i love this game. both it and its sequel are among my personal favorites. the creative energy just oozes out of it. it's unpolished, it's technically flawed, but that only makes it feel more personal. Btw anodyne means painless. By my interpretation, it refers to the escapism of Young's dreamscape - a relatively safe place in which to hide from the complexity of real life. But it still creeps in, and must ultimately be confronted and processed.
Thank for play, raocow! As much as I enjoyed making that guide, I'm glad you basically didn't end up needing it. I figured you might need it for the jumping square at least, but your sense for how this game works was very spot on.
after watching a second playthrough of this game. i agree with raocows theory that it's some kind of dreamscape. specifically, confronting his own flaws and fears in his psyche so he can muster up the courage to confess to his crush, the briar. (based off of that one stone from outside The Land). of course, as it turns out, all he needed to do was try to swim and also get a sandwich.
Especially funny if the briar is actually Young's love of _gardening_ (or hedge growing, or similar), and he never thought it was something he'd be interested in.
Once you realize how the devs do their word-play, you can actually begin to unravel the dreamscape and tie it to the real world. They usually swap or add or remove one or more letters from the base word to create the dreamscape names for words For example, Young’s real name is likely Ying or Yang as shown by that one boss. The reason this dreamscape looks and functions like a video game is because Young is always playing games. Briar’s name is likely a wordplay on Brian. I would also like to point out the symbolism of the broom as a weapon, since you are quite literally sweeping away Young’s doubts and anxieties about Briar.
I had this thought about how in a medieval fantasy setting you'd get to explore castles and temples, but this is a modern setting so instead they got replaced with modern buildings such as apartment and hotel. Magic knight is instead a magic pest exterminator.
That wiggle glitch is kinda nostalgic. I remember as a little kid finding out I could do that in Rygar for the NES and access all kinds of glitchy nonsense
During the TTYD LP, you talked about how this channel is about amateur level design and retro gaming. But there is something else that, while the channel might not be, you are about: Art. It seems like this game fit into the art side of things as well.
Joke's on you, the 50th card is hidden deep in the bowels of Anodyne 2 which you must then Stop n' Swop back over to the first game! ...It speaks to Anodyne's mysterious nature that that sounds like a spoiler.
Yeah, Analgesic Productions (the people who made this game) are famous for their love of “Schoolyard rumor” esque postgames. One reason I am so excited for S (the teaser name for their 4th game)
Yeah the NPC quest, while would've given you some more dialogue wouldn't have given you anything further. Man this was a great run. Enjoyed every video of it. Thanks for playing it! If anyone is looking for a similar game give Lenna's Inception a try. It has a lot of the same concepts from this one though way more of a story.
This game does a great job of making an actual game out of the weird exploratory feeling of a glitch in a game. It actually feels like you're exploiting something to go places you're not intended, even though the game explicitly gave you that power. I'm sure the wiggle thing was an actual bug, and they just decided to make it a thing instead of fixing it.
I love how the game still has a bunch of closed gates even when you complete it 100%, it leaves a sense of incompleteness that adds to the surrealism! Will wait for the sequel playthrough with trepidation, it is a very different beast and yet very similar to this game in a lot of ways
Anodyne was really cool, for a neat little two person (four person?) project it had a lot of really fascinating moments, and works as a cute deconstruction of an original-zelda-like game. I kinda do feel a little let down about no 50th card, but, what else am i right? Had a bunch of cool bosses and cool mechanics to it, all about a young with a broom, and the ending is still really sweet.
(3:12) Ah, so that's the wiggle glitch in action. I wonder how likely it is that someone would stumble onto that on their own with no outside hints whatsoever? (4:42) Red square card get! And, that makes 49! (4:49) Unfortunately, it looks like you can't examine the 49th card in the menu. (6:39) "!!!" And, the 49-card gate is now open! (6:50) Huh, now there's a 50-card gate. (7:43) Pfft... Imagine if you didn't have that piece of info, and were trying to scour the entire game for a 50th card that didn't exist, possibly wiggle-glitching yourself into every possible screen in the game, including glitchspace. (10:30) I'm surprised that was close enough to work. (10:48) Victory! And that's game! (11:02) Multiple achievements get!
Looking forward to the sequel eventually because as this game went on here I kept thinking "what the hell is a sequel to this game" and i'm eager to find out.
Actually, beating Anodyne 1 before 2 isn't required. It even says it on the beginning of the second game. You miss some small things without playing the first, but it's totally fine. I played 2nd before 1st one.
It is actually just a wall. The 49th card has an extra glitch with it that allows you to collect it multiple times to bring the card counter up to 50, but the gate still rejects you. (there's also a noclip mode you can use to just walk behind it as well, which reveals there's nothing behind it) At least thematically, the devs have stated it is a gate that will never open for Young.
