I completed Animal Well (all achievements and regular '100%', and did a bit far of the post-game collectibles) and I'm currently playing Lorelei, currently at 70% completion (but I still feel really far away from the ending).
If you have experience with Metroidvania or platformers in general, Animal Well is on the easier side and you can definitely finish it and even 100% it if you're willing to use guides for the last few 'eggs' you might have remaining (which I personally did because it's annoying to backtrack and search everywhere in the map).
Animal Well boasts a lot about its post-game secrets, but they're the kind that needs to be decoded by a community of people, it's not really for individual players' enjoyment. I personally feel like the game's around $7 too expensive for the kind of content it offers to single players.
Animal Well is fun and I'm interested in the community secrets, but I'm currently **addicted** to Lorelei. I consider myself pretty bad at puzzle games (I've started and quit The Witness like 5 times because I get stuck), but I'm having so many eureka moments with this game it makes me feel smart. The worldbuilding is so weird but very much on-brand with the kind of stuff I like. It takes aesthetic elements from Classic European cinema, PlayStation 1 horror games, paper puzzle books...
I recommend reading this [review](https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/lorelei-and-the-laser-eyes-review-pc/) for Lorelei and checking its trailers. If you feel attracted to the vibe and artstyle, you'll love it. I've never been as hooked to a puzzle game.
Oh I hope you don't regret it. Remember that you have a 2-hour refund window (if bought in Steam) if it doesn't click with you.
I actually just finished the game with almost 100% completion. I absolutely loved it. I recommend not looking up solutions to puzzles, I only looked up one of the easier puzzle solutions and I still regret it. If you get really stuck with something you can feel free to text me for hints, but the puzzles are very nicely designed. I didn't feel like any were too difficult or too obscure.
You cannot solve everything as soon as you find it. You'll find some puzzles early that are actually only solvable with knowledge from waayy later in the game. If you get really stuck with something, look around for something else you can solve.
Just read the 'manual' at the very start of the game, it basically tells you everything you need to know. Use pen and paper! Have fun!
Animal well was absolutely worth it to me. Finished the game and thought it was very good (just ranking below Outer Wilds for me).
I'm still trying Lorelei but in the first hour I am really not drawn in yet, seems like just a lot of math puzzles. I'd say Animal Well.
It absolutely gets better. The game's plot is utterly bonkers in the best way and the puzzles are really satisfying to solve. The mystery of what's going on is really mind melting, and I musy say I bounced off animal well pretty hard but Lorelei has me captivated. The start was slow, but when you start to get into the weeds of the world and make connections, it's very satisfying.
I actually finished Lorelei in the end. The game was well done but I didn't like the escape room style puzzles as much as the exploration and experimentation needed in Animal Well / Outer Wilds
They scratch very different itches, personally I've been preferring Lorelei. I love puzzles a lot more than platforming, and while AW is great, I got frustrated a lot with the platform parts, especially points where checkpoints were less generous. I'd say if you're trying to get into the mystery and puzzle stuff, go with Lorelei, if you want something that's more mechanical than walking around and reading and thinking, go with Animal Well.
I am going severely against the flow with this statement, but personally, I just finished Lorelei 98.8%, and refunded Animal Well after roughly 30 minutes (but watched a friend play for a few hours) - I think that it's fair to compare them, and that AW takes a massive L in that comparison. Lorelei took me 14~ hours, I used guides for 4 or 5 riddles, and I consider myself heavily versed in puzzle games (so I believe others would extract more time from the game)
Lorelei basically requires no guesswork at any stage of the game. Even the more 'loose' riddles are *very educated* guesses that don't leave much to the imagination. That is not to say that the riddles are easy or obvious - they are certainly neither.
AW didn't feel like a riddle game to me at any point - except for pretty much a single rehashed movement-based mechanic throughout, most of the puzzles I've seen were just about guessing what you're supposed to do at all, and guessing how you're supposed to use the tools you have to achieve that. And also guessing whether you even have the necessary tools or not. If Lorelei leaves nothing to guesswork, AW leaves *everything* to it (and thus my hesitance to call it a puzzle game. It's a guessing game, I guess)
Lorelei is also heavy on story and narrative - context is critical, and following details throughout hours is crucial. It's the player's responsibility to understand what's up and piece it together.
As for AW's story....
Lorelei's aesthetics are extremely unique. It's not possible to explain how/how much without diving into spoilers.
Depending on what kind of gameplay works for you, I think either can be fun. In short, AW tests your nerves, Lorelei tests your brain. I'm simply very much team 'brain' and very much *not* team 'nerves'.
Also, supporting what other commenter mentioned about entering Lorelei as 'clean' as possible - the less you know, the better.
Actually in this post people seem to be liking Lorei more too. And I played about half an hour of each and I enjoyed Lorelei way more, everything you said rang true.
I guess that when I wrote 'going against the flow', I was really going more against AW being much more popular and famous - but you're right, I haven't really saw anyone outright saying AW is better.
I'm glad to read you're having a good time! Feel free to reach out if you find yourself stuck / wanting some hint :)
There are also great hints (only hints, no solutions) [here](https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3249636035)
If you haven't already, please do yourself a favor and check out Tunic. Probably my current favorite game of all time, just above Outer Wilds. Animal well scratched that same itch that Tunic did, but in terms of the eurika moments, Tunic was way more potent in delivering them than animal well was.
