I died!
Axolotl is Dry is a game I bought for sale for one cent on the Nintendo store, with no tax included. While that didn’t make cents, the game is surprisingly not terrible. The game follows the cute adventures of an adorable creature, whom you must guide. It’s a 2D platformer, with short stages finalizing when the titular character reaches a small pool of water to bathe in. You will be jumping, dashing, and wall jumping to victory. Along the way, little signs with misused English will barely help you in teaching you how to play the game. You’ll just have to figure it out yourself, but thankfully the game is easy to get into.
The magic of the game is its simplicity, combined with excellent level design. Getting to the end of each tiny level is no easy task, but it will be your fault if you die. Levels are designed to look quite intimidating at first with spikes everywhere, but there is a certain path that will lead you to victory. If you’re willing to grind and potentially die repeatedly, you will eventually make the jump and feel like a platforming master. Think Super Meat Boy, basically.
The downside of the overt nail-biting challenge is that it is an entirely stressful experience. People with barely average platforming skill will undoubtedly lose their patience quickly, rage quit, and declare the game is awful. It is a fair, but incredibly tough game, and if you sucked at Shovel Knight you’re doomed if you attempt to play this one.
Final warning: this game is not for everyone. Dying repeatedly is quite irritating, especially in a market where games give out achievements like candy. This is an old school challenge, and a lot of people would be better off skipping it. That being said, I got bang for my penny. I enjoyed attempting to solve the problem of reaching the other side in each level, it was addicting. If you find this game for a penny, snag it, it’s worth every cent.
