Anodyne 2: Return to Dust Reviews

Anodyne 2: Return to Dust is ranked in the 48th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Recommended
Aug 12, 2019

A one-of-a-kind splicing of PS1 with 16-bit aesthetics and formal conventions, streaked with self-aware humour, sorrow and yearning.

Read full review

8 / 10
May 17, 2021

Anodyne 2: Return to Dust is an unusually captivating experience. The way the developers mix and match various gaming tropes shouldn't work, and yet the absurd narrative and overall aesthetic binds perfectly. If you're looking for something completely different, make sure you check out Anodyne 2.

Read full review

100 / 100
Feb 21, 2021

Anodyne 2: Return to Dust is a work of art you absolutely must play. It's heartfelt and personal, with tons of fun puzzles to solve and locations to explore.

Read full review

6 / 10
Mar 22, 2021

Uncompromising to a fault, Anodyne 2's sublime polygonal world and oblique writing will pull the player in, only to mire them in a slow-to-navigate open world bits and willfully opaque environmental puzzles. Feels almost too academic to fully enjoy.

Read full review

6.5 / 10.0
Mar 29, 2021

Anodyne 2: Return to Dust is a unique 3D and 2D story with many gameplay mechanics. However, the controls may be finicky, and the game can get repetitive after a while.

Read full review

Unscored
Mar 7, 2021

There was never any doubt that Anodyne 2: Return to Dust would look and run exactly as the designer intended on Xbox Series S. It feels very tight and responsive at all times; the 2D action sequences especially have no noticeable input lag.

Read full review

8 / 10.0
Aug 20, 2019

Anodyne 2: Return to Dust is a testament that indies can go where AAA fears to tread. A unique concept supported by strong gameplay that evolves frequently enough to keep you playing- right until it ends all too soon. At the bottom of it all, there is nothing quite like it.

Read full review

Drew Hurley
Top Critic
6 / 10
Aug 30, 2022

An experimental experience that feels like it tries too hard with its surrealism and strangeness, to the point it actually negatively affects what it was trying to do. There are some wonderful experiences in both the 2D and 3D worlds, and there's something of a coherent story lurking in the forced quirkiness, but the pacing, combined with the nonsensical aspects hold this back from being something a little more.

Read full review

5 / 10.0
Mar 31, 2021

This game is not ordinary. Some players will be contented, but others will be bored.

Review in Slovak | Read full review

7 / 10.0
Mar 1, 2021

Anodyne 2 is a game that the farther away I'm from playing it, the more I'll think about it fondly. In a year I'll only remember the amazing atmosphere and setup that led to the scary chase sequence and forget how difficult to control that section of the game was. Right now, I'm living with all the great things and the frustrations simultaneously.

Read full review

Cubed3
Athanasios
Top Critic
7 / 10
Aug 28, 2019

While just a 10 to 15-hour adventure, more crazy things happen in Anodyne 2: Return to Dust than in any other 100-hour RPG. What starts as a simple 3D explorer/platformer and Zelda-esque dungeon crawler, soon turns into a journey through a realm that is otherworldly beyond any doubt, and yet manages to feel so familiar... like a faint memory, or a place you paid a visit in your sleep. It's not a game that was designed to be experienced by everyone, yet everyone is advised to experience it, if only for its beautiful, vintage PS1 visuals.

Read full review

Mar 19, 2021

Anodyne 2: Return to Dust is a fantastic indie that captures 2 bygone eras beautifully so if you like trippy games, you need to play it.

Read full review

5.8 / 10.0
Feb 18, 2021

Perhaps it's me, and I'm just an impatient gamer, but this is one of those titles that simply takes too long to get off the ground and even when it did the story threads weren't enough to justify too much generic gameplay...

Read full review

Essential
Mar 19, 2021

This successor to a quirky Zelda-like is so much more, resulting in a profoundly emotional and enjoyable experience.

Read full review

65 / 100
Nov 12, 2021

This is a pretty hefty title as well when it comes to content, as there are plenty of worlds to discover, numerous places to go, and lots of cards and dust to collect throughout the journey. There are some bizarre design decisions, and the disappointing map in the 3D world makes traveling much harder than it should be. However, everything does work, the story is engaging, and there is a lot to chew on here, but this is one of those titles that is simply not going to please everyone, especially in every way. I do recommend Anodyne 2: Return to Dust within reason, as I do believe it is a good game overall, but this may be an easier pill to swallow when the price is discounted.

Read full review

Mar 10, 2021

Anodyne 2 is a strangely nostalgic action-adventure puzzle game with a story that sticks with you before and after the end.

Read full review

Jul 15, 2021

Anodyne 2 is a narrative-focused action-adventure title with puzzles, combat, and exploration. Rid New Theland of Dust and learn about the residents as you venture inside them to cleanse their souls. Anodyne 2 offers substantial social commentary and will leave the audience thinking about and reconsidering their life choices.

Read full review

75 / 100
May 12, 2021

Anodyne 2: Return to Dust offers us an interesting platform and adventure title that is very reminiscent of the Zelda saga in many of its aspects. Its playability combining 3D and 2D aspects is very effective and original, with very imaginative designs that makes us feel in a dream world with a very successful feeling. Its retro look directly appeals to the nostalgia of those old PSX titles and offers a very good feeling to the player.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

8 / 10.0
Mar 26, 2021

Anodyne 2: Return to Dust is a good example of taking chances with blending in several styles in order to tell a story. While the concept itself is nothing new, often it’s taken too far and too many styles are attempted and the whole experience just either comes apart or is a mess to play. Thankfully, that is definitely not the case here and I both look forward to both the developer’s next project and to finally sitting down to the original Anodyne.

Read full review

Feb 22, 2021

An essential must play experience

Read full review