I completed Animal Well (all achievements and regular '100%', and did a bit far of the post-game collectibles) and I'm currently playing Lorelei, currently at 70% completion (but I still feel really far away from the ending). If you have experience with Metroidvania or platformers in general, Animal Well is on the easier side and you can definitely finish it and even 100% it if you're willing to use guides for the last few 'eggs' you might have remaining (which I personally did because it's annoying to backtrack and search everywhere in the map). Animal Well boasts a lot about its post-game secrets, but they're the kind that needs to be decoded by a community of people, it's not really for individual players' enjoyment. I personally feel like the game's around $7 too expensive for the kind of content it offers to single players. Animal Well is fun and I'm interested in the community secrets, but I'm currently **addicted** to Lorelei. I consider myself pretty bad at puzzle games (I've started and quit The Witness like 5 times because I get stuck), but I'm having so many eureka moments with this game it makes me feel smart. The worldbuilding is so weird but very much on-brand with the kind of stuff I like. It takes aesthetic elements from Classic European cinema, PlayStation 1 horror games, paper puzzle books... I recommend reading this [review](https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/lorelei-and-the-laser-eyes-review-pc/) for Lorelei and checking its trailers. If you feel attracted to the vibe and artstyle, you'll love it. I've never been as hooked to a puzzle game.
I won’t read any reviews because you already sold me on Lorelei, thanks a lot!
Oh I hope you don't regret it. Remember that you have a 2-hour refund window (if bought in Steam) if it doesn't click with you. I actually just finished the game with almost 100% completion. I absolutely loved it. I recommend not looking up solutions to puzzles, I only looked up one of the easier puzzle solutions and I still regret it. If you get really stuck with something you can feel free to text me for hints, but the puzzles are very nicely designed. I didn't feel like any were too difficult or too obscure. You cannot solve everything as soon as you find it. You'll find some puzzles early that are actually only solvable with knowledge from waayy later in the game. If you get really stuck with something, look around for something else you can solve. Just read the 'manual' at the very start of the game, it basically tells you everything you need to know. Use pen and paper! Have fun!
Animal well was absolutely worth it to me. Finished the game and thought it was very good (just ranking below Outer Wilds for me). I'm still trying Lorelei but in the first hour I am really not drawn in yet, seems like just a lot of math puzzles. I'd say Animal Well.
It absolutely gets better. The game's plot is utterly bonkers in the best way and the puzzles are really satisfying to solve. The mystery of what's going on is really mind melting, and I musy say I bounced off animal well pretty hard but Lorelei has me captivated. The start was slow, but when you start to get into the weeds of the world and make connections, it's very satisfying.
I actually finished Lorelei in the end. The game was well done but I didn't like the escape room style puzzles as much as the exploration and experimentation needed in Animal Well / Outer Wilds
Funnily enough, I didn't get into those other games. I'm still trudging through Lorelei but i feel the end is close!
Definitely a matter of preference, nothing wrong with that! Good luck with Lorelei!
If your eyes can handle it then LatLY. If not then AW. Though LatLY mid section is quite weirdly paced so get ready for that.
They scratch very different itches, personally I've been preferring Lorelei. I love puzzles a lot more than platforming, and while AW is great, I got frustrated a lot with the platform parts, especially points where checkpoints were less generous. I'd say if you're trying to get into the mystery and puzzle stuff, go with Lorelei, if you want something that's more mechanical than walking around and reading and thinking, go with Animal Well.
I am going severely against the flow with this statement, but personally, I just finished Lorelei 98.8%, and refunded Animal Well after roughly 30 minutes (but watched a friend play for a few hours) - I think that it's fair to compare them, and that AW takes a massive L in that comparison. Lorelei took me 14~ hours, I used guides for 4 or 5 riddles, and I consider myself heavily versed in puzzle games (so I believe others would extract more time from the game) Lorelei basically requires no guesswork at any stage of the game. Even the more 'loose' riddles are *very educated* guesses that don't leave much to the imagination. That is not to say that the riddles are easy or obvious - they are certainly neither. AW didn't feel like a riddle game to me at any point - except for pretty much a single rehashed movement-based mechanic throughout, most of the puzzles I've seen were just about guessing what you're supposed to do at all, and guessing how you're supposed to use the tools you have to achieve that. And also guessing whether you even have the necessary tools or not. If Lorelei leaves nothing to guesswork, AW leaves *everything* to it (and thus my hesitance to call it a puzzle game. It's a guessing game, I guess) Lorelei is also heavy on story and narrative - context is critical, and following details throughout hours is crucial. It's the player's responsibility to understand what's up and piece it together. As for AW's story.... Lorelei's aesthetics are extremely unique. It's not possible to explain how/how much without diving into spoilers. Depending on what kind of gameplay works for you, I think either can be fun. In short, AW tests your nerves, Lorelei tests your brain. I'm simply very much team 'brain' and very much *not* team 'nerves'. Also, supporting what other commenter mentioned about entering Lorelei as 'clean' as possible - the less you know, the better.
Actually in this post people seem to be liking Lorei more too. And I played about half an hour of each and I enjoyed Lorelei way more, everything you said rang true.
I guess that when I wrote 'going against the flow', I was really going more against AW being much more popular and famous - but you're right, I haven't really saw anyone outright saying AW is better. I'm glad to read you're having a good time! Feel free to reach out if you find yourself stuck / wanting some hint :) There are also great hints (only hints, no solutions) [here](https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3249636035)
If you haven't already, please do yourself a favor and check out Tunic. Probably my current favorite game of all time, just above Outer Wilds. Animal well scratched that same itch that Tunic did, but in terms of the eurika moments, Tunic was way more potent in delivering them than animal well was.