From Press Release:
March 17, 2024 – Bigmode is proud to announce the launch date for its first published title ANIMAL WELL will be Thursday, May 9, 2024.
It will be available on PlayStation®5, Nintendo Switch™, and Steam®, including full Steam Deck™ support. ANIMAL WELL is an action-platform-exploration game that constantly defies categorization. It’s a pixel-art indie game taking advantage of next gen lighting effects. It has Metroidvania-like elements but has virtually no combat and none of the typical items one would expect from that genre. It has lots of puzzles, but it’s not really a puzzle game. Playing is the best way to get a feel for what it really is. Videogamedunkey (Bigmode co-founder) has dubbed it the first “open well” game.
ANIMAL WELL is the culmination of seven years of art, code, music, and game design all from one source: Billy Basso.
“I started development on ANIMAL WELL seven years ago and spent the majority of my evenings and weekends since that time working on it. I quit my day job about 2 years ago to finish the game and couldn’t be prouder of how the game turned out. This has been my passion for a long time, and I’m so excited to finally share it with the world.” -Billy Basso
In ANIMAL WELL, you play as a nondescript ball who hatches from a flower and sets off to explore its environment. You will discover items like a bubble wand and a yoyo to help you navigate the world. A wide variety of animals populate this world, some of which may help you, while others may react to you with hostility.
Features:
- Dense atmospheric puzzle box world with tons of secrets
- Nonlinear—explore and collect items in whatever order you choose
- Enemies, environment, and items interact in surprising and systemic ways
- All items have multiple uses
- The main game is just the beginning. Players will be discovering hidden puzzles for years
ANIMAL WELL will be priced at $24.99/£20.99/24,50€.
