Aniimo Really Is That Pretty, And Pretty Chill

Yesterday was the final day of Aniimo’s most recent global closed beta test. The free-to-play (when it launches) game is a new, but familiar take on the creature capture and battle MMORPG genre. It’s also a visually stunning one. We were offered the chance to take part in this beta so I spent a little time in it – not as much as I would have liked, but enough to get a general feel for it.

The big thing, for me, about this game is simply how beautiful it is. This is genuinely a case of the trailer and other promotional content telling the truth. It ran surprisingly well for me too, considering the high quality of the visuals.

The other surprising thing was the game’s character creation. For a cozy creature collecting game it’s rather robust. The game allows players to adjust their character’s face and hair using quite a few slider settings. Then, of course there’s makeup and clothes. Players can even tweak individual sections of the character’s hair so it really is easy to create something that’s unique to you. Of course, the clothes are less unique starting out. But you’ll soon acquire some outfit sets and individual pieces can be swapped out to create an outfit all your own.

Gameplay wise… well, let’s say the little starting area doesn’t really convey just how big the world you’ll be playing around in is. But, what it does do is provide you with a quick lesson on the basics of the gameplay and set up the story. Aniimo’s story is different from most of the other games I’ve been playing because it runs at a slower pace.

It does introduce the mystery and at least some of the antagonists pretty quickly, but unlike other games, you’re not going to go all-out with the action. There’s a brief encounter that last long enough to introduce you to a special Aniimo that will travel with you on your quest and once that’s resolved things slow down a bit, as the other characters acknowledge you have no real training and knowledge and need to get some learning in before you go off to face any bad guys. (That doesn’t stop ancient Aniimo from getting in contact with you, however.)

At the beginning, it’s your job to learn about Idyll and its inhabitants. And this is what you’ll do once you’ve been given a general introduction, and your academy uniform. You’ll immediately be out, exploring the wide open spaces, completing quests, and meeting (and catching) lots of unique creatures.

Each Aniimo you add to your collection has more uses than fighting. Each allows you to “Twine” with them – which basically means taking over their bodies to use their abilities. This is how you’ll do a lot of moving around the game’s map. Need to fly or climb walls? The flying-squirrel looking Celestis is what you need. Looking to set something on fire? The Emberpup or it’s fiery evolutions are what you’re looking for. Once you tame a creature, Twining with them is fairly easy. You don’t even need to worry about having the one you need out for certain activities, such as flight, swimming, and climbing. It makes getting around easy and fun, and is one of my favorite things about the game.

To be fair, I wasn’t able to spend as much time in the game as I would have liked. So I can’t judge many of the game’s features, such as the personal RV’s, gardening, and the like. What I can tell you is that the game is relaxing… sometimes maybe too relaxing. It’s a vibrant, pretty world with chill music and lots of open places to explore. It also seems to take allowing the player to be themselves very seriously.

As for the community stuff. You will see and be able to interact with other players. And even if you choose not to interact directly, you can leave messages for others. Most of the messages I ran across were helpful little hints and the like.

Overall, based on what I experienced, I’ll still be keeping an eye on Aniimo, and waiting to hop back in when it launches.