Devolver Digital bring the hit mobile game to Vita in brilliant fashion, providing some fantastically challenging platforming and high-score chasing.

World-building & Story

As an arcade-y, high-score chasing platform-shooter, Downwell doesn’t feature much in the way of plot. The main character, with gunboots strapped to his feet, falls down a well and it’s up to you to help him navigate to the bottom by dodging the variety of obstacles placed in his way. That’s it – there’s no story (aside from the very end); no dialogue and nothing else to it.

That said, there is an interesting little world here, with a variety of different themes presented as you travel deeper down the well. You’ll encounter a bat-filled cave; spooky castle and even underwater cavern and it’s fun to see how each of these are presented in the retro artstyle. It’s nothing mind-blowing, rather a trippy journey through each different area.

Presentation & Sound

Presented in retro 8-bit style, Downwell is a graphically modest game that does a lot within the confines of the style. At times I couldn’t help but wish for something a little flashier, but what is chosen works perfectly to ensure you’re always aware what’s happening on screen.

From the modestly-drawn main character, to the simple enemies who either come fully-drawn or merely as outlines, everything in Downwell is kept basic – which allows the frantic action to not get cluttered with on-screen objects. Despite this, everything is easily recognisable – you’ll be able to tell a turtle from a bat or a ghost from a jellyfish, which is impressive given the choice of presentation.

Environments are similarly simple, with items like boxes and candles layered to make different designs. The game does shift through a number of locales – from caves to castles to underwater etc., each using different objects to create a different feel. They’re nothing mind-blowing, but suitable for the presentation at hand.

One thing the game does well is allowing you variety in its colour pallette – as you play more you’ll unlock various schemes that give things a different tint, whether it’s simple blues and reds or more trippy psychedelic colours. Rotating between these can help stave off the stale feeling of repeating the same zones over and over, due to the title’s nature as a rogue-like that requires multiple playthroughs.

Sound is – as with everything in the package – basic, but fitting. Music is a quiet mix of 80’s game-synth that doesn’t do anything special, but is drowned out by the splatter of enemy explosions and bullets being fired anyway. And indeed effects are great – each gunboot has a unique noise; collecting gems give a satisfying level up noise etc.

Gameplay & Content

Taking place in a seemingly-never-ending well, Downwell tasks you to keep falling down until you reach the bottom (hence the name), taking out the enemies you find along the way. It’s a fast-paced, high-score-chasing arcade game and honestly was one of Vita’s biggest surprises for me – I didn’t expect to love it anywhere near as much as I did.

You’ll always be in charge of the main character, a little non-descript man with gunboots strapped to his feet. You’ll be able to move; jump and fire the gunboots at any time (the latter of which can give you extra air time from the recoil) but there’s a catch – your guns have limited ammo that can only be refilled by landing on something. Different types of gunboots fire differently, meaning as you collect upgrades you’ll have to adapt to how many bullets you’ll have and what the effect of firing will be.