StellarNull is a name that may not be hugely recognised in the indie game scene just yet, but with their new release, Anuchard, it wouldn’t be too surprising to see them start to make a splash. Anuchard is a dungeon crawling RPG that leads you through mysterious areas to save the souls of people and animals who have wandered in before. It’s a pretty basic concept done by countless games in the past, so what can Anuchard do to set itself apart from the rest?

Sure, it sounds like this is going to be all praise based on that start, but let’s actually start with my biggest gripe in Anuchard. The reason I want to start with this issue is because it’s actually pretty much the first thing you’ll come across. Every time you turn on the game, the cursor automatically selects/highlights “start game” and not “load game.” Unfortunately, “start game” starts a fresh file, and you either need to play through the opening cutscene, or reboot the game to get back to the main screen to select to load your save. Maybe it’s just the fact I’m impatient and just want to get into the game, but I can’t be the only one annoyed with this design choice.

Anuchard is designed adorably; the characters and designs are reminiscent of a SNES game, and the sound effects and music match that era. It’s interesting to see the characters look more like dolls, not having faces, but still being very expressive. While not every character talks, like the protagonist for instance, there are dialogue boxes that show the feelings and moods of characters. Whether it’s a crying face, a happy face, or a question mark, it’s easy to tell how a faceless and seemingly expressionless character feels.

The main part of the game is dungeon crawling. Characters have been entering the dungeons and losing their souls, being turned to stone. The Bellwielder, your character, is the only one who can enter the dungeons, free the souls, and release the people and animals from their stony prisons. The dungeons don’t have a huge variety of enemies, but do have some fun, quick, and interesting puzzles. There are essentially two attacks, a regular hit, and a rolling smack that sends enemies flying. You’ll need the rolling attack to break enemy shields as they only break when hitting a wall. This is also by far the most overpowered attack. Being able to basically stun lock enemies and bosses alike in corners and bounce them off walls can be pretty strong.

While the sound effects are great in Anuchard, the music provides an interesting contrast to the actual story of the game. The music is calm, tranquil, uplifting, during a game that essentially starts with “my husband and kid are dead because they entered the dungeon.” You would expect the music to be a touch more somber, but as a whole the music and characters feel a lot more uplifting given everything happening around them.

One thing that did make me kind of chuckle (probably my dark sense of humour), is the fact that the aforementioned husband is part of the story to save. Their child on the other hand, is not a requirement. That said, as a whole this game was really easy to grasp and play. The puzzles are interesting and will get your mind working. They aren’t huge puzzles either; they’re typically quick yet rewarding. Anuchard is fast-paced and is pretty satisfying. This is definitely a game for anyone who enjoys dungeon crawling indie games like Boyfriend Dungeon or even Hades . Honestly though, just about anyone could get into it pretty easily.

 

Graphics: 8.5 Anuchard has a unique feeling art style. Characters are expressive while looking like straw dolls. Enemies are distinguished from the background and areas do look varied from one another.	Gameplay: 6.0 While Anuchard is a competent dungeon crawler, it is quite simple when it comes to combat. That being said, the puzzles feel unique and intuitive.
Sound: 6.5 The music in Anuchard is great, as are the character sound effects. The contrast is definitely a bit off though; while it sounds joyful, nothing around implies that it is a joyous time.	Fun Factor: 7.5 All around, Anuchard is quite fun. It does what it aims to do comfortably, but doesn’t break new ground in its genre.
Final Verdict: 7.5

Anuchard is available now on Nintendo Switch, PS4, PC, and Xbox One.

Reviewed on Xbox Series X.

A copy of Anuchard was provided by the publisher.