Soooo, basically, to get the 49th Card, you have to do Fake Flippers? Oooookay. Now that it's done, allow me to say that Anodyne's writing sucked. Not that I didn't like it. It just sucked. This game just seemed like it was a hodgepodge of ideas that the developers liked and wanted to put to code. The whole structure feels more masturbatory than anything conducive to a story. Like...each area doesn't feel particularly connected to _anything else_ in the game. Whatever themes are in play don't really make any sense whatsoever. While there's multiple instances of dialogue for each character, it seems more like the writer writing silly things than actually conceiving functional characters that exist in the space they're in. And further, nothing is really explained in any way, shape or form. We don't know who Young/Yang/Ying is. We don't know who the Sage is. We barely know anything about Mitra other than that she really likes her bike. We know nothing about The Darkness or The Briar (Are they one person? Are they separate beings?). Every other character is just...there. There're nothing of substance to any of them. And every area just feels like a spot on a map, there's no real dimension to any of them. Like Youngtown? Maybe there would be something compelling to this, if the people you stabbed had something to mention other than missing a movie or something, or if they talked to you with any sort of manner that wasn't just a generic NPC. We're constantly grasping at what any of this could mean, but any conclusion is is futile because there's nothing to really attach to. Some will point to this being an example of "anti-gaming," but that's an excuse for poor writing. (Hotline Miami did anti-gaming right, and that was out a year before this) At best you could call this Dadaist, but even Dadaism functioned for a particular purpose, which this doesn't. This isn't a story or narrative, but a mosaic of thoughts that are just fused together in an insomniac's bender (can't imagine the devs having done any drugs). Everything is just...there. And it feels bad. One response would be to just say "and that's okay." But having seen Anodyne 2 in action before this, no it's not, as the sequel actually has a narrative going on, and a story does seem to functionally exist in it. The story has its issues (some of which relate to its connection to Anodyne 1), but it at least exists. Can't say that about this game. This is just sloppy. The only real excuse is that this was the first go for these two, and they only put this together in a very short time. I'll give them that, but with the addendum of "well, don't expect a freebie out of that"
Having the prize for opening the super secret 49 card door be a 50 card door that you can't open is actually pretty funny.
That's life innit
i love this game. both it and its sequel are among my personal favorites. the creative energy just oozes out of it. it's unpolished, it's technically flawed, but that only makes it feel more personal.
Btw anodyne means painless. By my interpretation, it refers to the escapism of Young's dreamscape - a relatively safe place in which to hide from the complexity of real life. But it still creeps in, and must ultimately be confronted and processed.
Tags: now to eat all the chocolate
Real :)
So THAT'S what the one dev npc was talking about when he said "Ask me how to beat the game in 5 minutes!"
Thank for play, raocow! As much as I enjoyed making that guide, I'm glad you basically didn't end up needing it. I figured you might need it for the jumping square at least, but your sense for how this game works was very spot on.
The wiggle glitch is basically the same trick as Celeste's screen transition air dash refresh.
after watching a second playthrough of this game. i agree with raocows theory that it's some kind of dreamscape. specifically, confronting his own flaws and fears in his psyche so he can muster up the courage to confess to his crush, the briar. (based off of that one stone from outside The Land). of course, as it turns out, all he needed to do was try to swim and also get a sandwich.
Especially funny if the briar is actually Young's love of _gardening_ (or hedge growing, or similar), and he never thought it was something he'd be interested in.
Once you realize how the devs do their word-play, you can actually begin to unravel the dreamscape and tie it to the real world.
They usually swap or add or remove one or more letters from the base word to create the dreamscape names for words
For example, Young’s real name is likely Ying or Yang as shown by that one boss. The reason this dreamscape looks and functions like a video game is because Young is always playing games.
Briar’s name is likely a wordplay on Brian.
I would also like to point out the symbolism of the broom as a weapon, since you are quite literally sweeping away Young’s doubts and anxieties about Briar.
I had this thought about how in a medieval fantasy setting you'd get to explore castles and temples, but this is a modern setting so instead they got replaced with modern buildings such as apartment and hotel. Magic knight is instead a magic pest exterminator.
That wiggle glitch is kinda nostalgic. I remember as a little kid finding out I could do that in Rygar for the NES and access all kinds of glitchy nonsense
During the TTYD LP, you talked about how this channel is about amateur level design and retro gaming.
But there is something else that, while the channel might not be, you are about: Art. It seems like this game fit into the art side of things as well.
Joke's on you, the 50th card is hidden deep in the bowels of Anodyne 2 which you must then Stop n' Swop back over to the first game!
...It speaks to Anodyne's mysterious nature that that sounds like a spoiler.
Yeah, Analgesic Productions (the people who made this game) are famous for their love of “Schoolyard rumor” esque postgames.
One reason I am so excited for S (the teaser name for their 4th game)
Melos here! Sephonie actually came out already in 2022 and is on all platforms.
@@analgesicproductions I must have missed it. Last I heard it was still in development.
Thanks for the info!
Thanks for playing this is one of my favorite games and it was really great to see it again
Yeah the NPC quest, while would've given you some more dialogue wouldn't have given you anything further. Man this was a great run. Enjoyed every video of it. Thanks for playing it! If anyone is looking for a similar game give Lenna's Inception a try. It has a lot of the same concepts from this one though way more of a story.
