We know, reading about all these cute Aniimos is great but seeing them in action is way better! So be sure to check out our full video below - we’re pretty sure you’ll love it! But just in case you prefer a written version, don't worry - we got you covered below!
We got our hands on the closed beta for Aniimo — a creature-collector game that doesn’t just dip its toes into co-op, action, and open-world design, but dives in headfirst with sparkles, style, and a whole ecosystem full of charm. Here’s everything we experienced in our first 10 hours with the game, and why it might be one of the most promising genre-blends in the works.
What Is Aniimo?
Aniimo is a creature collector at its heart — but with twists that set it far apart from familiar formulas.
Alongside capturing creatures, you explore a fully open world using gliding, climbing, sneaking, and even solving physics-based puzzles. The world is rich with varied biomes: forests, volcanoes, underwater caves — all beautifully stylized in a soft, anime-inspired aesthetic.
What makes Aniimo stand out, however, is Twining: the ability to morph into your captured creatures, wielding their elemental powers in first-person combat or to solve world-based challenges.
Our First Steps on Idyll
The game opens in a delightfully quirky way: we win an exclusive trip to the planet Idyll through an in-game social media lottery — and before we can click “mark as spam,” we’re there, streaming our arrival for the fictional Polaris Institute’s channel.
We meet Nico, a student from the Institute who serves as our early-game guide, and within minutes, the first Aniimos waddle into view — to the joy of our virtual followers (and ourselves, of course).
After some quick movement tutorials, we capture our first companion: an Emberpup. He promptly earns his keep by burning away vines blocking our path — good boy. With a fresh set of Aniipods (the game’s capture devices), we continue, eventually encountering two rare talking Aniimos and making a classic choice: which one do we save?
The choice separates us from Nico and plunges us into a cave — where we’re taught more survival mechanics, only to re-emerge into our first full boss battle against a... bad-tempered potato. You read that right.
From there, we awaken back at the Institute — but our combat potential hasn't gone unnoticed. We're invited to become an official Pathfinder — and so, our adventure begins in earnest.
Adorable, With Depth
Let's get one thing out of the way: these creatures are ridiculously cute.
From edgy firewolves to floating plush stars, Aniimo delivers a cast that’s not just collectible, but memorable. The designs are inspired, with each one having:
- Elemental types (fire, water, electric, etc.)
- Combat roles (tank, DPS, healer, support)
- Unique passives and active abilities
- Variants by region, color, and rarity
- Personality traits that impact stats
“Some just make you stop and go: awww.”
Collecting them isn’t the only way to grow your team. The world is filled with Aniimo eggs, and yes — we’re suspecting a future breeding system may be on the horizon.
The Combat Experience
Combat in Aniimo is action-based and reactive — think dodging, timing attacks, swapping between your four active creatures, and building up combo chains to trigger team ultimates called Linkblasts.
You can support your team as a Pathfinder with gadgets and light RPG skills — or go all-in by Twining into one of your Aniimos and unleashing their full kit firsthand. This system alone makes the game stand out, and adds welcome mechanical depth for those craving more than just passive pet battling.
However, it can feel “clicky” — lots of left-clicking, even with target assist — so players preferring a more relaxed fighting-style might need a short adjustment curve.
The Open World of Idyll
Traversal is a joy: gliding off cliffs, sprinting across hills, diving into caverns — it all flows naturally. The world is divided into themed biomes and scattered with:
- Mini-games and puzzles
- Elemental reaction-based challenges
- Sanctums (mini-dungeons with progression rewards)
- Bosses (“Alphas”) that drop loot and are catchable at low rates
Sanctums are a cooperative highlight — some require two players, and all disable your usual team, instead letting you control a preset Aniimo for the challenge.
Base Building & Farming
You get your own housing plot early on, and it’s pure cozy-gamer gold. Think Stardew Valley meets Palworld — but your Aniimos aren’t just cute helpers, they actually help:
- Water types water crops
- Electricity types run machines
- Others craft or gather
Everything you build serves a purpose, from item crafting to resource refinement. But here’s the great part: if farming isn’t your thing, you’re not forced into it. Items like Aniipods can be bought using regular currency.
Outfits, accessories (for you and your creatures), and character customization also shine. From hairstyles to clothing layers, there’s plenty of personal flair. Ponytail angle sliders included.
Performance & State of the Beta
We were pleasantly surprised by the game’s stability. On ultra settings with a RTX 4070 Ti Super and DLSS enabled, we consistently hit 80+ FPS — even in combat with Aniimos limit set to 100.
Bugs? Only two minor ones worth reporting — no crashes, no softlocks. That’s impressive for a closed beta.
That said, a few animations (especially on NPCs) still fall into uncanny valley territory.
What We Couldn't Test (Yet)
We only had one beta key, so we didn’t get to try the co-op features. But from what we saw, Aniimo plans to let you do nearly everything together:
- Explore open world together
- Fight bosses and clear dungeons in groups
- Co-op Sanctums
- Synchronized progression — no separate instances
- Shared housing plot — build a base with friends
- Raids and world events — group challenges with real stakes
No word yet on PvP — so if you were planning to destroy your friends and become the very best... you might need to wait.
Monetization Speculation
Aniimo is free-to-play, and that brings understandable concern. No monetized features were live during our beta, so here’s what we expect based on similar games:
- Cosmetics, accessories, outfits
- Battle pass systems
- Primegy refills (the energy used for loot, crafting, etc.)
Will this become pay-to-win? Too early to tell. Nothing we saw felt predatory, but of course — monetization can change a lot between beta and release.
Our Verdict
“If Pokémon, Genshin, and Palworld had a charming sci-fi baby, it’d probably look like Aniimo.”
It’s adorable, it’s deep, and it’s got something for just about every type of player — from puzzle-lovers to completionists. The world is vibrant, the combat is satisfying, and the potential for great multiplayer content is high.
If they nail the launch and stick the landing on monetization, Aniimo might just be a very strong contendor for games like Palworld and Pokemon.
And we’ll be right there too, surfing with our little Seastar into the horizon.