When I first heard about Pawprint Studio’s open-world RPG, I was skeptical. It sounded like a tale that had been woven countless times already by every iteration of Pokemon or creature collecting game I’d ever jumped into. The premise: Catch different Aniimo and take them into battle.
Then, when I saw the trailer for Aniimo, my opinion vastly changed. I realised just how much I’d underestimated the developers’ ambition. Yes, the premise is similar in nature, but the execution is entirely and wholeheartedly unique. The game says, “Go ahead, catch these Aniimo… and then become them.”
And I’m pleased to say that after countless hours in Aniimo’s sweeping and captivating world, I’ve finally acquired a front row seat of Pawprint Studio’s distinctive concept first-hand. But, before you invest your time into Aniimo, I have some important things to say about unlocking the game’s full potential – and what that requires from you as a player.
You’re joining the Polaris Institute as one of its newest students on a mission to traverse the expansive world of Idyll. Here, you’ll discover Aniimo, learn about their lore and, most importantly, catch them. On research expeditions across the land, you’ll team up with characters who will impart wisdom to you about the land’s wondrous (if a little mind-boggling) history and of all the Aniimo that live there.
And while you’re taught about your companion robot, BINI, who will catalogue all the incredible data you find on these research trips and of the Polaris Badges you’ll acquire from achieving incredible ground-breaking feats, the game will turn the heat up a big ol’ notch fairly early doors.
Unfortunately, Idyll isn’t just a floaty happy place. It’s steeped in a mysterious presence and a pulsating threat of the unknown. You’ll need to make a decision about what legendary Aniimo will become your first (but absolutely not only) companion. Helion is a fiery little lion, while Lunara is a high-voiced waif of a cat. The clues in the name – Pawprint Studios are clearly cat lovers.
Thus, your adventure begins. While the storyline is dictated by a series of main quests, you’ve also got the open-world opportunity to explore however you see fit. The land of Idyll is laced with mysteries and secrets to unravel, rewarding curiosity in many different ways from treasures to cosmetic gifts. But, in order to make your way through any of it, you’ll need to catch more Aniimo.
Catching, as I’ve already said, is just the basics of the game. A similar notion to many creature collecting games, you throw an Aniipod, you can catch an Aniimo in it and then, it’s yours. But then you learn one very important and arguably the best mechanic of Aniimo – twining.
While you can use every single Aniimo as a companion, running alongside you and frolicking in the sumptuous flora and fauna, you can also transform into them in a seamless transition I was not expecting. And becoming them isn’t just a fun little quirk, it’s integral to the gameplay. When you’re traversing the landscape, each Aniimo’s unique skills can help you do so. Switch into a Celestis to fly down safely from a cliff edge. Dig underground to unearth hidden treasures with Budclaw. Eliminate vines with the fiery breath of the Emberpup. That’s just the beginning.
Of course, you’ll also want these Aniimo to battle for you. You build a roster and then take your carefully selected battle-hardy Aniimos into a fight against roaming Aniimo, Alpha Aniimos and fellow Pathfinders eager to duel with their own catches across Idyll. Each offers an opportunity to show off your skills.
But while I relish in the beauty of the twining mechanic, a feature my 6-year-old daughter has become a huge fan of, requesting I become every single Aniimo in my Aniilog, I have some less-than-wonderful things to say about the combat. And that’s because it feels a lot more like button smashing and a lot less like planning any real strategy.
This could be in part to my Helion being extremely OP compared to anything I’ve come up against so far, but it could also be because it’s just a little repetitive. Fortunately, twining comes into its own here, too. While your character won’t have much to offer in a fight apart from a few hits to encourage the Aniimo’s much-more impressive barrage, it’s perpetually more fun when you twine with your Aniimo and unleash its full potential as one.
The more fights you win, the more opportunities you have to unlock both passive and active abilities that can then be unleashed in battle and, in a knock-on effect, the more fun you’ll hopefully have with combat as you move forward.
But if, like me, the combat gives you a little bit of a headache, there’s a special place in Aniimo where you can escape to unwind – and that’s the RV Park. Across Idyll, there are camping grounds where you can set up your own aesthetic little camper. But, it’s not as little as it seems, and it’s not just a place to kick back and grill a couple of sausages with your neighbours. At the back of your World-Class RV, there’s a magical door that’ll take you ‘home’ where an entirely new and surprisingly expansive land hides away from the usual Aniimo catching, battling and exploring.
Here, your home is a place to grow crops, fulfill orders, shop and just let your Aniimo relax and live freely away from the constraints of your Aniilog. They’ll even help you with tasks around your homestead from farming, sowing, gathering and more. If I was having a particularly combat-heavy moment in Idyll, I’d fast travel my way over to the RV for a bit of R&R. At a completely different pace, it lets you enjoy an almost life-sim experience where the troubles of the world can wait for you to come back. And you’ll be back when you’re ready, fully rejuvenated with pockets full of wheat.
You’ll also find yourself returning to the RV after another mildly stressful part of Aniimo and that’s the menu interface. I can’t stress this point enough, the menu and everything within it is an absolute brainmelt of abundance. There is so much to do that I’m not sure I’ll ever get my head around it all, clicking around haphazardly searching desperately for the gift it says I’ve achieved.
You hop between Aniimo Management, Aniilog, Elite Training and more, culminating in 16 apps in total with 3 yet to be unlocked. And once you enter each app, the maze continues with the requirement at some points asking you to press about five different buttons before you can even get to where you want.
It’s such a vast contrast from the soft, billowing landscape of Aniimo and the quirky little characters that I almost wanted to avoid it. At least it’ll keep you busy by giving you endless things to do, even if I didn’t quite understand what. But if I opted to do nothing at all instead, that was also totally fine. Like hiding away in my RV’s mystical back passage or creeping around in the long grass clutching my Aniipod in hopes of an impressive catch.
There’s one final topic I think needs to be discussed and that’s around the monetization of Aniimo. The game is free-to-play, which is incredibly surprising given how much you can do. But, with games like these, there’s always the concern that they’ll try to get money from you in other ways. Fortunately, it doesn’t appear to be the case here. Sure, there’s a Battle Pass equivalent called the Monthly Pass found in the Companion Handbook that you’ll need to pay for if you want it (though by no means compulsory). And if you want to level up certain things in the game quicker, you may be inclined to spend your money on it or by purchasing cosmetic-only goods. But if you don’t want to spend any money at all, I don’t see why you’d have to.
What Aniimo does want from you, though, is to invest your time. You’ll need to prove yourself in Aniimo, showing the game you’re willing to spend the time it takes to unlock its many wonders. Timed events and teaming up with friends is one way to integrate yourself with the game, but there are countless others. By levelling up as a student and logging all your catches, it’ll repay you in a wealth of ways. But for me, playing Aniimo already feels like a reward in itself.
