Title: Anodyne 2: Return to Dust
Developer: Sean Han Tani and Marina Kittaka
Publisher: Analgesic Productions
Genre: Surrealist Adventure
Available On: PC
Official Site: Analgesic Productions
Release Date: August 12, 2019
Where to Buy it: Steam
For as long as video games have existed, there’s been a debate about whether or not those games could be considered an art form. As the technology improved, video games have become more and more capable of delivering true artistic experiences. Anodyne 2: Return to Dust, an indie game released by Analgesic Productions, uses the medium to its fullest extent to tell a story that couldn’t be told any other way.
When you start up Anodyne 2, the first thing you’ll notice is that the game’s visual aesthetic is reminiscent of something you’d find on the Nintendo 64. Your character, Nova, is introduced as a “Nano Cleaner”, a person whose job it is to shrink down to microscopic size and clean people who have been infected with an organism called “Nano Dust”, which changes those people on a fundamental level. Nova must use her powers and save the population of the world, known as New Theland. After you’re literally hatched from an egg, two motherly figures- C Psalmist and Palisade- give Nova the task to collect “cards” to help repair a mechanism in Center City Cenote, which acts as a hub of sorts. By cleaning Nano Dust from people around Cenote, you’ll earn those cards, repair the dust containment unit and make it outside the city, ready to clean even more people.
With each person you help, you’re treated to a story. One person might be affected by the Nano Dust and is fighting against losing his inhibitions; another might have anger issues brought on by the Nano Dust and needs you to help her before someone gets really hurt. The variety of people that you’ll meet on your journey and the stories that you’ll get to experience delve into topics not usually touched upon in video games. After the initial hour or so of gameplay, the story takes a turn that is best experienced on your own- and thus, won’t be spoiled in this review- but needless to say, the tone that the game sets in its first hour is completely subverted. While the core gameplay remains largely the same- talk to people infected with dust, shrink down and clean them to collect a card- the actions that you’ll take will leave you with lots of questions about the morality of Nova’s mission.
Anodyne 2’s gameplay consists of two different styles. The 3D world allows you to control Nova in 3D space, similar to a classic Nintendo 64 game like Banjo Kazooie or Glover. In the 3D world you’ll be able to explore your environment, find and collect secrets, and talk to people who might be infected with Nano Dust and are in need of cleaning. When you find such a person, you’ll engage in a short minigame, which leads to Nova shrinking to microscopic size. In this mode, the game shifts from a 3D game to a 2D game, reminiscent of an early Legend of Zelda title. Here, you’ll use Nova’s Nano Vacuum to inhale enemies and blocks in order to solve puzzles and fight a handful of bosses. The first few 2D segments in the game are on the shorter side, but later on you’ll spend a lot more time in 2D mode while solving puzzles and interacting with characters. Both modes control very well, with just a handful of button commands to use. In 3D, you’re able to double-jump and glide in order to find pathways to your objectives, as well as transforming into a “vehicle mode” at the touch of a button to increase your movement speed, which makes travel less tedious than the older 3D games that inspired Anodyne 2. In 2D mode, the pace is brisk, and the action takes place on a single screen at a time- for the most part. In the late game, there are some sprawling areas that took some time to figure out, but there’s never a sense of being truly stumped by any of the 2D areas in the game. Rather than frustrating players with difficult puzzles leaving them stuck in an area for an extended period of time, the game seems to delight in showing the player new things more frequently. This isn’t to say all of the puzzles in the game are a breeze; in fact, there are quite a few genuinely clever moments to be found, requiring thoughtful use of all of the mechanics in the game.
Unfortunately, Anodyne 2 does have its shortcomings. Similar to the Nintendo 64 titles to which this game hearkens back, the late-game does feature a lot of aimless wandering, looking for the next area to visit to progress the story, which destroys the pacing of the game. While the rudimentary 3D graphics are fantastic at recreating the limitations of early 3D games, the user interface betrays the style and is instead rendered in high definition. The use of a retro-styled font in most of the game would have gone a long way to sell the aesthetic even further. But, those are minor gripes, and the game pulls together to create a thoughtful, if wordy, narrative, capable of conveying gravity and real emotion in a way that not many other studios could do successfully.
Verdict: Anodyne 2 shows that gaming can be an art form, simultaneously weaving a story with its gameplay. It uses that gameplay as a storytelling medium in addition to its graphics and dialogue, involving the player in the story just as much as Nova or any other character. From start to finish, Anodyne 2 subverts every expectation that the player will have, and proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that gaming is more than just a recreation; that thought-provoking pieces can exist without sacrificing the gameplay that a player would expect from the medium. While not a perfect product from a gaming point of view, it delivers an astonishing story and should be used as an example for other developers interested in creating something truly unique.
Anodyne 2: Return to Dust Review
Fantastic surrealist story
Memorable characters
Phenomenal atmospheric music
Pacing issues in the late game
User Interface seems out of place
Character textures seem a bit lazy
