Anodyne
Melos Han-Tani · 2013 · Action-Adventure, Nonlinear, Exploration, Surreal, Psychological
PC
Very Positive87% · 985
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Screenshots
About Anodyne
Explore a surreal dream world, talk to its strange characters
A 2D action-adventure through the surreal subconscious world of the human Young. Explore dungeons set in apartments and hotels, and atmospheric lands, all evoked by a dream-like music and visuals. Talk to bizarre characters and navigate puzzle-and-combat-filled dungeons. Can you help Young wake up?Solve puzzles and defeat enemies in dungeons
Explore the world's fields, caves and dungeons in order to open up portals in the Nexus, connecting you to other lands. You'll have to solve puzzles and defeat enemies along the way.Find treasures and items to unlock deeper areas
Search for mysterious cards to help you dive deeper into Young's mind! Health upgrades will help you survive deeper reaches of the dream.Check out the sequel, Anodyne 2, too!
Discover secrets of a mysterious, moody world
- In a surreal dream world, a nonlinearly connected land of natural locations (forests, cliffs), abstract places (space), urban locations (hotels, temples), and more.
- Use your broom to defeat enemies, and solve puzzles in multiple large dungeons and mazes.
- Talk to strange NPCs, and gain insight into the psyche of the silent protagonist, Young.
- Find mysterious Cards scattered throughout the game in order to unlock deeper reaches of the world.
- A 6-8+ hour action-adventure, with plenty of surprises after the credits roll...
- The 2013 game that started it all for indie studio Analgesic Productions!
- Some players say this reminds them of Link's Awakening or Yume Nikki.
Content Warnings (Light spoilers)
Low-res pixel art (like in the style of the screenshots of): Suicide by hanging, mild horror, murder by blunt objects, dead bodies, stabbing, blood stains, mentions of sex, unexpected killing of an NPC. Rare strong language. Note this isn't representative of the majority of the game, but it is unavoidable.
What Steam players say
Recent verbatim reviews from Steam — separate from playze.io community reviews below.
peanut would love some pets and treats :) 🌸＞ フ | _ _ l ／` ミ＿xノ / | / ヽ ﾉ │ | | | ／￣| | | | | (￣ヽ＿_ヽ_)__) ＼二つ4 found this helpful
This Zelda-like feels like early 2010s indie game, when it comes to exploring strange and mysterious. At times too blunt, but mostly too vague, it lacks any anchor for you to attach to. Gameplay side is also is on a bland side without much economy/progression. Went through by motion. Not feeling like actually exploring deeper when my rewards tend to be dialogue pieces that feel too random. I don't feel I have anything to 'solve'. I do respect the devs tho, just was their first stab at design.1 found this helpful
Local janitor sweeps the nation1 found this helpful
Anodyne is an atmospheric indie action-adventure game developed by Melos Han-Tani and Marina Kittaka and published by Analgesic Productions. While its retro-inspired visuals immediately bring to mind classic top-down adventures from the 16-bit era, the game quickly establishes its own identity through surreal storytelling, symbolic world design, and an emphasis on emotional exploration rather than traditional heroics. Instead of delivering a straightforward fantasy narrative, it places players inside an unusual dream world where reality constantly shifts, leaving much of the story open to personal interpretation. This distinctive approach gives Anodyne a memorable personality that stands apart from many nostalgic titles that simply imitate older games without introducing fresh ideas. Players assume the role of Young, a silent protagonist who travels across a mysterious landscape filled with strange inhabitants, unsettling environments, and symbolic locations that resemble fragments of dreams. The adventure unfolds through interconnected regions that range from abandoned urban buildings and eerie hotels to forests, beaches, mountains, and bizarre dimensions that ignore conventional…1 found this helpful
👍
Its a little goofy, a little dark, consistently strange. I had fun exploring it.
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