Anodyne

8.0 Gameplay

Anodyne's gameplay revolves around a mixture of combat and puzzle-solving. At the beginning of any grand adventure, the protagonist is usually given or finds a weapon which will help he or she save something—be it one measly princess or the entire world. So what kind of legendary weapon will fill the role in this particular endeavor? Will it be a razor sharp talking sword? Or maybe an axe that can decapitate enemies with a single blow? Or perhaps foes will be pummeled by a volley of arrows from an enchanted bow? None of the above. Within a few minutes of playing the game, we are presented with a broom.

What the %&#@? If you are anything like me, you'll have an inner chuckle at the developers' joke and anticipate the discovery of a “real” weapon—hopefully the first of many scattered throughout the realm. Anticipation fades to hope after an hour or so of gameplay and hope soon evolves to resignation. You are meant to complete your quest equipped with an ordinary broom. Impressive upgrades such as an extended reach and wider range are to be found along the way though, and you even acquire shoes that allow you to jump! Exciting, no?

Combat

Since the broom is the only weapon you will wield throughout your journey, the combat system is very simple: point your broom at something and sweep it to death. This is the weakest aspect of Anodyne. Although defeating some enemies may take quick reaction times, combat is the same from beginning to end and can become a bit tedious after the first dungeon or two. Bosses, of course, are the biggest challenge as far as combat goes, but once their patterns and weaknesses are ascertained they are generally easy to vanquish.

Granted, while there are plot-related reasons for the lack of traditional weaponry, other household items would have been a welcome incorporation to the game—a vacuum cleaner with a hose that whips enemies from long range and uses its suction power to serve as a makeshift grappling hook (sans the hook) for instance. Don't allow Anodyne's lackluster combat system to dissuade you from playing it, however. There are more reasons to praise the game than to gripe about its shortcomings.

Puzzles

Most of the puzzles in Anodyne are fun and well designed. They mainly involve jumping or navigating a dust raft around bodies of water. For the most part, they require more dexterity and timing than mental acuity, though there are a few brain teasers in the mix. Keep in mind that, after you have the ability to jump, virtually all of the puzzles for the main questline can be solved, so don't put off solving one because you are waiting for a seemingly necessary auxiliary item which never materializes. They usually just require some awkward maneuvering. In some cases, this can be incredibly aggravating and hints at a touch of sadism in the developers' natures. There is always the rewarding sense of gratification once a particularly challenging obstacle has been overcome, which makes the frustration seem worth the trade. Be forewarned that some tasks can't be accomplished until after you have reached the endgame area, so don't keep beating your head against a wall if you have tried everything and still can't seem to get past an obstacle that doesn't have any impact of the progression of your main quest.

There is one important issue I should address before going on with the review: playing Anodyne without a gamepad of some sort can be difficult. Without one, you must rely entirely on keyboard commands (no mouse support) which some may find awkward and clumsy. Anodyne will detect a gamepad if you have one hooked up when it launches and it will allow you to configure it before you begin playing. If you don't want to spend money on a gamepad but do have a PS3 on hand, read this article(coming soon!) on how to set them up to work on your PC or Mac.

8.5 Story/Setting

an·o·dyne

/ˈanəˌdīn/

Adjective

Not likely to provoke dissent or offense; uncontentious or inoffensive, often deliberately so.

Noun

A pain-killing drug

The only thing we're told directly about our protagonist is that his name is Young, and even that becomes questionable as the story progresses. A figure referred to as Sage informs us that The Briar (though it isn't made clear who or what The Briar is), and therefore the whole world, is threatened by a growing darkness. It is our task as the “chosen one” to defeat this evil. Sounds like a cookie cutter story for a video game, right? Well, Anodyne's plot (though that word seems unfitting) has far more to offer than first meets the eye, and what it all means is really a matter of interpretation. Below are a few of my impressions and thoughts, though obviously they are purely subjective.

After the first few minutes, the player cannot be convinced of the hero's intrinsic “goodness.” In fact, it becomes unclear if such a thing even exists, both in the game world and in reality. Questions of whether two human beings can ever truly know one another or if we are even capable of knowing and understanding ourselves arise. Do we use video games and other forms of technology to escape one another and ourselves? Do our card collections and video games and fantasy books and daydreams act as shields to block out loneliness and despair? The definition(s) of the word anodyne indicate that the developers believe this to be the case to some extent.

Young sets out to save the mysterious “Briar,” only to discover that the person seeks to save is actually the one that he has set out to destroy. What's more, Briar is actually a facet of Young himself. And who is Young? A brave hero seeking out evil to destroy it and make a safer world? No. As we navigate the nooks and crannies of our "hero's" mind, we come to see a frightened and confused guy who sees himself as a friendless escapist nerd. He wields a broom instead of a spear because he is more likely to do housework (even in his subconscious) than he is to pick up an actual weapon and save the world.

If a disjointed narrative that requires some thought and analysis (with possibly unpleasant conclusions) on the part of the player is unappealing to you, this game should probably be skipped. If, on the other hand, you enjoy being made to think, even if some of the resulting analyses may not reflect particularly well on you, then this game is worthy of sinking your philosophical teeth into.

9.0 Graphics

The graphics in Anodyne will impress anyone who can appreciate the retro beauty of 16-bit worlds. The use of color in its landscapes trigger emotional reactions from the player, ranging from cheerful optimism with its bright meadows and sunlit beaches to a sense of foreboding and hopelessness with its washed out desert cliffs and dark, rain-swept marshes.

10.0 Soundtrack

Anodyne's moody, ethereal soundtrack is not merely a backdrop for the storyline and visuals. The music is absorbing—standing on its own merits as a collection of soundscapes which range from being dark and haunting to dreamy and meditative.

4.5 Replay Value

Action-adventure RPGs tend to have very little replay value in general and usually don't see additional playthroughs until years later, if at all. The developers of Anyodyne attempted to counteract this tendency by adopting a treasure hunting system in which a skill is obtained near the end of the game allowing passage to previously inaccessible areas. For what purpose? Collecting cards. Granted, the captions on the cards can be funny or even inspire new ideas about the meaning of the plot, but aside from hardcore completionists, I don't see this enticing many people to crawl back through dungeons they've already explored.

8.5 Bang For Your Buck

Anodyne is currently $9.99 on Steam. It seems that it takes the average player (completionists excluded) somewhere between 6 and 8 hours to complete, so this game is a bargain. Plus, you are supporting independent game developers who took a chance on something they believed in. So yeah...don't be a cheap arse.