Review from 2013:

Anodyne is a game which I bought for $3 along with a bundle of other assorted indie games. Having finished it, I can wholeheartedly recommend it, even at full price, for it imparts simplicity, solitude, and subtlety that I find rather underappreciated or ignored these days.

The story, ostensibly about a human named Young attempting to protect "The Briar" from "The Darkness" that has spread across "The Land", would be rather uninteresting if it were not for how the game's description directly states that it all takes place within Young's subconscious. Resulting from this is a somewhat lonely journey which focuses more on succinct phrases rather than grandiose spiels and atmosphere over tangibility, overall akin to going through a series of dreams within a larger dream (which is no surprise as Yume Nikki is cited as one of the inspirations for this game). Later on in the game the ideas and caricatures presented occasionally get a bit too obtuse for me to understand, but the main theme of the plot is still clear and I was quite satisfied by the ending. Moreover, Anodyne never interrupts its gameplay for an extended period of time to exposit or pontificate, which is nice as it means players are not forced to care about the game's script if they do not want to. That would be a shame, however, as the multiple lines of dialogue from the game's NPCs and signs tend to be incredibly humorous or chilling, sometimes both at the same time.

Mechanically, the game is not particularly complex; imagine Link's Awakening but with no items outside of the Sword and the Roc's Feather. Although Young gains several equippable upgrades throughout the course of the game, the majority of them just increase the range of his broom, and the enemy and obstacle counts are not particularly high either. As such, the majority of the game consists of exploring the overworld (surprisingly large and spanning multiple environments), slaying enemies (both passive and aggressive), clearing dungeons (about as much as you'd expect in a Zelda game), vanquishing bosses (all of them uniquely designed and fairly tough), and ultimately collecting cards which are required to progress further in the game.

Nonetheless, the rooms of each dungeon tend to be designed well enough that old adversaries often offer new challenges. There are also some tricky puzzles and platforming sections as well, the latter sometimes becoming a bit too tricky due to the top-down perspective. Honestly though, there are only two points of contention I truly have with the gameplay. Firstly, the collection of said cards might put off players who do not enjoy backtracking and exploring EVERYWHERE. I was personally okay with it, though Young's mediocre movement speed made the task plodding at times. Secondly, the post-game is rather lackluster, basically furthering the card seeking with a late-introduced gimmick which can be hard to control along with literally exploiting glitches; it feels like an afterthought. Other than that, the simplicity of the game is a mark in its favor.

Moving on to aesthetics, the game describes its visuals as "GBC/16-bit", which is certainly true and they are sprited very well in that style, but what really stood out to me were the gorgeous overlays that complimented many of the game's areas. I'm particularly a fan of the cliffs (pictured above), which are bathed in a warm sunset's glow, along with some later, gloomier areas which would be a shame to spoil. The sound design is excellent as well, especially the "Obtain Key" noise which is utterly jarring and I love it.

To sum up, Anodyne offers around 4 hours of carefully crafted adventure through beautiful settings that range from natural, to man-made, to abstract, set to a soundtrack that conjures up emotions from mellow tranquility to outright horror. Those who enjoy dissecting stories that are deliberately disjointed will have a lot to analyze, those who like to immerse themselves will appreciate the dreamlike atmosphere, and those who care merely about mechanics will encounter a surprising amount and variety of difficulty despite the lack of items and customization. This is a definite buy.

P.S., Don't forget to try selecting "No" if you happen to lose all health.