Aniimo is a very special game, and I mean that in both ways. It’s the kind of game that really hooks you because of its simplicity, beautiful graphical presentation, and satisfying progression system. But the more you play, the more you realize that you’ll probably have to put in a lot of hours, or money, to get the most out of it. Let’s talk about it.
Aniimo is a free-to-play creature-collector game that really opens up a new perspective on how this genre can be approached. It’s nice to see that, even with Palworld on the sidelines, developers are still experimenting with the creature-collector formula. What makes Aniimo stand out from other games is the fact that you can “Twine” with your Aniimo, allowing you to take control of it. You can run or fly around in its form and use its abilities to fight other Aniimo or overcome certain obstacles that only specific Aniimo can handle. Each Aniimo has its own abilities, party roles, evolutions, stats, attributes, and much more. There’s a lot to discover, and the game does a surprisingly good job of keeping you interested.
“Almost everything is possible, and the smooth transitions between these different forms are what keep exploration so engaging.”
One of its biggest strengths is its incredibly fluid traversal system. You can run as your character, jump off a cliff, transform into a flying Aniimo, land in a pond and immediately switch into a water-based Aniimo. You can climb, fly, glide, tunnel, and more. Almost everything is possible, and the smooth transitions between these different forms are what keep exploration so engaging.
It’s also far more interactive than Pokémon in this regard. You can transform into a Celeste to climb certain ruins and reach a chest. You can become Budclaw and tunnel into areas you’ve never been able to reach before. You can switch into a Blazing Pup and sprint across the fields to reach your destination faster. Every Aniimo has its own capabilities, meaning they aren’t simply creatures you collect—they are also tools for exploration and puzzle-solving.
“…you’ll need to dodge, pay attention to their attacks, and actually plan your approach.”
Combat also requires some tactical thinking, especially as you progress. Just like in Pokémon, Aniimo have different attributes, meaning you’ll need to counter certain elements to gain an advantage. But there’s another layer to the combat system: each Aniimo has a specific role, such as Healer, DPS, Tank or Buffer/Debuffer. During battle, you can switch between them to create combinations and adapt to different situations. In the beginning, you’ll often find yourself simply hammering the attack button. But once the Alpha Aniimo start showing up, you’ll need to dodge, pay attention to their attacks, and actually plan your approach.
The environments and Aniimo themselves are colorful and gorgeous. The world feels alive, with creatures doing their own thing, such as sleeping or wandering around. You’ll even encounter Nimbi, sheep-like Aniimo that are simply waiting for you to give them a place to sleep. The world also features a day-and-night cycle and dynamic weather system. Certain Aniimo can only be found at dawn or when the moon is high in the sky, while the different environments react to the changing conditions. Even better, you can control this cycle yourself, which is a fantastic feature for players who enjoy grinding and collecting every single creature.
“Of course, not everything is as clean and smooth as the official gameplay presentation might suggest.”
The world where the Aniimo live is called Idyll. Then there’s Astra, the floating social hub, which feels much more like a shopping center than anything else. You’ll find gimmicky features focusing on the social aspects of the game, such as taking photos, interacting with other players, showing off your badge collection,and, of course, spending your hard-earned money. In other words, Astra is probably the least interesting place to be. I understand why it’s included, especially considering the MMO elements, but I hope the developers eventually give the floating town the same level of attention and personality as the world of Idyll.
Of course, not everything is as clean and smooth as the official gameplay presentation might suggest. There’s a lot to do in Aniimo, and grinders will certainly find their happy place in Idyll. The problem is that the game throws an enormous amount of systems at you. Events, common goals, collector passes, rewards, materials, upgrades, daily activities… it can become quite a mess. After spending a lot of hours with the game, the UI starts to feel clunky and overwhelming. Thankfully, there are plenty of shortcuts to help you find what you’re actually looking for, but even then, the amount of information being thrown at you can be exhausting.
