GAME · released

ANIMAL WELL

Billy Basso · Bigmode

Steam artwork — ANIMAL WELL
Quick read

ANIMAL WELL is a mute pixel metroidvania where the map is a riddle you keep, and combat is almost a rumor you stop expecting. A pixel that moved is the loot.

What kind of game is it?

Exploration and secrets. You draw the map from memory and from a pixel that did not want to be found. A nail would be the wrong tool — the well is a puzzle that happens to be a place, and the next sitting is a wall you already stared at.

Who is it for?

For players who prefer a map they draw from memory and from one stubborn pixel.

How it plays
Loop
Exploring a map
Sessions
Medium sessions
Progression
A world that stays
Players
Single-player
Structure
Metroidvania
Tone
Tense · Challenging

Game DNA

What playing it feels like, out of 100. Our reading, separate from Steam reviews.

  • Progression80

    Estimate

  • Story58

    Estimate

  • Social18

    Estimate

Key Steam facts

Steam store figures, checked 17 Aug 2026.

Release
released

2024-05-09

Review score
95.8%

Checked 17 Aug 2026.

Steam positive percent.

Review count
24,435

Checked 17 Aug 2026.

Store price
€17.15

Checked 17 Aug 2026.

Languages
11
Demo
No
Early Access
No
Players
Single-player

How many people play ANIMAL WELL?

Estimates from public Steam data, not figures from the studio. Ranges, not exact numbers.

Estimated copies
610k – 1.3M

Steam reviews × 25 to 55. For a free game: players, not sales.

All-time peak players
8,107

Most people playing at the same moment, per SteamCharts.

Average players, Aug 2026
107

Peak that month: 218.

Median playtime
15.4 h

Half of 300 recent reviewers played 10.6–21.5 h. 5% under 2 h.

Players over time

May 2024: 3,007 average, 8,107 peakJun 2024: 675 average, 1,780 peakJul 2024: 398 average, 800 peakAug 2024: 233 average, 451 peakSept 2024: 211 average, 934 peakOct 2024: 239 average, 672 peakNov 2024: 179 average, 880 peakDec 2024: 442 average, 873 peakJan 2025: 322 average, 783 peakFeb 2025: 300 average, 619 peakMar 2025: 218 average, 503 peakApr 2025: 130 average, 252 peakMay 2025: 217 average, 685 peakJun 2025: 176 average, 400 peakJul 2025: 187 average, 351 peakAug 2025: 152 average, 325 peakSept 2025: 115 average, 276 peakOct 2025: 99 average, 231 peakNov 2025: 88 average, 191 peakDec 2025: 145 average, 299 peakJan 2026: 148 average, 268 peakFeb 2026: 88 average, 242 peakMar 2026: 109 average, 240 peakApr 2026: 71 average, 145 peakMay 2026: 147 average, 431 peakJun 2026: 87 average, 227 peakJul 2026: 110 average, 226 peakAug 2026: 107 average, 218 peak
May 2024Aug 2026

Where the players are

Languages of the last 300 Steam reviews. A proxy for regions, not a country split.

  • English51%
  • Simplified Chinese29%
  • Russian4%
  • Portuguese (Brazil)3%
  • Spanish (Spain)3%
  • French2%

Steam data checked 4 Oct 2026

What makes it different?

The reward is a secret you notice in a map you already walked.

Core mechanics

Related games

Nearby games. Not always a direct substitute.

Genre / subgenre

Steam genre: metroidvania.

Related rankings