Platform: PC. I believe it was a flash game. I found it on an old french site full of games for elementary students to learn the language, though this game didn’t seem to be an educational one.
Genre: It was a side scroller point and click game. It was either a puzzle or adventure game. I’m not quite sure you could call it 3rd person because it was a side scroller, but it definitely wasn’t 1st person. The game was 2D.
Year of release: I played it in either 2010 or 2011. Note sure the exact release date.
Graphics/Art style: The graphics seemed most similar to the ones in the game Haluz or The Quest for the Rest, with a relatively realistic background. The character design was more realistic though, matching the background art style.
Notable characters: I didn’t get far into the game, but I distinctly remember the main character being either a cricket or grasshopper (could be another bug but i remember it being green). He stood upright and walked (I think) when you clicked. He might have had aviator goggles, a monocle, or something else of that sort. Not a full outfit though. I don’t remember there being any other characters as the game had a peaceful solitude about it. If there were other characters they were only there for subtle world building and were very scarce.
Notable gameplay mechanics: The game was a side scroller point and click. It felt puzzle based, as you would not be prompted to click anything to pick it up. (it was in french though so i could have just not understood the guide). When you entered a new area the screen would go black before loading the new scene. I remember a part early in the game where you had to solve a waterwheel puzzle with cogs. There might have been a water bucket and water drops involved, though I’m unsure. I believe the game was mainly about collecting objects to help solve each of these main puzzles (I only got halfway through the first one).
Other details:
I found this game on a website full of french games (most of them educational with a few that were just entertainment). The background was black with each game displayed in a box (think a site like y8 games back in 2013 but less polished). The game could have been originally in english/another language and just had the dialogue translated when it was imported.
If there was music it was very subtle. I do remember there was an emphasis on realistic nature related sounds though. Mostly crickets chirping, flies, frogs, the sounds of a creak. There was also no voice acting.
I want to say that the main character was a detective of sorts, but I could be very wrong.
The intro of the game was very quick, maybe a few lines explaining a story, though it was all in french and i really did not know what i was reading. The game didn’t seem to hold your hand as you played, but more so expected you to figure the puzzles out yourself.
The main set looked like the front/backyard of a house, though since it was in a bugs perspective you could only see the bottom of the house on the outside. It was grey (concrete?) and covered in moss. There was possibly a pond when you scrolled to the left (i think there was a mouse or frog you could talk to, but once again, french…). there was also a small wooden shack that you could go inside. When you loaded in there was the water wheel puzzle i mentioned earlier.
A list of games that are similar-ish/aren’t the game:
Most Similar: Haluz, Samorost,
Others (not very similar): The Quest for Rest, Wogger, Botanicula, Questionaut,
I tried looking up information on the game, but i played it back when computers were massive and people weren’t posting lets plays. I did see the phrase ‘Les adventures d’anis’ and ‘anis l’anisopter’ (i think google just started trying to make me look at dragonflies in french though).
Sorry if this is a long post, i don’t use reddit often. I’ve been trying to find this game for almost 10 years on and off and have tried everything i can, including the wayback machine, flashpoint, and some random french archive site i found (Jeuxvideo). I think I’ve covered everything i found/ remember from the game. Hopefully someone knows what I’m talking about.