John Bilbo
Member
Downwell is an Japanese solo developed vertical platformer with some shoot em up elements. The game was originally released on iOS and Steam back in 2015. It is currently available on Apple Arcade, Steam, PS4, PS Vita and Nintendo Switch. It also was released on Android but the game has not been updated to work on newer Android operating systems.
The game supports tate mode.
Article: Tate Mode is a feature offered in many vertical shoot-em-ups that flips the screen 90 degrees to either the left or right. This allows the player to tilt their television/monitor and play the game with a longer vertical display.
I'd say Downwell has it's core quite firmly rooted in arcade game design. The mechanics are easy to learn, hard to master. The more you play the more you learn about the intricacies of the mechanics. At first it can be hard to even finish one level but with dedication you will make it past the first level and the first world soon enough.
The game offers several meta routes for the player to follow in the way of different "styles" you unlock by playing the game and collecting gems. The gems are the per run currency you buy health and weapon charge upgrades with from a store that is located about once per level.
The style selection is the most roguelite thing about the game: you only unlock the styles and different visual color palettes for the game via the meta progression. Depending on your current taste on game this can be seen as a positive or negative. Personally I prefer games with no or low meta progression as it emphasizes the ability of the player instead of the player character or the importance of the current save file.
The other upgrades are roguelike: you lose them all when you lose the game. The amount of these upgrades is so low that given any run you will pick a bunch of the same ones, only the order you pick them up is varied depending on the RNG and your personal preference.
The different biomes or worlds of Downwell are varied and have their own distinct enemies and hazards. The emphasis on how to engage with different kinds of worlds varies. The game demands the player to try different things and learn situational awareness and adaptation.
If any of this sounds interesting to you I'd recommend checking out Downwell. It is quite cheap on any platform and you can easily try it for five minutes or hours at a time.
The game is difficult BUT there is also a hard mode with NEW ENEMIES and NEW HAZARDS straight from the beginning of the hard mode run if you conquer the normal campaign.
I really like this game and give it five thumbs up!
Downwell for Nintendo Switch - Nintendo Official Site
Buy Downwell and shop other great Nintendo products online at the official My Nintendo Store.
www.nintendo.com
Downwell
Downwell is a curious game about a young person venturing down a well in search of untold treasures with only his Gunboots for protection. Make your way further and further down into the darkness filled with nasty creatures and mysterious secrets to collect the spectacular red gems scattered...
store.playstation.com
