Anodyne 2: Return to Dust

Anodyne 2: Return to Dust is a continuation of Anodyne, an old-school game from 2013. In contrast to the original action RPG, this time we are dealing with an action-adventure game enriched with RPG and platform elements. The devs of the previous installment, the independent studio Analgesic Productions, are behind the development of the game.

Plot

The story told in Anodyne 2: Return to Dust is not connected with the plot of the first installment. The player lands on the island of New Theland, the inhabitants of which fell victim of a mysterious plague - a substance known as Nano Dust disturbs their emotions and desires. During the game, we play as the heroine named Nova, who. as a representative of the Nano Cleaner profession. is engaged in searching for infected islanders and infiltrating their bodies in order to remove the destructive dust.

Mechanics

Anodyne 2: Return to Dust is based on two pillars. The first one is the exploration of the island, in which we engage on foot (then we observe the action from third-person perspective) or in the form of a car into which the protagonist can change (in this case the camera presents the events from the side). The world is made up of various locations - from picturesque valleys to gloomy wilderness and cities. While walking through them, we encounter various obstacles (such as platforms on which we have to jump), as well as talkative inhabitants. As we progress, we gain special cards that enable us to get to more and more distant corners of New Theland.

When Nova enters the body of one of the infected, the game starts to resemble the first installment of the series. We see the heroine from bird's eye view, and our main task is to cross vast dungeons, fight enemies and remove the dangerous dust.

Technical aspects

The audiovisual layer of Anodyne 2: Return to Dust was designed in an unusual way. While exploring the island, the three-dimensional visuals of the game bring to mind projects from PlayStation, PlayStation 2 and Nintendo 64, while when Nova is transferred to the body of one of the plague victims, the game starts to look like a pixel art title from Game Boy Advance or Super Nintendo Entertainment System platform.

Last updated on 21 January 2021