Until last year, I had spent four years working in the dark on an exploration, mystery, and animal game. After announcing Animal Well on the PlayStation Blog and then showing it off at Devs Day at Summer Game Fest, I'm still at work, but less in the dark. When dankey indie game label Bigmode announced it would be publishing a favorite project that only my parents and close friends knew about, it shot to the top of many people's game lists.
It's time to update the progress status of the game and give a proper introduction to people who have recently learned about it, including (especially) first-timers reading this post.
Today I'm happy to share a new look at Animal Well with a trailer that showcases some interesting moments from the game. Check out the updated hanging vines in the new video, which now swing beautifully when you walk through them. You can also see some unusual uses of items in the game, as well as other examples of interactions with pond animals. These elements are some of Animal Well's most defining features, as the game features many amazing animal interactions and item uses.
origin story
Somehow it seems that the various interests and hobbies I've pursued throughout my life have helped develop the skills needed to make this game work. As a child I loved building things, drawing and playing the piano. I imagined myself growing up to be a cartoonist or a veterinarian. In high school I studied film and cartoons, but my interest in computers grew. Then I went to film school, but I started learning coding in my spare time. Various interests came and went, but what remained constant was a deep passion for video games. They were truly magical to me and I have loved them for as long as I can remember. It was only after I graduated that I realized that all my hobbies are an attempt to understand a certain aspect of his work. I looked at the details without paying attention to the big picture.
I saved enough money working on the Holiday 2006 Blockbuster videos I could find to download to the PS3. Here are boxes of them in various places in my parents' house.
With this simplicity, I quickly realized that making solo games is very difficult. I spent the next ten years working at various game studios learning everything I could about the process. Animal Well is an attempt to fully understand what it takes to create a game from start to finish, from a blinking cursor in an empty IDE window to a full game. I also made it difficult for myself by not using any standard middleware or engine. Not that there's anything wrong with games using these tools. It's just that if I did, I'd have a lot of unanswered questions.
What is a pet pond?
Animal Well is an exploration of a mysterious world. You step out of the flower and leave meaning to your surroundings as you see fit. The world benefits from the many creatures that inhabit it, be it dogs, mice, kangaroos, capybaras or chinchillas. It's not like you're not welcome there. They've been there before. Some animals can be quite friendly, while others can be hostile. None of them is your enemy and none is your friend. They respond to the environment in a way that makes sense to them. You may have to work with them or avoid them to get where you want to go.
Certain items you use can help you navigate the world. You will find many secret passages and hidden paths that open up new areas to explore. Along the way, you'll have to solve puzzles and overcome platforming challenges, some of which aren't immediately obvious.
How is development going?
That was great. I've made more progress adding content to the game in the last year than in the previous two years. My engine and level editor have been finished for a while (although I keep adding features as I think of new things I want), so it's been quick to add content. One of my biggest design goals is to make sure every part of the game is well thought out and not overdone. When I add new content, I go back and redo the existing content based on what items the player can have when they reach a certain point, what room entrances they can enter, and the overall difficulty of the curve from start to finish. Build, build, build, grind, grind, grind.
I understand that many players come into the game with different expectations. Some will want to beat the game and make it to the end. This group will want to have fun in every new room they find. Others will want to take their time and explore every nook and cranny. They will look for secrets and enjoy exploring all the hidden details of the rooms to see if they can find something that someone else missed. Others will focus on the relationship between certain rooms and what details in one can tell about the other. This team will try to squeeze every drop of the game. When I make a game, I keep all three audiences in mind to make sure everyone gets what they expect from Animal Well, and hopefully more.
I'm not ready to announce a release date yet, but I can assure everyone that I'm working hard to make Animal Well the best it can be. I hope you all agree it was worth the wait.