What's eShopping about?

I've been playing on that PS5 which I've not had any framerate issues, though had a few buggy moments.

Animal Well is getting some cracking reviews, so that's been my latest buy. Following finishing Paranormasight I'm up for something else a tad creepy, and it sounds like it's more Metroidvania than stealth game as I feared. Apparently it runs well on Switch too. What with that and Little Kitty out today and Lorelei next week, it's a stealth grand month for the eShop.

The only negative: a lot of talk about the YouTuber Dunkey as a result. He didn't develop the game, strewth.

HUH. I haven't listened to Back Page yet, so my full knowledge of Animal Well is a mention in the shownotes and that screenshot. Colour me intrigued.

Did you pick it up Balla? I tried it for a bit on Friday but I'm not sure I'm going to get on with it. The game it most reminded me of was Fez and that has put me off for now...

I can see the Fez comparisons, but I don't think it looks plays or feels like Fez - at least at first. On the surface I always found Fez rather a banal game, you swap the world around once and it's charming but after that it only does maybe two interesting things with the idea? And the platforming doesn't feel that good. Meanwhile its much-lauded depths just seemed to be, 'have fun deciphering these languages repeatedly'.

Animal Well's platforming feels... okay, I'd say, but the Metroidvania inventory gives Blobbo some movement options Fez Lad didn't have and the animals make exploring more interesting than just, here's some more pixel scenery. I've also already played some puzzles that were more interesting than anything Fez had to offer before its later weirder stages. I know you've already said you find it "more frustrating than rewarding" but the rewards here feel greater than Fez at least, not that that's saying much.

I've also picked up Lorelei and the Laser Eyes. That feels like it's going to be a nice puzzler with good vibes trapped behind a character that's a pain to move and a single-button interface that was an asinine decision for a menus-focussed game on modern machines. I'm leaning 7 on Animal Well and lower on Lorelei right now.

I've really enjoyed the first half (well I'm at about 50% complete) of Lorelei, but I put I've put it down at a point where the puzzles were starting to get a little less solvable and that does leave me concerned to return to it. Definitely the better of the 2 for me.

Did you play any more of Animal Well, Balla?

I chatted to Andy about this and we both found we bounced off the game pretty hard. I think these sort of puzzle adventure games aren't really for me - I did not like Fez either, for what it's worth.

I didn't, no, for a couple of reasons - most of them summed up here. To wit: my currently playing list contains Worldless which does the Metroidvania thing better (IMO), Tunic which does the high difficulty and "puzzle adventure" things better, and any number of games which do the "grim mood" thing better or as well. I'd also put that at this point Animal Well doesn't seem to reward you with that much: the items are interesting but none of them showstoppers, there's no real power curve, and there's only so many oddly flexible evil beasts one man can take. As it turns out, the animals do not make exploring much more interesting than just, here's some more pixel scenery

I do intend to go back to it at some point, whether to crack on or just to firmly put it in the ground, but it's not done a lot to draw me back in. I do prefer what I've played of it to what I've played of Fez though.

I really enjoyed Animal well but I can see how some folk might bounce off it, one you absolutely have to be in the right mood for.

Balla wrote:

the items are interesting but none of them showstoppers, there's no real power curve,

The reward for getting the items aren't always immediately obvious but that's down to how the game has a bunch of hidden mechanics/secrets.

I've really liked what I've played of Animal Well, haven't got much beyond the credits where I understand it really ramps up but I intend to go back and try and figure out some of it's mysteries.

My understanding is that there isn't that much of an upwards direction to go in, other than more complex puzzles and other animals. No power curve, no plot or lore to uncover. Just more of the same. Eh.

I thought it was refreshing to have a game that just reveled in being a game for a change.

Oh great, now I worry I'm enjoying Animal Well from some kind of Stockholm Syndrome, as it does behave, apart from graphics, just like a UK 8 bit proto-Metroidvania.

The_Jaster wrote:

I thought it was refreshing to have a game that just reveled in being a game for a change.

This sums up my feelings well on the game, when I was playing it I wasn't worrying about the what or why, it was just the fun of working through the screens and seeing what else it would throw at me.

I've been having a big long think about what 'a game that just reveled in being a game' means, especially given 'for a change'.  Looking through through my Switch list I'd say Untitled Goose Game, What The Golf?, the Overcooked games, arguably Monster Boy, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and Severed all fit the bill - and that's only from the top half of my personal Switch list!  That's ignoring Mario Odyssey and Tunic, where the story/lore take a dramatic back seat and never really interrupt things for long.

I feel like there are more 'games that just revel in being games' than maybe that take suggests.  Anyway, I will go back to Animal Well, but at this point I'm not entirely sure its moment-to-moment is fun and different enough to make the lack of more obvious progression work.  (Also Jas you should definitely play Tunic if you haven't.)

