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"New to Me" Game of the Year: Anodyne 2: A Return to Dust

Of all the games on my list, Anodyne 2 is maybe the hardest to pin down and describe. It’s 3D, but also 2D. It’s a sequel, but only kind of. But, somehow, it works, and thematically, this exploration of its own identity ties in phenomenally. It constantly iterates on itself, but even with all that, it still manages to present a cohesive experience. Each addition feels organic and interesting, and only pulls you further into the experience, rather than taking you out of it. It always feels like it’s having fun, and it’s hard not to enjoy yourself alongside it. It certainly helps that it has amazing music and art to draw you in as well. And its character design! Even the small, bit part NPCs are wonderfully designed (I love you, hint dolphin). This, paired with writing that’s always smart and emotional, but can also be disarmingly silly, makes the world feel alive and engaging in a way few games can replicate.

But what impressed me most about Anodyne 2 was its humility. For all the games out there trying to be the next big thing, trying to capitalize on some new trend, trying to appeal to as many people as possible, Anodyne 2 felt remarkably personal. Its goal really felt like it was just to meet you where you were. And in the second year of a pandemic, while we're all doing our best to isolate ourselves from others for our sake and theirs, I cannot begin to tell you how much that meant to me. And, as a fan of the first game, that’s what I was hoping for.

I mentioned at the start that Anodyne 2 is only kind of a sequel. That’s maybe not the best way to put it, but the stories of the two games are not directly connected. And where Anodyne 2 is constantly exploring new types of gameplay, Anodyne 1 is a top down 2D game, start to finish. You can definitely play and enjoy the story of Anodyne 2 without having played the first, and aside from a couple very small details referencing the first, on the surface they could not be more different. And yet, it still carries over what was most important to me about the first game.

Anodyne 1 is a lot more abstract with its storytelling than its sequel. You spend most of the game on your own, trying to make your way through a strange world. And yet, you’re never quite alone either. As melancholic as the game can feel at times, you still have moments that remind you that there are others that care about you, that, for all that you may go through, you’re never quite alone. Seeing this iterated upon and expanded in Anodyne 2 was such a treat, and as high as my expectations were going into it, it surpassed them beautifully.

I cannot recommend Anodyne 2 highly enough, whether you’ve played the first game or not. I really like all the games that I’m giving an award to this year, but of all of them, Anodyne 2 is the easiest to recommend.