Animal Gods
By Sarah Van Boerum,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Puzzle adventure has weak plot, redundant levels.
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Animal Gods
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What’s It About?
ANIMAL GODS introduces us to Thistle, a hunter who must free the animal gods that have been cursed and are awaiting their release so peace can be restored to the kingdom. The setting is a castle in the clouds where many of the surroundings seem serene and peaceful yet house various obstacles, mazes, and enemies to thwart Thistle's mission. There are three separate animal gods and corresponding dungeons represented in the forms of a snake, spider, and lion, and the enemies come in the form of boxes, poisonous rivers, and mazes that can be a challenge to follow. Thistle gets new weapons for each dungeon including a sword, a bow, and a cloak of flame to help him defeat the enemies on each level. Upon completion of a level, the animal god is freed, and you are then transported to the next level, with the final level involving a longer maze and unlocking a challenge to finish the game with only nine lives.
Is It Any Good?
This game immediately comes across as a precision platformer, with light puzzles and a minimal story line thrown in, but the controls and lack of directions complicate play. The free movement and mechanics of the game make some obstacles, such as crossing poisonous rivers, jumping on moving platforms, and slashing at moving enemy boxes both challenging and frustrating. It feels like the precision of your movements is simply decided by luck. Even worse, the end of each dungeon provides very simple challenges, such as trying to shoot an arrow at stationary boxes and hitting other boxes with a sword, which come off as way too easy.
The story line, which is told in the form of diary entries, seems incomplete and lacking. Even upon completion of the game, there are more questions than answers and no real closure. The nonlinear world lets players decide which way they want to go, but there's no real idea of where to go, so you'll be keeping your fingers crossed that you'll come across the right path. Along with these issues, the game gets repetitive quickly with many of the same mazes, a looping soundtrack, and boring enemies, with no real challenges in between. In the end, players might walk away wanting more from Animal Gods than it's able to provide.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about games that create a peaceful environment versus games that have a lot of violence. How does each one make you feel after playing?
Is it important to have a story line in a game? Does a story line enhance a game, or do you skip past it if you can?
Game Details
- Platforms: Linux, Mac, Windows
- Pricing structure: Paid
- Available online?: Available online
- Publisher: Still Games
- Release date: October 12, 2015
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Adventures, Wild Animals
- ESRB rating: E10+ for Fantasy Violence
- Last updated: October 21, 2020
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