Get down, get down…
Developer: Moppin
Publisher: Devolver Digital
Format: iOS, PC (reviewed)
Released: October 15, 2015
Copy supplied by Steam
Earlier today, I needed to visit the bathroom. It was one of those real nasty needs, the kind that makes you feel like your gut’s rotten. An uncomfortable necessity to void one’s bowels of unpleasant obstruction loomed viciously on the horizon. I figured I had enough time, however, for one quick round of Downwell before the burden became too great to bear.
That one session became two, then three, then more until I’d lost count. The discomfort dwelling deep within my organic catacombs knew no need to relinquish, and yet I played on. I can’t stress enough exactly how badly I needed to go – it wasn’t quite a red alert, but this was far from as confident “it can wait” situation. It is a miracle I did not paint the inside of my pants with a shameful landscape of semi-solid feculence, but this story stands as vile testament to the strength of Downwell‘s irresistible grip.
The premise could be adequately described as a hybrid of Doodle Jump and Nuclear Throne – though rather than ascending a narrow column of hazards, you’re constantly falling downwards. As a boy plummeting deeper and deeper into a well, you’ve to navigate an onslaught of monsters – avoiding them, jumping on their heads, or shooting them down with the guns handily attached to your feet.
Some enemies are safeguarded against your various abilities – tortoises, for example, possess shells impervious to bullets, while those foes marked by a solid red color deal damage when stomped on. Learning what to shoot and and what to bounce off is a key factor to succeeding in Downwell, though even when you’ve got the basics down, a tough challenge awaits.
For a start, your gunboots have a very limited firing capacity, and only by stomping on an enemy or landing on a platform do they recharge. This plays a key role in balance, as gunfire is useful not only for offense, but for slowing down your descent and allowing a more tactical progression through each stage.
While there’s no time limit, each stage nonetheless feels hectic and applies a ton of pressure.
The player falls at a rapid pace and enemies missed along the way will chase them from above, far harder to defeat now they’re out of the gunboots’ range. Nevertheless, stopping for a breather on the myriad ledges can be a necessity, not just to recharge but to take a quick breather and assess dangerous situations.
Optional caves may be found on either side of the well, containing bonus materials that may prove crucial. The most common item found in these side rooms are gun modifiers, granting the boots a new form of attack such as a single-shot laser blast, a spreading shotgun, or rapid-fire machine gun. These modifications also come with an upgrade to the boots’ firing capacity or a health pickup – the latter being a crucial boon for scrubs like myself.
As enemies are defeated and certain blocks destroyed, the player will collect gems. Grabbing enough gems within a time limit initiates Gem High, giving you more stopping power with your bullets, though the primary function of gems is currency. Occasionally, a cave may be replaced with a shop, where gems can be traded for health, more gunboot energy, or even an HP upgrade – provided you’ve earned enough scratch to pay the premium.
At the end of each stage, you choose one of several upgrades in a system similar to the aforementioned Nuclear Throne. Upgrades include a drone that automatically attacks nearby enemies, the ability to reload bullets by collecting gems, or the power to cause stomped enemies to explode and destroy nearby targets.
There are some fun abilities to pick up, though unlike similar games, these power-ups feel somewhat limited in range. There doesn’t seem to be a lot to choose from, and while many of them are interesting, it doesn’t take long to find the handful of useful ones and learn the discard the others.
One other complaint I have about the game involves enemy hitboxes. The game, already high in mayhem, makes it difficult to judge exactly what parts of an enemy are lethal. Many are the times I’ve thought I’ve landed a clear stomp atop a monster, only to find it dealing damage to me instead. In the anarchy of combat, it can get hard to judge one’s own limitations, and I’ve found myself believing failure was not entirely my fault sometimes.
I mean… it was still mostly my fault. Let’s not be dishonest.
As you might expect, death is permanent. Once your HP is gone, any progress and upgrades are equally reset. However, each run contributes to a ranking meter which, when filled, unlocks something for keeps – either a new palette or a style. Palettes change the color scheme of the game, evoking some retro looks or just looking amusingly tacky. They do, sadly, tend to make the game harder to play as it becomes difficult to differentiate between certain enemy types.
The more interesting unlocks are styles – styles alter the way our plummeting boy plays in-game. For example, Boulder style reduces your post-level upgrade choices but grants the boy six precious hit points instead of the usual four. Meanwhile, Levitate slows the player’s descent, and is considered the best style to unlock by far.
Beyond this, there are various extra additions that add to the gameplay in unique ways, such as combos – destroying enemies without landing raises a combo meter which grants some upgrades of their own. There’s even a wall jump, which the game never tells you about. Communication with the player is certainly something Downwell isn’t interested in, which is a shame because there’s quite a bit of trial-and-error as a result.
Downwell‘s audiovisual style delves deep into the retro vein – an almost trite standby for a lot of indie games these days, but pulled off to an authentic enough degree here to where it’s quite enjoyable. The game looks and sounds like an old ZX Spectrum game and manages to hit just the right nostalgic note as a result.
Moppin’s work easily deserves to stand alongside the likes of Nuclear Throne, Spelunky, and The Binding of Isaac as a tough but rewarding game where no two runs are the same and the temptation to return is overwhelming.
It’s also proof positive that reviewers don’t give games low scores because they “suck at the game” – I have no shame in admitting I’m absolutely awful at the bloody thing, but I adore it nonetheless.
While I feel there could have been a touch more to it in terms of upgrades and player empowerment, Downwell is a beautifully designed game that hides a strong tactical element under its anarchic exterior.
For a handful of dollars you’ll get a game with hours of potential, because it’s just so hard to put down – if only for the fact that you’ll want to beat the next level due to sheer spite.
It takes a damn good game to stop me from pooping, and Downwell had me in its thrall as I desperately needed that crap.
Desperately.
9.5/10
Superb