Haruki Murukami wrote in The Wind Up Bird Chronicles:

'The well bottom is like the bottom of the sea. Things down here stay very still, keeping their original forms, as if under tremendous pressure, unchanged from day to day.'

Animal Well provides that same sense of being in an unchanging place where you merely exist among its inhabitants. As a nameless ball of something you'll jump, float, roll, and yo-yo yourself past a menagerie of different animals, the majority of which will look on with mild curiosity wondering who you are and what are you doing in their home. Seeing a new creature go about their lives flapping, waddling, or swinging on a vine is one of the many joys that can be found amongst the craters and pools of this game.
Around every corner, a new friend I could observe going about their lives, unhindered by my exploration of their world. There are some less-than-friendly creatures that will make clear that you are not wanted here, some of which still make me break out in a cold sweat thinking about them; I'll never trust a sausage dog again.
Woven throughout this safari is a multi-layered puzzle game that scratches an itch that's been just out of reach since 2012's Fez. Behind familiar Metroidvania area gating (unlocked through an array of bric-à-brac found throughout the game) lies an intriguing game of exploration, clever item use, and boss fight-like puzzles, each of which provide a satisfying challenge and a new understanding of the world in which you are trespassing.

The credits roll, and I dig deeper. Throughout the game you will find numerous eggs hidden in the shadows, nooks, and crannies of this world; as colourful and seemingly pointless as their real-world Fabergé counterparts. Finding these eggs and working out their puzzles was the real meat of the game. Finding all 64 eggs had me making music, completing Celeste-like platforming sections, and trying every toy at my disposal to see how it could open up yet another cave or tunnel in the environment; I never thought I'd get so mad at a Slinky before one particular puzzle.

Animal Well is a truly special game. After the lacklustre experiences of recent puzzle games like Cocoon, playing a game that provided such a twisting tapestry of puzzles delivered as part of a living breathing world felt like a real treat. The credits roll, and I dig deeper still...