are the reviews over exaggerating?

[fnart]

not a fan nor a hater of dunky, his content is alright and for his first game under his publishing it's awesome to see it doing well (among some other great indie releases today!)

however are these raving reviews real or mostly paid actors? i know dunky often over exaggerates his reviews to be funny, but does this game really have similar video game magic as Outer Wilds? that and the whole "halo 2 meets halo 3" is confusing and off putting bc it just sounds like "haha funny dunky joke xd"

Outer Wilds is my fav game of all time, so if these reviewers are legit i might just refund hades 2 and get this instead. What do you guys think?

[Tiny Plume]

As much as I like this game, I wouldn't refund Hades II for this if I had to make a choice.

It does have a cool graphics style, a sense of discovery that's kind of gone from current gaming, and overall be of great quality, it's not the greatest masterpiece of all time. It's a game that does what it sets out to do extremely well.

[ertdfgcb]

I've played both, they're different types of games. This one is a puzzle platformer and Hades is an action roguelite. Animal well for sure has some tricky mechanical stuff to do but it's a lot more chill than Hades. I could easily see someone like Animal Well but hating Hades or vice versa, they're pretty different. Animal Well does seem like a very high quality puzzle platformer so far, I'm enjoying it a lot.

[Malidala]

Well, it's certainly review manipulation. I wonder if he even properly disclosed his financial ties to the project and how his opinion of the game is inseparable from that.

[fnart]

Originally posted by ertdfgcb:

I've played both, they're different types of games. This one is a puzzle platformer and Hades is an action roguelite. Animal well for sure has some tricky mechanical stuff to do but it's a lot more chill than Hades. I could easily see someone like Animal Well but hating Hades or vice versa, they're pretty different. Animal Well does seem like a very high quality puzzle platformer so far, I'm enjoying it a lot.

that's fair, i suppose what i meant by refunding hades 2 (which already went through, lol that was fast) was that I decided to instead pick up hades 2 when it's a bit more developed, and perhaps on a small sale like 20% off or something. I didn't even fully beat hades 1 since i started it on gamepass, and so im in the process of getting the epilogue there now, and will get the sequel down the line when i want to sink into that roguelike goodness

as for Animal Well, im more interested if it holds a candle to something like Outer Wilds. I personally wasn't a big fan of hollow knight, i just couldn't get into it after a few hours, and this is kinda what it looks like (minus the combat?)

[Drimon]

Its more like a mystery Ori.

[fnart]

Originally posted by Drimon:

Its more like a mystery Ori.

damn that sounds even better

[it's a gabe]

I think the Outer Wilds comparison (which I saw in the Second Wind review earlier) comes from the laser focus on exploration and puzzle solving. But whereas Outer Wilds has a rather intriguing plot (which is what makes it so good), Animal Well is a silent metroidvania. If there is a story, it's very light to the point where I didn't find it yet.

Not that that's a detriment. I don't like when games refuse to let go of my hand in order to tell an "emotional and captivating" story. I'm that guy who couldn't keep playing Persona 5 past the first palace cuz it just won't shut up, moving from one long conversation to a tutorial to more long and uninteresting conversations.

I can't say I'm a fan of Hades. Never even played the first. It didn't seem particularly interesting to me. But then, that is a game with a focus on telling a specific story. Animal Well just throws you in there, gives you organic tutorials (the kind you learn intuitively while paying), and leaves you to your own devices. I dig stuff like that, so personally I would've refunded Hades 2 to get it.

[Hariman]

Originally posted by it's a gabe:

I think the Outer Wilds comparison (which I saw in the Second Wind review earlier) comes from the laser focus on exploration and puzzle solving. But whereas Outer Wilds has a rather intriguing plot (which is what makes it so good), Animal Well is a silent metroidvania. If there is a story, it's very light to the point where I didn't find it yet.

Not that that's a detriment. I don't like when games refuse to let go of my hand in order to tell an "emotional and captivating" story. I'm that guy who couldn't keep playing Persona 5 past the first palace cuz it just won't shut up, moving from one long conversation to a tutorial to more long and uninteresting conversations.

I can't say I'm a fan of Hades. Never even played the first. It didn't seem particularly interesting to me. But then, that is a game with a focus on telling a specific story. Animal Well just throws you in there, gives you organic tutorials (the kind you learn intuitively while paying), and leaves you to your own devices. I dig stuff like that, so personally I would've refunded Hades 2 to get it.

Not going to lie, reactions like this are pretty much selling me on animal well.

Especially since I'm not really interested in Hades 2, it have been very much enjoying indie games that let you have fun and explore and are built tightly around a theme.

[Mr. Slick Rick $ (Fard/Shid)]

Most of the reviews have under an hour so that's likely the amount of fun you'll get out of it. Probably not worth it until it goes on sale.

[fnart]

yeah im probably picking animal well up later tn, because obra dinn is STILL NOT on sale, and i need my outer wilds fix NOW

also for anyone else like me that’s looking for games like outer wilds and i guess animal well for the whole “figure things out yourself” game structure done really well, check out:
Case of the golden idol
Ghost trick: phantom detective
Return of the Obra Dinn

[Hunter Este]

My friend, not everything is a conspiracy to fleece consumers.
People are enjoying this title and leaving reviews explaining this.

[Babadook]

Almost certainly paid. I listened to 5 reviews and they were all exactly the same. Several times they were word for word repeating what each other said. They are definitely using a script.

[Mattrex]

There are a lot of meme reviews, but I've played it for a while and it's been quite fun. Lots of little puzzles and secrets, it looks good, the movement is crisp, and (importantly for me) the game doesn't get in its own way with cutscenes or extraneous dialogue; it's pure gameplay.

I don't know Dunkey from Adam; I've never watched one of his videos and haven't the first clue about what he's said about this game beyond what I've seen in those meme reviews. But there really is something interesting here.

[<:)]

I don't watch or enjoy dunkeys content and found this game through steam's new releases list. The game is great if you like puzzle platformers. it doesn't strike me as the kind of game that would appeal to people who would enjoy dunkey's braindead 'hur dur me sound dumb' style humour.

[GameQb]

i like both, hades II and animal well. they are totally different and i wouldn´t say one is better than the other. it´s a different experience for a different kind of mood. hades basically has infinite replayability and can be enjoyed in short bursts. animal well, being a metroidvania, might be a one and done but has a lot to offer. from what i played so far, it all feels incredibly well thought out, though. the platforming is very snappy and enjoyable, also i´m a sucker for secret stuff and really hate handholding. i only played 1 hour so far but i can already tell that it is an excellent game with a unique feel to it and i will enjoy it a lot.

refunding might not be the best idea since hades II will probably go up in price when it goes into full release and animal well is already complete. but there will always be a sale eventually