Downwell

I picked this up today and put in a couple hours in small bites. It's a simple to pick up game: right, left, jump&shoot. Then there are powerups & upgrades to find and buy. Each level is a race to the bottom, but you need to smash enemies to collect gems to buy healing and powerups. This creates a nice tension of goals, so every level is not a race to the bottom, but rather a choice between collecting and fleeing. Also, gameplay is not about memorization, but learning enemy types and strategies as you react to the game. I switched to my gamepad, but it is easy to play with the keyboard layout. Interface is simple, controls took seconds to pick up, and so far my games have taken only a few minutes each time. Downwell is not a game I see myself dedicating hours at a time to, but rather 1-2 plays every day for a while. Fills a niche in my game diet, and I find it fun. One of my better impulse purchases on GOG.

Jump down a well and hope you don't die. Try to jump on enemies in succession without touching the ground to string together combos. Very fast-paced and very enjoyable if you like games with permadeath and procedurally generated content, such as Spelunky.

What more do you want from a game that cost 3 euros or even less? Downwell is a masterpiece. It hasn't got too much content, but will have you entertained for a long time. It just takes a simple idea: you have to go down a well collecting gems and avoiding being killed by the enemies. The result? An adictive game which is really fun to play specially in those moments of spare time you may have everyday. So just take a break and try Downwell!!

If you like games such as Super Hexagon or Spelunky for example, games that require a lot of skill, you will enjoy this. You could play it for five minutes or you could pour hours into the game because there is always room for improvement. I think there is a lot of value in this game for the price, especially because of the procedurally generated leves and the various "styles" (perks). The game provides a lot of fun; it borrows elements from older roguelike and platforming games but it has it's own artstyle and gameplay so it stands on it's own two feet very well. Recommended.