A brightly-lit, electro Breakout. It begins with good ideas and I enjoyed how boards encourage a mixture of classic paddle technique with the push-pull of its fans to change the arc of the ball. Unfortunately, it runs out of ideas in the middle. Two bosses are re-used with slight variations and there are few new obstacles, bricks, or board shapes in the last few levels. As a result, it seemed like the game increasingly relied on debris that knocks out the player's paddle over other challenges. I would have preferred that challenge come in the form of more interesting or complicated boards.

Two qualities stand out in Anodyne: one, its designer's willingness to engage in symbolism and two, the quality of its mazes. Both can be hit-or-miss (hits: the red cave, apartments, and hotel; misses: the suburb, acrobats tent, endgame platforming), but I appreciate the use of 2D Zelda mechanics as a vehicle of authorial expression. There could be more connective tissue and context, but I enjoyed the open-ended, suggestive approach to story taken in most of the game. The mechanical complications of the final boss were fun and conveyed "final boss," but I found that it didn't do much to deepen the story. The ending was, somehow, just what I expected. I'm looking forward to what sounds like a more thoughtful and interesting game in the shape of its sequel.