Animal Well Under 30 Minute Any% Speedrun Guide

Animal Well is a game filled with intricacies, secrets, and tight platforming. Knowing where to go and the different tricks you can use can help you reach the end of Animal Well in under 30 minutes. In this Animal Well Speedrun Guide we'll go over the route we took to reach the end of the game in under 30 minutes earning a special figurine.

Before you go any further there are plenty of spoilers in this guide for the game including items, locations, and the solution of various secrets. I recommend you play through the game yourself before you check out what speedrun tricks you can find out.

In the guide below we'll keep numbered steps for each region you visit, egg or item you should pick up, and a map showing the path you'll take through the region. There are already a number of ways that the run could be optimized 

Speedrun Tips and Tricks

This speedrun has been used to reach the end of the game in under 30 minutes but it's very close. Some tips to make things a bit easier:

• Save Scum
  You can Save Scum the game but you do need to force quit out of the game and then reload your save. If you just quit to menu and then select your save game again it will still record the time increase
   
• Obtain the Stopwatch
  After completing Animal Well for the first time you'll obtain a Stopwatch. In the settings you can toggle this to appear in the top right of your screen. This is helpful for knowing if you're keeping pace.
   
• Practice Tricks
  The Bubble Slide is when you jump after just coming off the edge of a Bubble, you can use this to gain even further height and reach cycles and locations early
  The Disc Ride is when you throw the Disc at the height of your jump and you end up landing on it. You can use this to clear through platforming sections easily.

Part 1: Tutorial Escape

1. Start the game and head immediately into the room to your left and pick up the Clover Egg (1)
2. Follow the loop to collect the Fireworks
3. Before the Map room drop through the hidden path to reach the candle, and then up and to the right to get the Gorgeous Egg (2)
4. Once you reach the central area head left

Part 2: Claim B. Wand

1. Head Left from the central area
2. Continue along the path through the Fish Mural room, down past the Ibis, and the filling cup room
3. Drop down in the fish bubble room and move through the fake wall to obtain the Normal Egg (3)
4. Travel up the bubbles and activate the Fans
5. Activate the switches above the fan and leave through the top left
6. Complete the first Seahorse room by using the bubbles created when you first enter the room, then to the right, and then stand on the left-most edge of the short platform on the left to be able to get the final switch and escape the room
7. Pick up the B. Wand
8. On your way out of the Water area back to central pick up the Ancient Egg (4) and Dazzle Egg (5)
9. Once you return to the central area head up the path and hop into the secret wall on the left to get the Virtual Egg (6)

Part 3: Obtain the M. Disc and Disc

1. After passing the Egg Room travel up one more screen and then to the left.
2. Continue past the Giant Face and to the left, this linear path will take you to a Save Room
3. Slide Jump off a Bubble to reach the moving platform in the Save Room quickly and continue
4. Claim the M. Disc from the Chest
5. In the next room drop into the tunnel underneath and exit through the secret in the top right
6. Pick up the Sour Egg (7)
7. Return to the Giant Face and swap out the M. Disc for the Disc
8. Travel down near the Egg Room and over the edge on a Bubble to obtain the Holiday Egg (8)
9. Travel through the Egg Room and obtain the Flute before returning back through the Egg Room

Part 4: Setting Up Top Left Warp Door

1. Travel up again until you can't go any further and go to the left, get past the dog with the Disc
2. Make your way up the Alternating Waterfall and through the Alternating Maze with the Disc
3. In the Three Dog room stand on the upper left side and use your Disc at the height of your jump to begin riding it
4. Travel two screens to the left and jump over the wall with the locked door
5. Climb up the ladder and stand in front of the Flute Shrine
6. Play the warp song to teleport to the top of the well before dropping down to the central Save Room
   Down Right - Up Left - Down Right - Up Left - Down Right - Up Left - Down Right - Up Left

