Game is fun and little bugs here and there - But the main thing is that the Dev. just paused, stopped or quit the project.... Official statement is on the Discord from A.N.N.E. - Post from 25.05.2020

People say that the developer didn't want to work on the game anymore. These people are [RETRACTED]. The pandemic hit the developer like a truck, and was [RETRACTED]. People need to remember that developers are people too, and we were all affected by COVID differently, and unfortunately, a lot of good people was forced to suffer because of it. To everyone who says this game was abandoned, [RETRACTED]. [RETRACTED].

UPDATED REVIEW: You will see that a few spots of the old review have been retracted, and that's because when I originally made this review, it was because I was trying to take the highroad and give the developer the benefit of the doubt, presuming that he ran out of money and his mental health had been shot due to the COVID crisis.

Maybe that's still the case, maybe he did run out of money, maybe he overworked himself working on the original A.N.N.E. that he grew to completely hate it. I've had projects like that before, I'm sure we've all experienced that kind of burn out in our lives.

But then he made the announcement about A.N.N.E. Wars, and everything immediately felt wrong. Like he came back out of the woodwork to tell everybody "Hey everyone, I'm back, but also no!"

Look, like I said, maybe he did have mental health problems, maybe he did run out of money because of COVID, but to shift gears entirely to a new project, and shelving the original one altogether? No, not even a new project! A semi new project using assets from the old projects to, what, decrease development time?? And it doesn't even work?!

And then you make the original A.N.N.E. which is STILL incomplete cost $70?! Dude, I played A.N.N.E., I liked the game, but I wouldn't spend the same amount of money for it that I would a PS5 game, I'm sorry.

It's very likely that the developer overworked himself and ended up viewing the original A.N.N.E. with contempt, like a failure, a waste of time, something that ruined his life, and he wants nothing to do with, and I would totally understand that, but at the same time, that just makes the decision to make a new game that takes place in the same universe all the more baffling! You can't tell me you want to get away from your project, and then make a new project that has ties to the original project! If you really resented the old one, then you're just going to fall down that same rabbit hole, and people are going to hate you all over again!

Bottom line, commit to what you ran a kickstarter for, or cut ties to it entirely. You've already burned a lot of bridges, and people are not going to play A.N.N.E. Wars because the PR surrounding it is completely FUBR.

Game is officially abandoned and stuck in early access for now. And thats while development has been almost 7 years and besides kickstarter, money was taken from the canadian madia fund. Though people were hired mybe one shouldn't have attended every PAX and several other game shows in all those years.

A real pity playing the first few areas was really fun so far but there is just missing too much.
Especially the first area feels a little empty and dead and some parts are buggy.
The 2nd one is where the game really starts to shine. The rich and imaginative world the trailer promises comes to live here.
I haven't explored the game any further yet because I want to at least get the full finished experience even if it won't be bug free and miss any extra content outside the main game and story.

It seems we might never get that.

Can't believe I kickstarted this abandonware

More "Early Access" that takes people's money and fails to deliver a finished product. Will never, EVER, support Early Access again.

A.N.N.E is a metroidvania, but it's also a space shooter. It's an interesting mix, that wasn't explored before. You play as a nameless robot on a quest to save a robot named A.N.N.E. It's a simple damsel in distress story, but it's more than enough for a metroidvania and it makes clear that the game focuses on gameplay.

As with the other games of this genre you have little to no abilities at the start. You can run and you can jump and you have to explore levels to find new abilities, that will open up new paths to explore. The game also has lots of secrets and optional items, that you can collect if you're skilled enough or just love backtracking from later stages of the game. Your space ship is a great tool for backtracking as it flies pretty fast, but it's not the only purpose of your ship. It is also there to help you solve puzzles as it can move big rocks and boxes. It provides a nice break from all the jumping.

Besides the usual abilities, which you acquire while linearly progressing through the story, the game offers an upgrade system, where you can spend the points you collect from fallen enemies. The upgrades can come in handy if you're feeling that the game is too hard on you. For me the game feels a little bit too easy, but I guess I'm just used to the platformer genre.

The visuals are very nice looking. The pixel art is great and animations are very fluid and satisfying. When you're on foot you can only see a little of the world around, but when you get into te space ship, camera zooms out and you can see the whole landscape, that you've just traveled through. It's a breathtaking view!

Pros:
+ An interesting mix of metroidvania and space shooter
+ Breathtaking visuals
+ Big levels to explore
+ Lots of different items and upgrades

♥♥♥♥:
- The game feels too easy
- No ending to the game yet, hope it will make to the release

A.N.N.E offers a classic metroidvania experience with a unique twist. If you like platforming, exploring and flying big space ships, then it's a game for you. Get it in early access to get the best deal and support the devs to finish the game!

More reviews on our Curator Page

Wish I could actually play this game but it is a badly broken alpha that shows no signs of being fixed... ever.
Currently the game is unplayable and I gave up even trying after half an hour due to tool-tips that stay on screen and can't be removed no matter what button or key you press, wonky unusable controller support (that reverts back to keyboard/mouse randomly, and also half the buttons don't do what they say they do on the keybinding screen), screen-transitions that don't actually transition (the character moves to a different screen but the camera doesn't follow) aiming that doesn't aim 50% of the time, and in general a train wreck of bugs that nobody can be expected to play through.
If I hadn't bought the game cheap on a Steam sale over a year ago and then held off playing it in the hopes that the devs would get their **** together, I'd ask for my money back.

If you like your metroidvanias with a big dose of charm, A.N.N.E. is certainly one worth checking out, especially at its $15 price point.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dn0Z6Rq3ssI&feature=youtu.be

While it certainly has many of the classic metroidvania tropes, it puts a fun twist on the genre by adding a space shooter element as well as a mechanic that allows you to manipulate the map using your ship. That plus the charming storytelling makes this long-anticipated title worth checking out.

Very charming and approachable Metroidvania title with great pixel art and a soundtrack by Hitoshi Sakimoto's studio, responsible for one of my favorite gaming soundtracks, Final Fantasy Tactics!!!

Please follow my curator page, Designer Plays, for a truly massive number of concise and honest reviews from a 25-year veteran Game Designer.

abandoned game