Hollow Knight Silksong is still somewhere behind the shadowy gates of game development, but not to worry, this banger year for Metroidvanias continues with Animal Well, out today, which mightjustbe a game of the year contender based on its critical reception.

Indie developer Billy Bassofirstbegan making Animal Well in 2017, before YouTubervideogamedunkeyjumped in to help distribute the game with his fresh faced publisherBigmode Games. (Animal Well is actually thecompany’sfirst published gameandwhat a way to get things started.)

The arduous wait seems to have paid off, though, as Animal Well is currently the second best-reviewed game this year, with an aggregate score of 91accordingto Metacritic. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is the only other 2024 release ahead of the surprise indie, and barely so, with an average rating of 92.

Reviews have been gushing about AnimalWell’slayered pixel art thatdoesn’tjust rely on nostalgia, puzzles, and secrets that continually reward creative thinking, and a natural world that seems to tick on whetheryou’rethere to witness it or not.

“Animal Well is stubbornly traditional in keeping you in the dark as you embark on your adventure, butthat’sfirmly to its credit as you unravel the mysteries sprinkled around its map,”GamesRadar’sAnimal Well review reads.”Puzzles involving animals, toysandmechanical devices demand creative thinking, while the sense that nothing is quite as it seems never lets up.Thisis an endlessly inventive Metroidvania with unfathomable depth.”

Animal Well is out now on Steam, Nintendo Switch, and PS5.

Ubisoft’sPrince of Persia: The Lost Crown pivot, the ultra psychedelic Ultros, personal odyssey Tales of Kenzera: Zau, and now Animal Well have all made 2024 a killer year for the genre, with or without acertainsubterranean goth bug showing up. And there are probably dozens of other gems buried under storefront algorithms that Isadly haven’tdiscovered yet.

Check out our best Metroidvania games list for more.