“At times, it feels like you’ve entered the Twilight Zone.”
The same goes for the materials you collect. There are countless different resources, and it often feels like every single activity rewards you with something different. Complete an event? Here’s a reward. Capture an Aniimo? Here’s another one. Log in? Have another reward. Complete a goal? Here’s something else. Whether it’s an upgrade component, an experience boost, or in-game currency, you’re constantly receiving something.
At times, it feels like you’ve entered the Twilight Zone. One moment you’re enjoying this beautifully created world, and before you know it, you’re being confronted with battle passes, stamina refills, dailies, events, and countless other progression systems. It creates a strange disconnect between the beautiful adventure the game wants you to experience and the free-to-play structure surrounding it. And while Aniimo doesn’t really have a traditional gacha system, you can’t ignore the other monetization elements.
“But if you want a smoother experience, you’ll have to invest something, either your time or your money.”
There’s an Aniimo Companion Handbook that can be unlocked for around €25. It provides decorative items, experience boosts, and, more importantly, access to one of the strongest Aniimo in the game—an Aniimo that is exclusive to the battle pass. That concerns me. I say this as someone who genuinely enjoys spending time in Aniimo. These kinds of pay-to-win elements keep me on my toes. Don’t get me wrong: the actual world and its major features are available to everyone. You don’t have to spend money to explore Idyll, collect Aniimo, or experience the game. But if you want a smoother experience, you’ll have to invest something—either your time or your money.
The paid battle pass provides additional rewards and significantly more experience to level up your Aniimo faster. At the moment, the shop itself is mostly focused on cosmetics, which is perfectly reasonable. But putting one of the strongest Aniimo behind a €25 companion book is a red flag for me. So while the game is almost entirely free-to-play, and it doesn’t constantly force you to spend money, there are definitely elements that give paying players an advantage.
“Its strongest moments come from exploration, collecting, transforming into your Aniimo, and discovering what the world has to offer.”
Aniimo is also marketed as an MMO, although your actual experience is largely based around an instanced world. Friends can join you while exploring, but they can’t simply jump into your single-player experience whenever they want. Most of the time, you’ll be hanging out with friends to build up your bond level, which eventually allows you to trade with one another. There are some activities you can do together, such as Alpha battles and PvP, but that’s about it. In other words, you’ll still be playing through the story on your own, while the multiplayer aspect mostly revolves around collecting Aniimo together, trading, and participating in specific activities. And honestly, that’s probably fine. Aniimo doesn’t need to be a fully fledged MMO to be enjoyable. Its strongest moments come from exploration, collecting, transforming into your Aniimo, and discovering what the world has to offer.
Conclusion:
Aniimo is truly a big step forward as a new creature collector game. Not only does it have a fantastic, gorgeous instanced world, but the interesting use of Aniimo abilities makes the traversal in this world incredibly fluid. The “twining” aspect of the game is such an interesting concept that makes the game immersive on its own. Utilizing the abilities in combat as well feels surprisingly deep. The sense of exploration has been done extremely well due to its event system and the fact that every Aniimo changes the way you navigate the world and battles. The role system, attributes, and well-thought-out abilities make the game a very fun battler.
Aniimo can be played totally free; however, its structure stimulates the use of real money to get faster progression and some over-the-top Aniimos. It starts with a finger but you’ll end up giving your limb and precious time as well. The UI feels clunky due to the large number of progression systems and the complication of following your objectives through. It’s hard to ignore the fact that there’s an Aniimo in the shop that’s worth 25 bucks. I hope these kinds of purchases are limited. However, the monetization focuses mostly on cosmetics, and I’m okay with that. If you like a game, you can support the developers however you want, but it doesn’t have to be this “aggressive”. Either way, the game is not just a Pokémon clone; it really is a decent collector game, and I do feel like Aniimo has a lot of potential. It’s a collector game that does a lot of things right, and it could become something special.