Anodyne

I liked and enjoyed this game, but it didn't have a lot of action, and it was more centered in "exploration", which is good, but also very linear until you finish the game, it's a funny game, but maybe i found it a little repetitive

I think this game fits in with other "artistic" games. There is a theme to everything, and the world layouts are well done, but there is no explicit story or cohesion to any of it. Yet, unlike other games in this category, such as Dear Esther, there is actual real gameplay, with zelda-style dungeons, puzzles, and explorations. This mix of aesthetics and logical gameplay sometimes seems at odds, but mostly they complement each other. Quite a fun trip overall, with some memorable (if strange) areas.

A competent zelda clone with an environment that will always surprise you. The best I can describe it is as though it was inspired by a waking dream/nightmare. Most of what you see is based on something in the real world, but presented in a fascinatingly strange way. Now it had its faults. The jumping is frustrating, getting to the end is a chore, and the story isn't really brought to life, which somewhat robs the ending of narrative impact. But I always found myself eager to explore just to see what surreal thing I'd find next. If you're ever in the mood to just be weirded out for 5 hours, then this game will suit you just fine.

A glowing, open door. An invitation? A necessity, perhaps... Across conceptually abstract locales, Young's adventure is quite surreal indeed, with a subtle touch of malevolence – the 'something seems a bit off here' factor. The visuals and soundscape effectively contribute to building up an atmosphere which will comprise many hues and flavours, from lighthearted humour to seriously dark moods. Anodyne's abstract narrative is in stark contrast to the game's straightforward gameplay, which is your typical action-adventure adhering to the retro formula - which sees exploration, combat and puzzles all taking place from an overhead perspective, with most actions revolving around the use of two primary items, a broom (your weapon!) and shoes for jumping. Oh, and there will be a lot of keys to find, but the main collectables are the game's cards which will unlock various gates to other dimensions. The platforming elements can be a pain when playing with a keyboard, and I admit this has led me to installing the game on my Android mobile device, which allowed me to handle the jumping as if using a gamepad. However, to say that this is Link's Awakening 2.0 would be a bit of a stretch, for while the game's mechanics are certainly old school Zelda-like, Anodyne would fit better in a category of titles that would include The Stanley Parable, first because of its experimental narrative steeped in metaphor, but also because of its rather unexpected post-game gimmick, which I won't spoil for you but suffice to say that I thought it was quite fascinating and it kept me playing for a while longer. Speaking of playtime, this game kept me busy for roughly 10 hours, which felt about right. That's 3.5/5 stars for me. The world of Anodyne may just be a variegated collection of thoughts, feelings and memories, but if delving into and exploring a somewhat tortuous psyche doesn't sound unpalatable to you, then I would invite you to give this game a try... it may well resonate with you.

This game is somewhat similar to games such as LISA The Painful, OFF, and Undertale without any of the RPG elements and with more action/platforming. It combines the sprite design and overall look of Link to the Past with the more surreal and creepy imagery of dream sim games like Yume Nikkei and .flow. Now, is Anodyne as good as any of those games I mentioned? Probably not AS good, no. The controls are adequate, the mchanics are simple if sparse, but the writing is somewhat weak. It tries to be very vague about what's really going on, which is perfectly fine, but unfortunately doesn't stick the landing and feels more pretentious than it does ominous. Where this game excels though is in it's world design and exploration, especially in the post game. Without spoiling much, you gain the ability to essentialy break the level borders only to find much more than what you would expect. It actually fits quite well with the ominous feeling the visuals successfully convey and that the writing failed to convey. If that isn't appealing, then there isn't really much else to the game unfortunately. Visuals and music are great, gameplay is light, story is not told well. Overall I would give this a 3.5/5--it has some issues, and unless you like the idea of post game exploration then there really isn't much to recommend, however if that stuff is your jam and you like surreal imagery then there's quite a bit to work with here