Summary
- Deep, complex secrets and non-combat Metroidvania style play make Animal Well an eerie gaming experience.
- Boss battles keep you on edge, with unexpected attacks that don't get easier even with prior knowledge.
- Creepy bosses like Seahorse, Iguana, Kangaroo, Bat, Ostrich, Dog, and Manticore will keep you on edge.
The less you know about Animal Well going into the game, the better, because the creep factor of it really comes from just not knowing exactly what you’re up against. Then, even once you’ve figured it out the first time, plenty of these bosses come back for a second fight.
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Animal Well is a non-combat Metroidvania with deep, complex secrets.
PostsThere are several different bosses throughout Animal Well, some of which even move around to attack you in different parts of the map just when you thought you might be safe. Even if you know there’s a boss puzzle ahead, that doesn’t make the boss any easier – or less creepy.
7 The Seahorse
Water Gun Fight
Location
Southwest Quadrant
Blue Biome
Related Upgrade
B. Wand
In a game with nightmare creatures waiting around almost every corner for you, the Seahorse, for all of its attacking, kind of feels like a respite. The first time you encounter it, you’ll only need to hop up a few bubbles to reach the buttons on the ceiling.
The second time isn’t much more difficult, with the whale mini-boss that comes before proving much more of a challenge as it looms ominously beneath you, waiting to bite at all times. The Seahorse kind of just sprays you off into a soft reset on the platform you started from, without much to lose in most cases.
6 The Iguana
Eat Up
Location
Northeast Quadrant
Green Biome
Related Upgrade
The Slinky
For me, the most frustrating thing about dealing with the two Iguana or Chameleon bosses in Animal Well was actually getting to them. Theirs was the area I handled last, obtaining the Slinky as my final upgrade, and by the time I had to deal with them, I was already terrorized by the other creatures on this list.
Admittedly, I did jump a bit when the green iguana was suddenly out and about in the area leading into the green biome. But I think that was the most creeped out I’ve been by the chameleon things so far.
5 The Kangaroo
Where Did You Even Come From?!
Location
Multiple
Assorted Biomes
Related Upgrade
N/A
The scariest part about the Kangaroo in Animal Well is that, unlike all the other bosses on this list, there’s not really a way to beat it. Sure, you can scare it off with Firecrackers, and the first time you see the Kangaroo and it hops away, it’s out of sight and out of mind.
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PostsBut once you reach the end of the game, it keeps coming back every now and again, and you never know quite where to expect to see it. Its dark coloring makes it easy to lurk in the shadows, so you might not even see it until it starts hopping your way.
4 The Bat
Scariest Candle In The Game
Location
Northwest Quadrant
Pink Biome
Related Upgrade
N/A
You assume you’re just exploring the area past the first part of the ghost dog puzzles, routing around past where you got the Disc to see what’s next. Thankfully, you’ve got a match on you, and there’s a candle in here! Better light that before the spirit spawns, right?
Wrong, welcome to the Bat puzzle, fully unexpectedly if you’re not following along with a guide on the game. Thankfully, its fear of Fireworks is fatal, and you’ll only need to skillfully toss three of them to move on, but it’s still a jumpscare like few others.
3 The Ostrich
Don't Love That Neck Bend
Location
Southeast Quadrant
Indigo Biome
Related Upgrade
The Yoyo
Even though the Ostrich is in one location only, it really does sneak up on you. You progress so smoothly through the puzzles prior, think yourself so smart for figuring them out, and then just one room over, that thing shrieks and starts coming at you as soon as you enter the screen.
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Posts 1Did anyone else immediately run back into the previous room again to gather themselves? What the hell was that!? Going back inside and figuring the puzzle out still doesn’t provide much solace, since the Ostrich cranes its neck down into the holes in the ground to keep chasing you. Drowning it later was macabre, sure, but having it not respawn anymore was pretty nice.
2 The Dog
So Sudden, So Relentless
Location
Northwest Quadrant
Pink Biome
Related Upgrade
The Disc
Playing a Metroidvania like Animal Well, you expect you’ll find a few items or two along the way, so the Disc sitting at the entrance to several puzzles ahead is enough to lull new players into feeling like they’re just stocking up with the tools they’ll need. And that’s when the Dog mauls you.
Even after you find the Mock Disc and obtain the actual Disc for yourself in an Indiana Jones type of swap, you’ll need to double back and willfully get the ghost to chase you a second time. Not only that, but you’ll need to make it pretty far across the map to finish the M. Disc Shrine puzzle, making the second run even scarier.
I sure hope you’ve unlocked fast travel before you take on the M. Disc Shrine puzzle - you're in for one heck of a sprint if not.
1 The Manticore
Last-Second Terror
Location
Central Area
Dark Purple Biome
Related Upgrade
The Lantern
Just a few screens prior, you received the Lantern, an item in Animal Well that wards off all those creepy collections of spirits that seem to be popping up more and more now that you’ve lit all four beacons back up above. But no matter, your Lantern can fend them off, so onward you march, confidently strolling toward the next puzzle.
So when the Manticore, the boss of the first layer of Animal Well, spawns from the shadows and begins to relentlessly chase your little blob, it’s kind of horrifying. Add to that that it can shoot lasers from its eyes that bounce off surfaces to hit you even if you’re hiding, and the fact that you need to skillfully speedrun four buttons to move onto the credits? There’s no Animal Well boss more terrifying than that.
NextHow Long Does It Take To Beat Animal Well?
The amount of time it takes to "beat" Animal Well depends on what your definition of "beating" a game is.
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