8.0

Review: Aniimo

Aniimo is a free-to-play open-world RPG by Pawprint Studio in which collecting special creatures is central. At first glance, the similarities with games like Pokémon and other modern creation collectors hard to miss, but Aniimo tries enough of his own ideaën add not to simply feel like a copy. Especially the colorful world, the way you use the different Aniimo and the Twine mechanism give the adventure its own identity. The game has been available on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox since September 2026, while the mobile version will follow on September 23.

The adventure takes place on Idyll, a big open world in which different Aniimo can be found everywhere. Exploring is therefore an important part of the experience. You not only run from mission to mission, but are constantly encouraged to deviate from the planned route, to discover new areas and to look for interesting creatures. Different regions have their own look and the cheerful, colourful design makes the world pleasant to travel through.

Collecting Aniimo is of course the core of the gameplay. New beings can be caught and then become part of your collection. This is not just about finding as many different copies as possible. Aniimo has different characteristics and skills, making it interesting to experiment with which beings you use. That gives collecting more meaning than just filling a digital encyclopedia.

One of the most interesting parts is Twine. With this you can directly use the properties of your Aniimo. Those skills play a role both during battles and during exploration. For example, certain Aniimo can offer new opportunities to move through the environment or to overcome obstacles. As a result, the beings are actually part of the way you discover the world, rather than just characters that are brought out during battles.

The fights are accessible and quite active. Because you can get direct control of an Aniimo via Twine, the system feels different to traditional turn-based creation collectors. The result is a combination of action-RPG elements and the strategic aspect of compiling an appropriate set of Aniimo. Especially when you start combining different skills, the combat system comes into its own better.

Visually Aniimo is one of his stronger sides. Idyll is bright, colourful and imaginative, while the creatures have consciously received cute and striking designs. Animations and effects also give the game a good look. The presentation greatly helps to feel that there can be something new to discover behind the next hill.

There is also a lot of variation outside the normal exploration and fighting. The game includes multiplayer, PvE and PvP elements and activities such as Egg Heist. There is also Homeland, with which players can develop their own base. Pawprint Studio has adapted several parts prior to the release based on feedback from the test versions, including quest accompaniment, models, animations, controller control and parts of Egg Heist.

Yet Aniimo also has obvious weaknesses. The biggest discussion point is the free-to-play model. The game includes in-game purchases, premium currency, cosmetic purchases, bundles and a paid expansion of the Companion Handbook battlepass. Although according to recent explanations Aniimo does not use a traditional banner system whereby you pull characters randomly out of a gacha, there are paid systems and benefits that allow the progression and collective experienceïInfluences. That makes the Monetization noticeable.

Shortly after the release that point also causes division among players. At Steam Aniimo currently has a 'Mixed' rating, with 65% of over 3,500 user reviews in English. Besides criticizing monetization, some players also call it holding many hands and lack of depth as negative points. Since the game has only just appeared, that judgment can of course change after updates and as players get further into the game.

On the other hand, the base game is free. As a result, the threshold to discover Idyll itself is very low. Those who especially enjoy discovering a large colorful world, searching for rare creatures and putting together a collection can easily get many hours from Aniimo without having to purchase a full game in advance.