Anodyne 2: Return to Dust on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information
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A 3D-2D adventure where you travel a 3D world and explore 2D dungeons inside of its characters' bodies and minds! In an unforgettable, surreal story, travel the world, meet whimsical denizens, and save the world from the dangerous Nano Dust.
Anodyne 2: Return to Dust is a female protagonist, story rich and atmospheric game
developed by Melos Han-Tani and Marina Kittaka
and published by Analgesic Productions.
Released on August 12th 2019 is available on Windows, MacOS and Linux
in 10 languages: English, Simplified Chinese, Portuguese - Brazil, French, German, Spanish - Spain, Spanish - Latin America, Japanese, Russian and Traditional Chinese.
It has received 743 reviews of which 704 were positive and 39 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.9 out of 10. 😎
The game is currently priced at 19.50€ on Steam, but you can find it for less on Gamivo.
The Steam community has classified Anodyne 2: Return to Dust into these genres:
Media & Screenshots
Get an in-depth look at Anodyne 2: Return to Dust through various videos and screenshots.
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System requirements
These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.
Windows
- OS *: Windows 7
- Processor: Dual-core 2.5 GHz
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: GeForce 610M
- Storage: 500 MB available space
- Sound Card: Any
- Additional Notes: Game features options to turn off expensive effects like shadows, or lower the quality of terrain rendering, which may allow GPUs weaker than 610M to run at 60 FPS
MacOS
- OS: 10.12 or higher. Earlier versions are NOT supported.
- Processor: Dual-core 2.5 GHz
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: GeForce 610M Equivalent
- Storage: 500 MB available space
- Sound Card: Any
- Additional Notes: Game features options to turn off expensive effects like shadows, or lower the quality of terrain rendering, which may allow GPUs weaker than 610M to run at 60 FPS
Linux
- OS: Recent Ubuntu/Steam OS ONLY
- Processor: Dual-core 2.5 GHz
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: GeForce 610M Equivalent
- Storage: 500 MB available space
- Sound Card: Any
- Additional Notes: Game features options to turn off expensive effects like shadows, or lower the quality of terrain rendering, which may allow GPUs weaker than 610M to run at 60 FPS
User reviews & Ratings
Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.
After playing Angeline Era I needed to play more from these devs and I was not disappointed at all. I love the mix of silly and heartfelt, plus it's simply a lot of fun You 2 make incredible games!! keep it up please
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Having played this game back to front, exploring every nook and cranny I could think to find, getting every achievement just for the love of it, I can easily say this is one of my favorite games ever made. It's gorgeous in design, beautiful in intention, a wonderful weaving of forward-looking gamic poetry and nostalgic sensibilities. I cried so many times. Sometimes at the sheer beauty of what I was experiencing, sometimes at the deep emotional impacts the story carries. Always with an awe in my heart. This is such a singular experience. Analgesic Productions truly made something special with this game. Please, if anything about the vibes speaks to you at all, you owe it to yourself to give this game a try. It's something truly special. Easily, wholeheartedly, mouse approved
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Anodyne 2: Return to Dust is one of those rare indie games that immediately distinguishes itself through personality, atmosphere, and creative ambition. Rather than following familiar formulas, it weaves together an unusual hybrid of 3D adventure exploration and 2D dungeon-style gameplay while grounding everything in an emotionally rich narrative about healing, identity, and transformation. From the moment you take control of Nova, a newly created “Nano Cleaner,” the world of New Theland presents itself as something both whimsical and unsettling—a landscape shaped by surreal architecture, unpredictable logic, and quiet melancholy. This is not a world built to feel logical; it’s one built to evoke, to surprise, and to invite reflection. The game’s visual style is a key part of its identity. The overworld adopts a retro 3D aesthetic reminiscent of early PlayStation and N64 games, with low-poly models, chunky textures, and bold color palettes that feel simultaneously nostalgic and otherworldly. Exploring these spaces feels like wandering through a half-remembered dream from the late ’90s, where every corner might reveal something strange or unexpectedly beautiful. But once Nova shrinks down to enter the “inner worlds” of characters infected by Dust, the style shifts to a crisp 2D perspective inspired by classic 16-bit adventure games. The contrast between these two visual modes is striking, and more importantly, it reinforces the thematic movement between outer landscapes and inner turmoil. Each 2D world functions as a symbolic manifestation of the character’s fears, hopes, or psychological burdens, making them feel deeply personal and distinct. The core mechanics support this dual structure well. The 3D sections are largely about exploration, discovery, and absorbing the atmosphere of New Theland’s diverse regions. You travel across plains, traverse futuristic cities, and uncover hidden pockets of narrative that broaden your understanding of the world and its inhabitants. In contrast, the 2D segments are more mechanically focused, centered around the vacuum-based cleaning device that lets you suck up objects, enemies, or environmental elements and use them for puzzles or combat. These segments are more structured, offering compact challenges that vary from thoughtful puzzles to quirky boss encounters. Together, the two modes create a rhythm that keeps the game feeling varied and