Anodyne

Released on February 28, 2019 for the Nintendo Switch by Analgesic Productions, Anodyne is a 16-bit style, top-down action-adventure game in the vein of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.

Zelda knockoffs are a dime-a-dozen, but a game that takes a page from Zelda, while successfully putting its own spin on the formula is exceedingly rare. Thankfully, Analgesic Productions Anodyne, falls into the latter camp. The top-down, pixel art action-adventure game is heavily influenced by Link's 16-bit outing, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Like that storied Super Nintendo game, the player takes control of a handheld-weapon-wielding protagonist, who must traverse a massive overworld, venturing into dark dungeons to fight enemies, solve puzzles, and take-on powerful, pattern-following bosses.

Plus, there's the requisite distant mountain range on the horizon to stare at.

Thankfully, Anodyne isn't a carbon copy of A Link to the Past. The protagonist, Young, fights with a broom instead of a sword, earning upgrades that change the nature of how it swings. Yes, a broom--more on that later. Andoyne is also slightly less linear, as Young must collect cards from around Anodyne's world to unlock gates, allowing him to progress further through Anodyne's world. Unlike in A Link to the Past, Young only wields his main weapon. You won't be picking up a bow-and-arrow, boomerang, or other tools. However, unlike 16-bit Link, Young can jump, leading to an entirely different array of puzzles.

 

My broom game fire.

The setting is also far from Hyrule, with Young traversing a strange sort of dreamscape/nightmarescape. The landscape is surreal, but it has nothing on the wacky, at times unsettling non-player characters Young comes across.

 

Okay...cool?

However, as unique and fun as the setting is, Anodyne falls into the unfortunate territory of many other great recent indie games--the story is so opaque, it is nearly non-existent. Why is Young going around this weird land collecting cards to unlock new areas? Who knows. Why does he have to destroy the game's main boss? Who knows. Why do some of the NPC's not want Young to destroy the main boss? I have no idea. The game doesn't even attempt to tell you.

Awesome!

That leaves the game's production values to help fill in the details--i.e. to inspire the player's imagination to create their own details. The pixel-art graphics are solid, and certainly evocative of similar games released on the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis. The music, though, is surreal and modern-retro synth sounding, creating a sort of minimalist aural dreamscape that does more to transport the player into this strange setting than almost anything. The 16-bit-style sound effects are also spot-on.

Okay, I didn't think so, but thanks for making that clear!

However, what works best here is admittedly the way Anodyne nails what has already proven to work in games like...A Link to the Past (which receives numerous humorous homages here). For one, the game's controls are spot-on. The jump mechanic takes a moment to get used to, but is perfectly employed. Fighting enemies with your broom feels great. The dungeons are expertly designed. The puzzles are just difficult enough to make you feel accomplished when you solve them, but not hard enough to frustrate. The difficulty levels spikes up perfectly. The easily accessible map is well-designed. Progression feels satisfying. The tiny, two-person development team nailed these key aspects.

 

Cool. How does that help me again?

Overall, Anodyne, which take between 10-15 hours to complete, is an easy recommendation for any fan of 16 or 8-bit top-down adventure games, especially the aforementioned Zelda one. Its world is unique and immersive, even if the story doesn't come through. I picked up Anodyne for 99 cents in an eShop sale, and I feel like I got away with something naughty. I greatly enjoyed the 10-15 hours of old school-style video gaming that 99 cents bought me.

SCORE: 8.0/10