Away Game Special: Anodyne

Getting away from console gaming is fine with me, though Anodyne definitely owes a lot to the NES/SNES era of action adventure games. Because it's a computer-based game, it also smacks quite a bit of RPGMaker 2000 to me. I think it's mostly the game's graphical style, since squat sprites and square environments are that application's bread and butter.

Anyway, though I've only nibbled at the demo so far, Anodyne is a smooth experience that is just slightly off of straightforward. No hands are held, since the game's good at what old school action adventure games were - giving you a finite number of options to go forward and making it possible for you to try them until you find success. And really, that's what's missing from a lot of modern adventure games, the puzzle aspect that doesn't have to be a brainteaser, but can just be bump in the road that's too high to go over, too wide to go around, but completely combustible since you have bombs, or already burrowed through if you look hard enough.

So, though I'm in no way affiliated with the makers of the game, If you haven't already, check out Anodyne here.