unpredictable, even as its mechanics remain accessible and easy to grasp. Narratively, Anodyne 2 carries an emotional weight that grows more apparent the deeper you venture into the minds of the people you’re trying to help. The Dust you remove is not merely a threat—it represents emotional stagnation, unresolved trauma, misplaced expectations, and the numbing weight of routine. Nova herself is caught between obedience to her creators and the gradual awakening of her own agency, and the story uses this tension to explore themes of purpose, self-direction, and compassion. The writing balances the surreal with the intimate, offering moments of quiet sadness, sudden absurdity, and philosophical introspection in ways that feel earnest rather than pretentious. Much like the landscapes themselves, the narrative invites players to slow down and consider what lies beneath the surface. That said, the game is not without flaws. While the low-poly overworld is aesthetically evocative, the movement and traversal can at times feel slow or imprecise, especially in wide open areas where there is little to interact with. Certain stretches risk becoming repetitive, and the sense of aimlessness may frustrate players who prefer tightly guided experiences. The 2D sections, though frequently creative, occasionally rely on lightweight puzzle mechanics that may feel too simplistic given the conceptual depth of the story. But these shortcomings rarely detract significantly from the overall journey; rather, they reflect the idiosyncrasies of a project driven by artistic vision rather than strict mechanical refinement. Ultimately, Anodyne 2: Return to Dust succeeds not because of any single element but because of how its components work together—its shifting artistic styles, its unconventional structure, its thoughtful soundtrack, and its earnest storytelling all reinforce one another. It is a game built on mood and meaning, on the willingness to explore inner landscapes as much as physical ones. For players who appreciate narrative-driven indie experiences, experimental design, and games that linger in the mind long after the credits roll, Anodyne 2 offers something truly special. It’s not a conventional adventure by any measure, but it is a deeply heartfelt one—strange, memorable, and quietly profound. Rating: 9/10
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Anodyne 2 is truly special: The music, the cryptic and expressive story-telling and the gorgous 3D-look in the style of the fifth generation of gaming consoles. Makes you think about video games and life itself. The Geof-Quest is beautiful. Curious about my next encounters... :D
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Weird little game, and I mean that as a compliment. The gameplay has 2D- and 3D elements (layered, not at the same time) and is pretty easy in a nice way, I can explore + backtrack all I want. The characters range from cute, quirky, sad, odd, to serene. The OST is a gem, too. Anodyne 2 takes place in the same universe as Anodyne (1), but has a completely different cast and storyline. You do not need to have played Anodyne to play Anodyne 2.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Anodyne 2: Return to Dust is currently priced at 19.50€ on Steam.
Anodyne 2: Return to Dust is currently not on sale. You can purchase it for 19.50€ on Steam.
Anodyne 2: Return to Dust received 704 positive votes out of a total of 743 achieving a rating of 8.86.
😎
Anodyne 2: Return to Dust was developed by Melos Han-Tani and Marina Kittaka and published by Analgesic Productions.
Anodyne 2: Return to Dust is playable and fully supported on Windows.
Anodyne 2: Return to Dust is playable and fully supported on MacOS.
Anodyne 2: Return to Dust is playable and fully supported on Linux.
Anodyne 2: Return to Dust is a single-player game.
There is a DLC available for Anodyne 2: Return to Dust. Explore additional content available for Anodyne 2: Return to Dust on Steam.
Anodyne 2: Return to Dust does not support mods via Steam Workshop.
Anodyne 2: Return to Dust does not support Steam Remote Play.
Anodyne 2: Return to Dust is enabled for Steam Family Sharing. This means you can share the game with authorized users from your Steam Library, allowing them to play it on their own accounts. For more details on how the feature works, you can read the original Steam Family Sharing announcement or visit the Steam Family Sharing user guide and FAQ page.
You can find solutions or submit a support ticket by visiting the Steam Support page for Anodyne 2: Return to Dust.
Data sources
The information presented on this page is sourced from reliable APIs to ensure accuracy and relevance. We utilize the Steam API to gather data on game details, including titles, descriptions, prices, and user reviews. This allows us to provide you with the most up-to-date information directly from the Steam platform.
Additionally, we incorporate data from the SteamSpy API, which offers insights into game sales and player statistics. This helps us present a comprehensive view of each game's popularity and performance within the gaming community.
Last Updates| Steam data | 28 January 2026 02:15 |
|---|---|
| SteamSpy data | 25 January 2026 22:05 |
| Steam price | 29 January 2026 04:20 |
| Steam reviews | 28 January 2026 16:03 |
If you'd like to dive deeper into the details about Anodyne 2: Return to Dust, we invite you to check out a few dedicated websites that offer extensive information and insights. These platforms provide valuable data, analysis, and user-generated reports to enhance your understanding of the game and its performance.
- SteamDB - A comprehensive database of everything on Steam about Anodyne 2: Return to Dust
- SteamCharts - Analysis of Anodyne 2: Return to Dust concurrent players on Steam
- ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck Anodyne 2: Return to Dust compatibility
Game modes
Features
Online players
1
Developer
Melos Han-Tani,
Marina Kittaka
Publisher
Analgesic Productions
Release
12 Aug 2019
Platforms
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