Downwell

Genre: Arcade / Platformer

Players: 1

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Review:

Downwell is an Arcade-Style game with Platforming elements that’s really not like anything else out there I can think of. Players play as a character jumping down a long well full of hostile creatures. These creatures can be dealt with a number of ways – you can simply avoid them, you can jump on them a la Mario, or you can blast them with your “gunboots”, which slows your progress downward while you’re firing. However, you can only fire so many times before your boots run out of energy and must recharge again by standing on firm ground.

Much of the game is played at high speeds going downward, and while your character is very responsive, you need to have quick reflexes to dodge or blast away those enemies, really bolstering the Arcade feel of the game.

However, the game also works in some Roguelike elements as well. While nothing you do before you die seems to have any effect on subsequent attempts (beyond aesthetic changes like alternate palettes), each attempt at diving into the cave has randomized layouts, enemies, and power-ups, as well as occasional shops and bonus areas off to the sides of the chasm if you slow down long enough to explore them.

Graphically, the game sticks to a very simple four-color palette and pixelated graphics that might put one in mind of the Game Boy (in fact, the Gamy Boy soup green colors are one of the unlockable color palettes). However, while this simple style may not be right for every game, here the visual simplicity helps to keep the focus on the super-fast gameplay.

If Downwell existed in the early days of arcades, I have little down that it would have been a quarter-muncher. There’s definitely a “just one more time” quality that will keep bringing you back in hopes of getting a better run, or lucking on a really good power-up. And while the game is brutally difficult, that doesn’t stop it from being fantastic fun.

In the end, Downwell is simple, fast-paced, fun, addictive, and difficult. The visuals don’t seem like much, but once you get a chance to try it, it’s easy to see what makes it a winner.

tl;dr – Downwell is an Arcade-style game with Platforming elements, where you are dropping at high speeds down a well while avoiding enemies. Its simple visuals keep the focus on the fast-paced, addictive gameplay, and even though it’s punishingly difficult, you’ll still want to keep coming back for another attempt.

Grade: B+

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This game has been nominated for one or more of eShopperReviews 2019 Game Awards:

Winner:

Best Value – For $3, it’s hard to go wrong with Downwell, an excellent arcade-style platformer that’s tough as nails but keeps drawing you back into it. It’s a simple game, but that simplicity keeps inviting you back in for another trip down the well. I put this game ahead of free-to-play games like Gems of War because it’s microtransaction-free, and while it doesn’t have the wealth of content of games like Wargroove or Castlevania Anniversary Collection, neither of those games has a price tag as appealing as Downwell.

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