The gameplay of the classicLegend of Zeldatitles, with its mix of dungeon-crawling, exploration, combat, and adventure, has inspired multiple titles. One such game isAnodyne, developed by Analgesic Productions, released in 2013 for PC, and later ported to other consoles. It follows the protagonist Young, who must take on a force only known as The Darkness, which seeks to rule over the game’s world, simply called The Land.
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The title was recently free for its ten-year anniversary on itch.io. While many are excited to dive into it, there are some things that aspiring adventurers should know. What looks like a cuteLink’s Awakeningclone on the surface turns out to be something more subversive, and potentially disturbing, than one might imagine.
7Trigger Warning
SinceAnodynetakes place in the subconscious of the protagonist, it is going to touch uponsome psychological themes. The game’s description indicates that some of these topics may be triggering for some, including suicide, blood, and murder.
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A particularly unsettling moment comes with one particular dungeon boss. It takes the form of a giant sea monster in a flesh-colored dungeon. It claims to have been forced into the cycle of existence, hinting at some deep depression issues for the protagonist.
6Heart Of The Cards
What would aZeldaclone be without special items to collect? Throughout the hero’s journey, Young finds treasure chestscontaining cardsthat represent the enemies and obstacles that he overcomes. They also include quotes that range from jokes to insights into the fears the monsters or objects represent.
Collecting enough cards can unlock gates throughout the map, and they each require a different amount. Beyond these gates are other areas that can lead to chests with other cards. One essential zone cannot be accessed unless all 36 of them are acquired.
5The Most Powerful Weapon
What is a hero without his weapon? The protagonist of Anodyne discovers his weapon early on: not a sacred sword, but rather a broom. This seems like a joke at first, making fun of the divine weapon trope.
In reality, though, the broom is a powerful and versatile tool. It not only damages enemies, but it can also clean up dust. That dust can then block hazards, such as pipes that threaten to blow Young over a ledge, or it can be used as a raft to navigate across bodies of water. Upgrades are unlocked throughout the game to upgrade its range.
Anodyne’s world of The Land is vast and sprawling, with diverse environments.The dungeons have plentyto explore, including unique enemies and hazards. In fact, there might be just too much to explore.
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Contrary to what the game’s map may indicate, the path to the next objective is not always straightforward. Blocks on the map are bisected into tunnels. Gates block the way forward without a key. Stairways lead to other levels of the map, maybe only leading to dead ends that must be circumvented. Having a notepad may come in handy to keep track of what is in each square of the game map.
3Things Will Get Weird
Anodyneis, at its core, a story of facing one’s demons. They will come in the form of various monsters and bosses. It seems innocent enough on its surface, but things end up getting weird.
For instance, on a beach is a fisherman at the end of a dock. If Young presses the talk button, which doubles as the attack button, he can be tipped over the edge into a whirlpool, in which he apparently dies. It gets weirder when Young himself jumps into the whirlpool and emerges into a world that lookssomething like the Upside DownfromStranger Things. The rust-red alien world is filled with strange tall creatures roaming around. It has almost a fleshy macabre look to it.
2Those. Darn. Moving. Platforms.
In several areas of the game, chasms in the ground will have to be overcome byriding on moving platforms. These can be activated by jumping on the large buttons that trigger them. The only issue is if they don’t have any dirt in them, they won’t move.
Even if Light activates the button on a platform, then he would have to jump onto an adjacent platform as he goes by. Overjumping would cause him to get stuck or fall into the chasm, thereby forcing him to exit and reenter the level in order to reset the platforms. If that’s not enough, enemies and rotating projectiles want to knock him down as well.
1Talk To People
The world ofAnodyneis filled with quirky characters. Some may be human, others may be anthropomorphic lobsters or rock creatures, and even prisms that represent humans from some other locations.
These characters will have snippets of dialogue to share,as NPCs in RPGstend to have. The important thing to remember is that they aren’t going to say everything they have to say in a single interaction. Talking multiple times may reveal interesting background information, or the characters may have something insightful to say.
Anodyneis available for Xbox One, Linux, iOS, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, PC, Android, and macOS.