This game does a great job of making an actual game out of the weird exploratory feeling of a glitch in a game. It actually feels like you're exploiting something to go places you're not intended, even though the game explicitly gave you that power.
I'm sure the wiggle thing was an actual bug, and they just decided to make it a thing instead of fixing it.
I love how the game still has a bunch of closed gates even when you complete it 100%, it leaves a sense of incompleteness that adds to the surrealism! Will wait for the sequel playthrough with trepidation, it is a very different beast and yet very similar to this game in a lot of ways
This game is half surrealist experience and half elaborate troll, and I for one am here for it.
Anodyne 2 eventually AND Gamecube game next confirmed.
I continue to be treated unintentionally.
You actually can get behind the 50th gate.
It's literally nothing.
A fun fact: The font of the text in this game is the same as the 40 column text that is used on the good old Apple II computer.
You're Ano-done!
Congrats on clearing the game!!
Anodyne was really cool, for a neat little two person (four person?) project it had a lot of really fascinating moments, and works as a cute deconstruction of an original-zelda-like game. I kinda do feel a little let down about no 50th card, but, what else am i right? Had a bunch of cool bosses and cool mechanics to it, all about a young with a broom, and the ending is still really sweet.
Thanks for watching! We made Anodyne as a team of 2.
@@analgesicproductions Yeah! It was a different two people who worked on the port, right? or am i misremembering
YOU DID IT!
(3:12) Ah, so that's the wiggle glitch in action. I wonder how likely it is that someone would stumble onto that on their own with no outside hints whatsoever?
(4:42) Red square card get! And, that makes 49!
(4:49) Unfortunately, it looks like you can't examine the 49th card in the menu.
(6:39) "!!!" And, the 49-card gate is now open!
(6:50) Huh, now there's a 50-card gate.
(7:43) Pfft... Imagine if you didn't have that piece of info, and were trying to scour the entire game for a 50th card that didn't exist, possibly wiggle-glitching yourself into every possible screen in the game, including glitchspace.
(10:30) I'm surprised that was close enough to work.
(10:48) Victory! And that's game!
(11:02) Multiple achievements get!
Looking forward to the sequel eventually because as this game went on here I kept thinking "what the hell is a sequel to this game" and i'm eager to find out.
Anodyne 2 is very strange and interesting in its own way. It somehow manages to be both less and more vague than Anodyne 1
Actually, beating Anodyne 1 before 2 isn't required. It even says it on the beginning of the second game. You miss some small things without playing the first, but it's totally fine. I played 2nd before 1st one.
aw yeah billy hatcher is next
i wonder if that 50-gate is an actual gate or a wall disguised as a gate
It is actually just a wall. The 49th card has an extra glitch with it that allows you to collect it multiple times to bring the card counter up to 50, but the gate still rejects you.
(there's also a noclip mode you can use to just walk behind it as well, which reveals there's nothing behind it)
At least thematically, the devs have stated it is a gate that will never open for Young.
Soooo, basically, to get the 49th Card, you have to do Fake Flippers? Oooookay.
Now that it's done, allow me to say that Anodyne's writing sucked. Not that I didn't like it. It just sucked.
This game just seemed like it was a hodgepodge of ideas that the developers liked and wanted to put to code. The whole structure feels more masturbatory than anything conducive to a story. Like...each area doesn't feel particularly connected to _anything else_ in the game. Whatever themes are in play don't really make any sense whatsoever. While there's multiple instances of dialogue for each character, it seems more like the writer writing silly things than actually conceiving functional characters that exist in the space they're in.
And further, nothing is really explained in any way, shape or form. We don't know who Young/Yang/Ying is. We don't know who the Sage is. We barely know anything about Mitra other than that she really likes her bike. We know nothing about The Darkness or The Briar (Are they one person? Are they separate beings?). Every other character is just...there. There're nothing of substance to any of them. And every area just feels like a spot on a map, there's no real dimension to any of them. Like Youngtown? Maybe there would be something compelling to this, if the people you stabbed had something to mention other than missing a movie or something, or if they talked to you with any sort of manner that wasn't just a generic NPC. We're constantly grasping at what any of this could mean, but any conclusion is is futile because there's nothing to really attach to.
Some will point to this being an example of "anti-gaming," but that's an excuse for poor writing. (Hotline Miami did anti-gaming right, and that was out a year before this) At best you could call this Dadaist, but even Dadaism functioned for a particular purpose, which this doesn't. This isn't a story or narrative, but a mosaic of thoughts that are just fused together in an insomniac's bender (can't imagine the devs having done any drugs). Everything is just...there. And it feels bad.
One response would be to just say "and that's okay." But having seen Anodyne 2 in action before this, no it's not, as the sequel actually has a narrative going on, and a story does seem to functionally exist in it. The story has its issues (some of which relate to its connection to Anodyne 1), but it at least exists. Can't say that about this game. This is just sloppy. The only real excuse is that this was the first go for these two, and they only put this together in a very short time. I'll give them that, but with the addendum of "well, don't expect a freebie out of that"