGamingHighlights]

The first Open Wells type game

[@johnsnow2560]

Ign reviewing dunkeys game is like a full circle moment

[@diksafloppin3480]

Did they have Animal Well wishlisted?

[@ruvindap66]

A well type game to surpass metal gear?

[@LegoBakugan7]

This is the greatest Well game of all time

[@CarlosCarcamo-bs4ln]

Fun Fact: This game is mostly inspired by Super Mario Bros. 2.

[@Flyin9Penguin]

This game makes you feel like Spider-boy and Batdude had a baby who loved to play Knack so much he made a Knack2-SuperMario combo, amazing from start to finish. Music straight from the heart of Michael Jackson. 4 out of 5 boxes of concrete 🤝 Lets go Dunkey! ❤

[@FuNati]

Will it surpass Super Mario TWO tho? 😂