Bigmode, a brand-new publisher founded last year by married couple Jason and Leah, has officially announced their very first game Animal Well. It’s also a debut for solo developer Billy Basso. Animal Well is an indie puzzle platformer, with some elements of horror.
A release window has not been announced yet, but the game will be available on both Steam and PlayStation 5. Here is today’s big tweet from publisher Bigmode:
Animal Well has shown more of an eerie atmosphere than outright horror, so far. Its imagery distorts nature in a deliciously unsettling way, and the well itself promises a constant sense of claustrophobia. The lighting is hazy, gloomy, and definitely unnerving.
There’s a lot of potential for surprise in this hidden gem. For a full look at some of the gameplay you can expect, you can watch the original announcement trailer from the developer, who actually uploaded this nearly a year ago:
It’s definitely a surprise that Animal Well is coming to PlayStation 5. Its retro pixel art design is gorgeous, but it hardly demands next-gen tech. Also, no other platforms have been announced yet. Hopefully, Animal Well won’t be an exclusive, because it would perform well on the Xbox Game Pass, or as a mobile title on Nintendo Switch.
There’s a certain spark of inspiration in Animal Well that reflects a practiced artist and sincere passion. It doesn’t necessarily look to revolutionize the platformer genre, but its art design, mystery, and music have the potential to stand out. And that’s tough for the platforming genre, which is a common and vast landscape for indie devs, since it calls for retro graphics and mechanics that are easier to develop.
You can read more about Animal Well, Bigmode, and other upcoming indie platformers by checking out the rest of our news section!
Comments