This is a fantastic game in Sony's long list of fantastic games. Combat felt great, world-building was great and the story was incredible. The reveal at the end is crazy, too! The only problem I have with it is more of a problem with Sony's games in general: they're all games that are made to be played by the largest audience possible, therefore none of the mechanics in the game are particularly outstanding. The combat is awesome, yes, but none of the mechanics really felt like they were a master-class in their respective fields. The exploration was nice, but felt a little shoe-horned in; the combat was great, but nothing special compared to its contemporaries; and the collectibles and side missions are standard, especially for Sony. The game has also taken its core premise (disgruntled and burdened father figure grows closer to child as their adventure continues) from The Last of Us, so that kind of docks points for me. Overall a great game that I wish took more risks.

Animal Well is a game that is incredibly difficult to review due to how mind-bendingly unique it is. I would not say that I enjoyed every second of it, its slower pace was a challenge for me at first, and I really only got through "layer one". BUT I did have a lot of fun exploring its labyrinthine map and it is one of the most distinct games with some of the best puzzles I have ever played. Great game that I wish scratched me a little more like it did most of its player base.

Also disgusting that Billy Basso basically made this entire game, engine, IDE, and OS himself. Haunting levels of genius.