I think my brain was just thinking about what seems to be popular in the AAA game space, games that usually have a large focus on story and very little on the gameplay side of things but still somehow receive all the critical acclaim. You're right though, there are a lot of great indies but Animal well seemed to capture more attention than most of them at least in the last year or so.

Balla wrote:

(Also Jas you should definitely play Tunic if you haven't.)

Aye, it definitely sounds up my street but I think it's quite low on my to play list at the minute.

Because they're great experiences, that's why they get the acclaim.

Shocked that you of all people would stick up for that strain of games Mas.

The_Jaster wrote:

I think my brain was just thinking about what seems to be popular in the AAA game space, games that usually have a large focus on story and very little on the gameplay side of things but still somehow receive all the critical acclaim. You're right though, there are a lot of great indies but Animal well seemed to capture more attention than most of them at least in the last year or so.

Ah right, re. big mainstream games I probably agree. I've been pondering why that is, but all of my answers feel a bit conspiracy theory-ish. Along the lines of, 'gaming's still an immature medium so the thinking is that to be sophisticated, and thus garner critical appeal, they need to emulate other media'.

Thank goodness for Nintendo, eh? They probably get closest to bucking that trend. As for indies, Animal Well's got the advantage of Dunkey's name behind it I guess, but they do tend more towards the gameplay-focussed in several cases. Pepper Grinder's another example from this year, not one I got on with sadly.

I will say as you know I play Nintendo games (well when they have any) for the gameplay and wouldn't knock Mario for lack of story. I don't know why can't enjoy both types of the medium, same as others which have a broad range.

If a game lacks gameplay and the interactivity isn't relevant to the story, I'd rather watch an actual TV show or movie, which is usually better. Even the best cinematic games would be absolutely mid against actual cinema.

A good cinematic story can enhance a game, but not make one.

The recent Still Wakes the Deep from Chinese Room tries to have more gameplay than Dear Esther for instance but SWTD be by far better if it was just a walking sim and about the story, then them making a 4hr boring game.

And even Hellblade II, reviews etc have knocked it for lack of gameplay but if you play it for what it is, then it's a fantastic cinematic experience, excelling it multiple areas. Why at the moment my Top 10 games for the year got Hellblade II alongside Peach, both games I enjoyed a lot doing different things.

I mention movies, which I haven't watched many this year or for awhile (maybe why I like story driven gamss so much in my main hobby) but could see a Top 10 of that having Deadpool and Poor Things on it, both very different from this year.

And the HBO The Last of Us Show does show game stories can stand alongside quality TV shows at least, maybe not against a Oscar winning film yet but maybe one day.

I actually don't mind Walking Sims, I think they use the medium in an interesting way to tell stories.

TLoU was at the level of an okay TV show, and when it was made a TV show it managed to be just that. TLoU is a weird example because I actually, at the time, thought the gameplay was additive to the story because it made me feel bad about the violence at times.

But now I'm in the position that I'd rather wait for the second series of the show than bother with the second game, as I don't feel I'd get any more from playing Naughty Dog's tedious shooting on top of watching what is basically a TV show anyway. And if the TV show didn't exist, I'd rather watch a couple of world-class films and play a good game than do this slightly inferior halfway house.

You do you, I guess, but those kinds of games have lost their appeal for me. Even Spider-man, which I liked, often felt like it was trying so hard to look cinematic that I didn't have the level of control I would have liked.

Yeah I like a walking sim and as I say think Still Wakes the Deep would be better as a pure Walking Sim then what it actually is.

If the TLoU HBO is way better than a okay TV show, if films&filth once done, does TV shows after you wrap, wouldn't be shocked see it top of TV shows along with your Breaking Bads etc. And know you hear stories of what games can be like this, but I genuinely had that in work a girl watched the show because of Pedro and was asking me about the game.

I don't know why I've dropped of films as I did used to watch a lot, think being on loads of different services, people not really going to the cinema (will for Deadpool) and time. Much eaiser when getting home at 10pm to play a wee bit of He2blade for 30mins then try to watch a 2hr film.

Balla wrote:

Ah right, re. big mainstream games I probably agree. I've been pondering why that is, but all of my answers feel a bit conspiracy theory-ish. Along the lines of, 'gaming's still an immature medium so the thinking is that to be sophisticated, and thus garner critical appeal, they need to emulate other media'.

If I had to pick a reason myself it'd probably be trend/money chasing, if a game starts out for mainly those reasons it usually shows in the end product that's if it isn't delayed or cancelled before it get's there.

That's the more likely less conspiratorial take.