Archive EntryPreservation Record

Animal Well

Shelf markLIB-0147

Editorial StandingCatalogued · Permanent Record

2024Game

Catalog Information

Original Title: Animal Well
Release: 2024 (Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PC) · 2024 (Limited Run Games #234)
Developer: Shared Memory
Publisher: Bigmode · Limited Run Games
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Region: Region-free · Switch Limited Run #234 · HAC-P-BCCHA
Medium: Nintendo Switch game card · Limited Run Games edition
Subjects: Exploration · Puzzle · Metroidvania · Pixel Art · Indie · Limited Run Games · Preservation

Archival Status

Custody: Permanent archive holding
Reference Copy: Nintendo Switch game card in retail case · Limited Run Games #234 edition
Filed: October 5, 2026

Curator Notes

Animal Well is the work of Billy Basso, operating as Shared Memory, who built it from 2017 on a custom engine. It is a dense, interconnected labyrinth of puzzles and creatures, where items interact in unexpected ways and much of the well stays hidden until the player learns to look for it. It launched simultaneously on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and PC on May 9, 2024 — the first game published by Bigmode. It received the D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction and was nominated at The Game Awards 2024. Limited Run Games produced the Switch physical edition as Switch Limited Run #234, with pre-orders opening May 24, 2024.

Collection Documentation

The retained object is Switch Limited Run #234, Limited Run Games’ physical edition of Animal Well on a region-free game card. Dedicated artifact views of the individual copy have not yet been filed; the gallery below is held open for that documentation.

Preservation Notes

Access Hardware: Nintendo Switch; compatible Nintendo Switch family hardware
Original Hardware: Nintendo Switch
Playback Compatibility: Nintendo Switch software is region-free. The retained game card is the primary access copy and runs on any Nintendo Switch console.
Preservation Concerns: Game cards are flash media; long-term charge retention, contact wear, and loss of the small card from its case are the principal risks. Any content delivered as an eShop download or update depends on Nintendo’s servers and is not preserved by the card alone.
Edition History: Released May 9, 2024 on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and PC; Xbox Series X|S followed on October 17, 2024. Limited Run Games issued the Switch physical edition (HAC-P-BCCHA, LRS234) in standard and Collector’s editions.
Access Status: Limited Run Games’ physical edition is sold out and circulates through the secondary market. The digital edition remains a separate Nintendo eShop release.

Connections

Editorial Record: Reserved for future critical writing in Bloodsoaked Media.

Artifact Documentation

Reference photography of the preserved copy held by Bloodsoaked Media. Each view records the edition, materials, and condition of the work in custody.

Space is reserved for official artwork verification, collection photography, scans, and supplementary archival media. Nothing is forced into the record until documentation is filed.

Stewardship History

A permanent chronology of this archival record — filed, revised, and tended over time. Entries accumulate; none are erased.

Oct 5, 2026
Collection Documentation entered
Oct 5, 2026
Connections established
Oct 5, 2026
Official artwork entered
Official Nintendo Switch front cover filed under the Library accession path.
Oct 5, 2026
Curator Notes entered
Oct 5, 2026
Filed into the Library
Accessioned as LIB-0147.
Oct 5, 2026
Preservation Notes entered
Oct 5, 2026
Published to the public shelf