Part 5: Heading To The Lower Right

1. From the central Save Room head right and follow the normal path until you reach the room with alternating platforms
2. Use a bubble instead of jumping out of the room to descend slowly, leave the room when the lower right platform is activated to skip four rooms in the next area
3. Travel further down, hit the three switches.
4. Progress past the ostrich and into the pit collecting the Yoyo along the way.
5. Complete the Factory area as normal to reach the Ostritch Pit
6. Enable the switch to the left of the Ostrich, use the Disc Ride to reach it faster than the moving platforms will allow
7. Ride the platforms to the right of this area to activate the fans
8. Use a Disc Ride from the Save Room heading left to ride the fans up skipping the need for a bubble and activate the second switch
9. Use the Yoyo to trigger the switch under the Ostrich to free it and immediately Disc Ride to the left to stay ahead of it
10. Claim the First Flame
11. Use the Teleport Song to arrive in the Jungle
    Up Left - Up - Down Right - Down - Down left - Down - Left - Down

Part 6: Obtain The Slink

1. From the Warp backtrack to the left and down and reach the Slink room
2. Use the Bubble to climb up and claim the Slink
3. Play the warp song to teleport to the top of the well, drop down on a Bubble and enter the Jungle area past the locked door
   Down Right - Up Left - Down Right - Up Left - Down Right - Up Left - Down Right - Up Left
4. Complete the rest of the Jungle and defeat the Chameleon
5. Claim the Second Flame
6. Play the warp song to teleport to the top of the well before dropping down to the central Save Room
   Down Right - Up Left - Down Right - Up Left - Down Right - Up Left - Down Right - Up Left

Part 7: Lead the Ghost

1. Return to where you left the M. Disc and take it, summoning the Ghost
2. Teleport to the Warp Room
   Right - Right - Left - Left - Down - Down - Up - Up
3. Leave through the top left door
4. Drop down and leave the room through the right using your Slink to get through this room
5. Travel right two rooms, then up and to the right
6. Drop down the middle shaft with a button press, toggle the switch, and climb back up the ladder to the left
7. Head left and place the M. Disc in the M. Disc Shrine and drop down the opened door to claim your Third Flame
8. Teleport to the Warp Room
   Right - Right - Left - Left - Down - Down - Up - Up

Part 8: Final Flame

1. Play your Flute at the Flute Shrine to open the Fish Head door and leave through it
2. Use the B. Wand to drop down the open area to the left, hit the switch with your Disc on the way down
3. Make your way through the Penguin Room and Orca Rooms
4. Complete the Fill the Cup challenge at the bottom
5. Claim the Final Flame
6. Play the warp song to teleport to the top of the well before dropping down to the central Save Room
   Down Right - Up Left - Down Right - Up Left - Down Right - Up Left - Down Right - Up Left

Part 9: Final Area

1. Place all four flames
2. Save at the Telephone and quit out of the game
3. Load up your Save File and the floor will be open
4. Drop into the red rooms with the dogs and leave through the right and drop down
5. Quickly use your Flute to open the Warp Door
6. Leave through the path in the top-middle of the room and toggle the switch in the Final Area
7. Teleport to the Warp Room, go down the ladder, and through the Warp Door to the left
   Right - Right - Left - Left - Down - Down - Up - Up
8. Leave through the path in the top-left of the room and toggle the switch at the end of the path
9. Exit the Red Room to the top left to trigger the final Switch
10. Drop down and leave through the newly opened door
11. Obtain the Lantern
12. Teleport to the Warp Room, go down the ladder, and through the Warp Door to the left
    Right - Right - Left - Left - Down - Down - Up - Up
13. Activate the lantern and leave through the poison

Part 10: Final Boss

1. Complete the Manitcore chase room
2. Descend down and land on the TNT Plunger

Speedrun Optimizations

While this Speedrun can get you to the end of the game in under 30 minutes there's still plenty of room for improvement.

• Obtaining the Flute more efficiently
  At the moment there's a lot of looping back and around to pick up the Flute. This item is very necessary as it allows you to quickly move across the map but there could likely be other Eggs to pick up that would be more efficient.
   
• Single Ghost Run
  At the moment after picking up the Disc we travel to the Top-Left Flute Shrine and then go elsewhere, preparing it for later. You could make the run from the Disc all the way to the M. Disc shrine in a single attempt, dodging the ghost along the way that would likely cut out a minute.
   
• Full Areas
  While some portions of the map can be completely skipped, like most of the Jungle, you still need to do all of the factory/Ostrich space and all of the Top Left of the map. Chances are there's ways to shortcut based on secrets that just haven't been found out.