How to beat the Chameleon boss in Animal Well

Animal Well is an incredibly open game when it comes to main story progression, but some obstacles may pose bigger threats to the way forward than others. Some creatures, like the Chameleon boss, can and will stop you in your tracks for a while.

As you explore the world of Animal Well and work your way through the plethora of puzzles, bosses like the Chameleon surprise you with unique mechanics that don’t blend in with the usual patterns. The Chameleon boss is among the toughest in the game, but there’s, of course, a strategy for the Animal Well’s Chameleon to clear the way ahead.

How to defeat the Chameleon boss in Animal Well

To beat the Chameleon boss in Animal Well, you must make it eat all of the hedgehogs in the room where you encounter it. Hedgehogs can walk on any surface and patrol over the edge and underneath the tiny platform on which you face this boss.

The best way to get the Chameleon boss to eat the hedgehogs is by walking slowly in front of them until you hear the sound cue for the Chameleon to flick out its tongue and try to eat you. At that point, rush to the left to avoid it, and the Chameleon should eat the hedgehog.

With every three flicks of its tongue, the Chameleon will enter a dangerous phase, spitting blood at set points on the platform. These are easy to avoid if you move between them. On the run, when I defeated the Chameleon boss, I had to do this twice because I had bad luck with hedgehog placement. I was also playing on Steam Deck, though I think this actually gave me an advantage with easier controls.

You need all of the hedgehogs in the arena to be eaten to bet the Chameleon boss, so you shouldn’t use an item like the Disc or the Flute. These can cause the hedgehogs to fall off the edge and leave you stranded. Once you’ve beaten the Chameleon, you can claim the Flame in the room it was guarding.

What do you do with the V. Flame in Animal Well?

Once you’ve picked up the V. Flame that the Chameleon boss is guarding, you must bring it to the boss statue room in Animal Well. See above for a reminder of what this room looks like. You’ll route through it every time you head to a new location, so you don’t need to go out of your way to find it.

Once you’re in the boos statue room, you can interact with the statue of the Chameleon to insert the V. Flame and light the fire in it. You must do this with all the Flames in the game as you explore the world of Animal Well and see the story progress.