After somewhere in the area of 16 hours, I have beaten Animal Well (Shared Memory/Bigmode 2024. And by this I mean: I have beaten the first of four layers of Animal Well: the vanquishing of the Manticore and the restoration of peace to the world of the well. If I wanted to, I could now focus on completing any of the other three layers, including opening all the rooms and discovering all the eggs; collaborating with other players to learn how to solve the external puzzles; and deciphering the so-called “broken messages” poster. These additional challenges would require me to put even more time, energy and thought into the game, and if I wanted to complete the experience I would have to probably devote weeks, if not months, of my life to the endeavor.
Honestly? I’m good.
I like Animal Well a lot more than I thought I would. I vibed heavily with the peaceful Metroid gameplay, the lo-fi aesthetic and the Kuriboh-ass nature of the player-avatar. I loved how, if I got stuck in an area, I could for the most part backtrack to another part of the well to unlock other secrets and discover more areas, and that the game didn’t seem to be keeping track of, much less punishing, the order in which I acquired traversal tools. My favorite game experience this year has to be when I solved a complex puzzle room by flawlessly using my tools in the right order, and the thing just kinda Rube Goldberged itself into place for me.
Even at the end I found the challenge more satisfying than grating. After you collect all four animal flames and open the bottom of the well itself, the game compels you to think faster, jump more precisely and use your tools with greater efficiency than you had to previously, and the final area requires you to do a multi-room unlock gambit while being chased by the aforementioned Manticore. Planning ahead, not just throwing my little orb-like body into the nearest body of water, and finally reaching the final brick of TNT to explode in the Manticore’s face was a major dopamine dump to my brainstem. Or wherever it is that dopamine actually goes.
But I feel no compulsion or even desire to go further, or to complete more. Instead, I’m checking Animal Well off as “completed,” similar to Pacific Drive.
I think this is going to be my general strategy for games this year. I’m going to play as much as I feel satisfied to play, and then I’m going to move on. And I’m not going to feel bad that I didn’t 100% anything or uncover as many secrets as I could. I think, speaking only for myself, cultivating a healthy relationship to games means spending less unrewarding time with them, and learning how and when to put the controller down instead of hanging on for one more hour, one more run, one more spate of exploration.