In a Metroidvania like Animal Well, your map is important for showing you where you’ve been, what you still need to unlock, and much more. However, you won’t have a map when you start.
Animal Well’s minimalist approach means there’s little text and next to no instructions included in the game. Puzzles and unlockable items – like the map – are meant to be uncovered via exploration. However, not having a map makes it harder to keep track of everything else you’ll want to do. So, in case you’re stuck, here’s how to unlock Animal Well’s map.
How to unlock the Map in Animal Well
First, you’ll need to find and learn how to use firecrackers to get past the first enemy, located in the room right of the first save point. You can learn more about how to find fireworks here.
Once you’ve cleared the ghost, you’ll be able to access a crank. Use this to raise the platform as high as you can, then use it to make it up to the ladder. Climb the ladder, then head right.
In the next room, you’ll see a chest on a platform. There’s nothing blocking it, so simply jump over and open the chest to unlock the map.
How to unlock Stamps in Animal Well
When you first unlock the map, you’ll find some useful information. However, there’s one more thing you’ll want to unlock all of the map’s features: Stamps. These allow you to add your own markers to the map so you can keep track of important details and better navigate Animal Well’s world.
Starting from where you found the map, climb up the ladder in the room and turn left when you reach the next area. You’ll end up in a room with three green penguin statues. Continue left and jump on the platforms to reach the ladder. Climb it and, again, head left.
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In this area, you’ll see what looks like a giant egg, so head past it to find a special room. This is where you’ll find all the Eggs you can collect along your journey, which unlock some rewards including Animal Well’s true ending.
For now, though, simply open the chest on the right side of the room to unlock Stamps.
How to use & read Animal Well’s Map
To open the map in Animal Well, press the touchpad (PlayStation) or Select button (other platforms/controllers).
Animal Well’s map features a variety of symbols, but no key that explains what they mean. Here are the basic ones to look out for:
- Brown lines: Ladders
- Pink boxes: Blocked doors
- Pink dots: Fruit (Healing item)
- Yellow icon: Telephone (Save point)
Once you’ve unlocked Stamps, you’ll be able to add icons to the map yourself by opening it and pressing Square (PlayStation), Y (Xbox controller or Steam Deck), or X (Nintendo Switch).
You can also unlock the Pencil, which allows you to draw on the map, by collecting 16 eggs.
