Review: Anodyne (2013)

Original post: https://misthold.dreamwidth.org/10425.html

Anodyne (2013) is an action/adventure game. I specifically downloaded it because of its comparison to Legend of Zelda, and in style it's definitely reminiscent of the early GBA Zelda games. You play as human male Young, who is tasked with saving the world but doesn't seem all that prepared as his main weapon is a broom.

The main goal is to collect keys (and gems) to open portals to new places in the world, and then…do something. Fight boss monsters, maybe. Eventually you pick up new tools/power-ups, unlock new locations, and meet new characters (who do nothing). It's pretty straight-forward except for the stuff that's just a little…off. There's a pervasive sense of dread and unease throughout the game, and it makes for a really interesting playing experience.

So, I never actually finished playing this. Something's slightly iffy with the fighting element– like, it's off by a few pixels, so attacking a thing meant missing it most of the time– it was very frustrating actually trying to kill things. (Maybe that's the point?)

I also got lost, all the time. I'd make it to a new section of the world, then had no idea what to do, where to go, or how to move forward. The priests would just tell me to look for keys, but actually finding a key was VERY difficult. Routes were blocked by something, like a boulder, that needed a power-up skill to get past, but I had no clue where to <i>get</i> that power-up which meant more wandering around. Unfortunately, there's no walkthroughs for this game, so I couldn't even muddle my way through with instructions.

I played for about two hours and then put it down, and just never picked it back up. I do think people who like to really explore and dig deep into a game with little guidance would enjoy Anodyne. For me, I don't particularly enjoy wandering around the same three areas trying to figure out how to open something for an hour. I liked the music and the art style, and the game concept is cool, but I needed a Navi or something.

Price: $9.99

Available for Windows, macOS, Linux and mobile. I played the Mac version.