Downwell (iOS, Steam, Android, PS4, PSVita)
Some games do one thing to perfection. Downwell is one of them – the best game about falling down a well that has ever and possibly will ever be made.
Presented in a palette of just black, white and red, the Sinclair Spectrum inspired graphics work gangbusters in creating a simple, tricky and endlessly addictive experience as you see how far down the well you can get. The epitome of ‘just one more go’ game design, this is fast, furious and intense stuff. After you’ve mastered the simple game mechanics, everything becomes an instinctive blur as you jet-boot between platforms, dispatch the various monsters lurking within the well and travel ever deeper underground.
With the well procedurally generated as you travel through it, no two descents are same. Some games use this as a crutch to avoid the strenuous process of actually designing their levels, but Downwell‘s environments are distinctive and logically constructed, each presenting their own individual challenges and bonuses. Besides, the pared down retro graphics leave ample space for the player’s imagination to fill in the gaps. There have been few more joyous gaming experiences this year than discovering a cave with a new unique weapon in it in Downwell.