Anodyne 2: Return to Dust

Anodyne 2: Return to Dust is an action-adventure title from Analgesic Productions. Players explore a 3D overworld that mimics the visual style of fifth-generation consoles, then shrink into characters’ bodies to navigate 2D dungeons filled with puzzles and combat. The story follows Nova, a young woman recruited as a Nano Cleaner by an organization called The Center to rid the island of New Theland of a harmful substance known as Dust. As she assists the island’s inhabitants, Nova uncovers the truth about The Center and Dust, and begins to question her own purpose. The game launched for PC on August 12, 2019, with console versions arriving on February 18, 2021. It is the sequel to 2013’s Anodyne, but was built using the Unity engine rather than the Flixel framework of its predecessor. Critical reception varied by platform: Metacritic reports “generally favorable reviews” for the Switch and PlayStation 5 editions, while the PlayStation 4 version received “mixed or average” scores. Joshua Robin of Nintendo World Report praised the visuals, soundtrack, and writing—noting that each character’s monologue balances personal scale with universal ideas—but found the gameplay repetitive, citing the in-game elevator as a symbol of unnecessary tedium. Edwin Evans-Thirlwell of Eurogamer highlighted the game’s tonal and genre variety, from solarpunk apartment complexes to a surreal ocean reminiscent of Dark Souls 2 and Spirited Away, and admired its faithful recreation of late-90s 3D graphics. Danielle Riendeau of Vice appreciated the contrast between the tight 2D puzzle boxes and the abstract 3D spaces, calling the aesthetic push-and-poll “bold” and praising the game’s earnest exploration of human relationships. Anodyne 2 was nominated for the 2019 Independent Games Festival Grand Prize.