Animal Well

There are no human beings in Animal Well. There is no language. There is no guide.

In their place are those who occupy the eternity of the instant.

"There was a time when I thought a great deal about the axolotls. I went to see them in the aquarium at the Jardin des Plantes and stayed for hours watching them, observing their immobility, their faint movements. Now I am an axolotl."
Julio Cortázar

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[TierZoo]

fantastic game to choose as an inaugural video topic. Animal Well is one of the most charmingly moody games ever made.

[SpiceRack]

I'm so happy that the gift which you are now extends into new vistas of discussion & analysis <3

[Woogachaka]

My eyes grew wide as i heard that now familiar voice discussing a great love of mine when I thought it confined to another. It was a great delight, and I hope its not the last such.

[JDXC]

I genuinely cannot think of a better creator to discuss such a unique and magnificent game. I am so excited to see what other stories you plan to tell both within and beyond the scope of Magic.

[Aaron-xjby]

I love how much respect you pay to the things you talk about.

[mekklord]

i can't believe the game being published by a former LoL youtuber known for many catchphrases including "spaghetti and meatballs" would be covered by the single gentlest voice of the entire MtG community who also happened to have a PhD in italian studies

[bartnius]

holy shit, out of left field. hugely excited to see where your creativity takes you outside of magic, sam. <3

[Yeoffrey]

I am excited to see Sam use his mastery of his craft to take on other subject matter. As an artist evolves, so must their art.

[pkspadoosh]

Such a joy to click on a random video that looked cool and hearing your voice. Lately I've been reflecting on how long I've been doing certain things, and among others I've realized I have been watching you videos for more than 5 years. Your work is the best, thank you sincerely

[jpricej]

Calvino, Borges, AND Cortázar, all applied to a thoughtful discussion of a beautiful game... You're the dude.

[Abyssoft]

I had concepted a short story yesterday where instead of humans turning into werewolves, an animal gets cursed and turns into a human, having gained the power of speech temporarily, for some reason the intro of this video made me think of it. I don't know what genre this falls into, maybe academic art evaluation? It's super cool regardless, a true breath of fresh air in the video game commentary niche; excited for what you do next, and I hope it's Hyper Light Drifter.

[boiaaang]

rhystic studies my favorite video essayist making video on my favorite game of all time... im going nuts

[AnonYmous-etmz]

This seems like a great project, Sam. I'm very much looking forward to your beautifully worded analysis of digital ludonarratives.

[gabozo]

I havent played mtg for 10 years, but i still watch ur vids all the time. Ur one of the best video essayist on youtube hands down. To me a mark of a great commentator is someome who engrosses me in something i was not initially interested in. Thats what you do with Rhystic studies. Now ur doing it with something im alot more interested in inherently. Im beyond excited to see what else you do here.

[killerexe]

I got this as a recommendation and thought it could be interesting.
Hearing your voice gave me such a whiplash.
Looking forward to hearing more from you in context outside of MTG

[daviddegregoriom]

Borge's quote was in my mind since the second half of the video, and reading it at the end was cathartic. Cheers for another great video, and one that hopefully will let many more connect with your beautifl insights on art.

[JaySay]

Love this, Sam. Thanks for bringing to attention such a charming and unique game!
Always love your insights. No matter how trivial things may seem on the surface, just like this game, there's a world of wonder to explore.

[ludosgd]

Excellent video to start off the new channel! Very excited to see you cover this indie game; Animal Well deserves all the recognition it can get!!!

[erentsen]

I heard this game is like if Halo 2 meets Halo 3.

[no_uhs]

As much as I want to leave a snarky comment like “heh I guess this is your universes beyond” I can tell you really care and I’m excited to see what you make

Can’t watch this now because I haven’t played animal well but once I do I’ll be back