Downwell

Developer: Moppin

Publisher: Devolver Digital

Release: 2015

Platform: iOS, PC (played), Android, PS4, Vita, Switch

Genre: Action

It's a shame that in a solid hardcore arcadey action game like Downwell the "flourish" roguelite elements end up bringing luck into the table in such a decisive manner: it’s not rare to spend an entire gameplay session running into useless free upgrades--or not running into the most valuable buyable ones at all (or finding them available in the shops only when having that kind of money is just plain impossible, and so on). That piles up upon relying on leaps of faith to keep going down the title well; and taking chances coupled together with funky collision boxes and some unpredictable wall jump mechanics may not paint a beautiful Virtual Boy-esque picture from the beginning.

But when it comes to the sheer pleasure of playing it Downwell can sit comfortably among the old classics it emulates—and expands upon.

Steppin on turtles will kill them--but only if it's exactly in the shell

If Miyamoto’s quote about a single idea solving multiple problems at once hints at something about game design Ojiro Fumoto is a worthy heir of the relatively new Japanese tradition of being good at it. The single action button (used primarily for jumping) unfolds as a jack-of-all-trades: while in the air, it shoots bullets from the character’s boots; those can kill enemies, but also make the character soar instead of simply falling; if the boots run out of bullets they will be promptly recharged upon touching the ground--or enemies’ heads for that matter (just like some old mustachio kappa-killer), and the gameplay can keep flowing depending on the player’s ability and reaction/prediction capabilities. But then there are enemies that can’t be stomped--as there are ones that can’t be shoot; and some of them give more gems than others, maybe worth the risk of getting hurt in the process of killing/reaching them; and just when the player starts to get too comfortable in taking their time to subvert the frenetic pace proposal water levels—together with a brand new air meter--are introduced.

Downwell acts as a prism, expanding the gameplay field from a single premise--and with a level of elegance rarely seen in games, old or new.