Anodyne (2013)

I really enjoyed this game. Similar gameplay to A Link to the Past and the Capcom Oracle LoZ games, but obviously shorter.

The late game left a slightly sour taste in my mouth because it dawned on me that to progress to the final area you had to find every unlockable card, not just beat the boss dungeons. Thankfully there was less backtracking than I expected. The game really respects the time of the player by utilizing warp points, healing you at any new checkpoint, and not costing hearts when you fall down a hole. Plus, you actually save a lot of progress that would normally be lost given that a checkpoint system is in the game. They really function more like respawn points instead of checkpoints.

The settings were all unique, but the visual and sound design were still pretty cohesive. It was a beautiful game to experience. There were some profound and cryptic messages being conveyed at times, and though I’m not sure I always understood them, I definitely felt them. Not only did the settings help convey the part of existence each area seemed to explore, but the soundtrack really put me the right emotional state for them as well. My personal favorites were the Cliffs

You should really play this game some time! It should take anywhere from 5-10 hours depending on how quickly you pick up on some of the puzzles and how well you can traverse the world.

I’ll add a few screenshots later

Anodyne is a 2D action-adventure I bought many years ago but never played fully until now. The game borrows heavily from 2D Zelda, particularly the Game Boy titles like Link's Awakening. Much like in those games, you explore a big world, fight enemies, delve into dungeons and confront scary bosses. What sets Anodyne apart is its surreal world, which is made up of disparate fragments that don't quite make sense. You explore a peaceful forest in one moment, and the next you're lost in a creepy hotel. It's like a dream that is serene at times, but disturbing in others. The easiest point of comparison that I can think of is Yume Nikki, another 2D game which has very surreal worlds.

The moment-to-moment gameplay is very tight, albeit a bit simplistic. Unlike in Zelda, there isn't a ton of puzzling to be had. There is one particularly interesting ability you gain near the end of the game that has puzzling potential, but the potential is never explored and it's instead treated like a game-breaking endgame ability. As a consequence, dungeons wear out their welcome rather quickly, even though the combat feels pretty good and there is a decent variety of enemies to fight.

Thankfully, the game as a whole is not very long, and it's possible to finish it in three to four hours. Despite not being anything special when it comes to gameplay, I do really like the aesthetic and music of Anodyne. There's a large variety of areas with really distinct visual styles, and that in of itself is a great incentive to keep exploring and making discoveries. I'm still not really able to decipher the cryptic narrative, if it's meant to make any sense at all. As a result, the dark aspects of the story feel like mere decoration and I find it difficult to discern any meaning or message to the story.

Anodyne is really worthwhile is you enjoy classic Zelda, or if you just like really pretty pixel art and surreal landscapes. Otherwise, I wouldn't recommend this. I hope to check out the sequel as well at some point, since that game also looks pretty interesting.

Although I've had Anodyne 2 on my wish list for a while, I didn't intend to play the original until it went on sale for a ridiculously low price. I figured why not give it a whirl?

This was a good decision. Anodyne is, at its heart, a smaller scale 2D Zelda-like adventure (similar to A Link to the Past or Link's Awakening). You collect keys, navigate dungeons, fight enemies, and talk to NPCs. As a game, I found it to be really fun. I enjoyed exploring the world.

Where the game differs from Zelda is in its tone, environments and characters, which feel more like something Shigesato Itoi might cook up. It is sometimes cute, sometimes surprisingly dark, frequently surreal. I'd compare it to Undertale, which also feels pretty disparate and random at first. But unlike Undertale, Anodyne never answers any of the questions it poses in a satisfying way... a criticism its developers would probably agree with.

But even when it had me scratching my head, Anodyne consistently entertained me. If you're a fan of games like Oracle of Seasons/Ages and open to experiences that are more strange than solid, I think you might dig it.