We Love It's Guide to…
Guide Young through a surreal subconscious, using a broom to fight foes, solve dungeon puzzles, and uncover paths through a dream world.
Released 22 Mar 2013
Fight with a Broom
Sweep Up Dust
Solve Dream Dungeons
A 2D action-adventure through a surreal, subconscious world. Explore moody dungeons, buildings, and atmospheric lands, evoked by dreamy music and visuals. Help the human Young awaken from their dream!
Developed by Melos Han-Tani, Marina Kittaka · Published by Analgesic Productions
You play as Young, a human wandering through a surreal subconscious world. Its connected regions mix natural landscapes with strange places such as apartments, hotels, and abstract spaces, populated by unusual characters.
Explore the overworld and dungeons, talk to inhabitants, fight enemies with a broom, and solve environmental puzzles. The broom can also gather and place dust to block projectiles or power mechanisms; some areas add platforming challenges.
Find cards to open access to deeper parts of the world, and collect health upgrades to help Young survive. The route between regions is nonlinear, with optional secrets to discover and further exploration available after the main adventure.
In this helpfulness-selected sample, reviewers often enjoy Anodyne as a compact, Zelda-style adventure shaped by surreal settings, exploration, and dungeon puzzles. Its pixel art, music, and cryptic dreamlike tone are recurring points of appreciation, though reactions to the story’s ambiguity vary. Some reviewers find the combat or puzzles too simple, while others mention confusing progression or occasional puzzle friction.
A 2D action-adventure through the surreal subconscious world of the human Young. Explore dungeons set in apartments and hotels, and atmospheric lands, all evoked by a dream-like music and visuals. Talk to bizarre characters and navigate puzzle-and-combat-filled dungeons. Can you help Young wake up?
Explore the world's fields, caves and dungeons in order to open up portals in the Nexus, connecting you to other lands. You'll have to solve puzzles and defeat enemies along the way.
Search for mysterious cards to help you dive deeper into Young's mind! Health upgrades will help you survive deeper reaches of the dream.
Check out the sequel, Anodyne 2, too!
In a surreal dream world, a nonlinearly connected land of natural locations (forests, cliffs), abstract places (space), urban locations (hotels, temples), and more.
Use your broom to defeat enemies, and solve puzzles in multiple large dungeons and mazes.
Talk to strange NPCs, and gain insight into the psyche of the silent protagonist, Young.
Find mysterious Cards scattered throughout the game in order to unlock deeper reaches of the world.
A 6-8+ hour action-adventure, with plenty of surprises after the credits roll...
The 2013 game that started it all for indie studio Analgesic Productions!
Some players say this reminds them of Link's Awakening or Yume Nikki.
Note on pricing difference vs consoles: the Steam version grants access to both the Anodyne Remastered and Classic Anodyne. Thus, the price of the Steam version was updated to reflect inflation and current pricing standards. The console version currently does not (as of 2025) have Anodyne Remastered.
Content Warnings (Light spoilers)
Low-res pixel art (like in the style of the screenshots of): Suicide by hanging, mild horror, murder by blunt objects, dead bodies, stabbing, blood stains, mentions of sex, unexpected killing of an NPC. Rare strong language. Note this isn't representative of the majority of the game, but it is unavoidable.
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux |
|---|---|
| Achievements | 6 |
| Age ratings |
|
| Controller support | PlayStation, Xbox |
| Controller required | No |
| DLC / extras | 1 listed on Steam |
| Website | Official website |
