Annalynn

Genre: Platformer / Arcade

Players: 1

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Review:

Annalynn is an Arcade-style Platformer that released in 2021 on PC and ported to Nintendo Switch in 2023. In this game, players must guide the titular Annalynn, a miner who has discovered an underground cave system, to collect every last piece of gold in each of the levels, while avoiding the angry snakes trying to attack her.

The presentation in this game is clearly designed to mimic classic Arcade Platformers, with retro-style 2D pixel art visuals with bright colors in front of a black background and chiptune music. Given how much this game is playing off of nostalgia, this presentation in pretty much perfect for the game.

When it comes to the gameplay, this is a surprising mix of gameplay elements from classic Arcade Platformers – most noticeably Pac-Man (multicolor enemies chasing you through labyrinthine levels while you try to pick up dots, with a more powerful dot that briefly turns enemies weak and lets you temporarily eliminate them), City Connection (jumping between multiple levels to avoid enemies who are more restricted when it comes to vertical movement), and Donkey Kong Jr. (climbing ropes/vines, including straddling two ropes to climb upwards more quickly).

This game does add a few elements unique to Annalynn, though. Each level is littered with holes that snakes can go into and out of, and players will have to listen for the sound of a snake emerging, because when they do so they’ll be able to come out of any hole to ambush you. And since they can basically teleport from any hole to any other hole, it means there are few safe places in each level that snakes can’t get to in an instant.

Given the frantic nature of the game, it’s not always easy to instantly process the different types of platforms here, particularly when some platforms can only be (and must be) traversed by the snakes. And despite all its disparate elements, this is still at its core a fairly simple and repetitive game, much like the games it draws its inspiration from.

Still, for players craving a game styles like the classic Arcade Platformers, Annalynn is a solid tribute to that bygone era, with some great references to genre classics. The simplicity of this game may not appeal to everyone, but for only $5, it’s well worth picking up for anyone wanting something retro for a brief distraction.

tl;dr – Annalynn is an Arcade-style Platformer about a miner grabbing up gold while fleeing hostile snakes that pulls gameplay elements from Pac-Man, City Connection, and Donkey Kong Jr. , to name a few. It’s a solid tribute to classics of the genre, though like the games it imitates it can be a bit simple and repetitive.

Grade: B-

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