So I Tried... Downwell

Each edition of So I Tried… I will try a game that I have never tried before. Will I find something new to love? Will I find something new to despise? I'll take a full half hour, no matter how bad it gets or how badly I do, to see if this is the game for me. This time I went for Downwell on PC, a procedurally generated shooter.

What I thought it was

I honestly didn’t hear much about Downwell until it was mentioned in a “Game of the year” video I watched. The YouTuber described it as being very similar to Binding of Isaac, this instantly peaked my interest. While the gameplay appears very different; the upgrades, progression system and procedural generation are basically exactly the same. I have no issue with this at all though, Binding of Isaac is designed to be played over and over again and the developers of Downwell clearly wanted the same thing.

What it actually was

I think the best way to describe Downwell is as a hybrid of Binding of Isaac and Mega Man. You start off at the top of a well shooting things as you fall down, and unlike most games the guns are actually in the player’s feet. You can upgrade the guns, turning them into lasers and generally making them more powerful. There are other upgrades as well that can enhance the characters overall ability, stamina and agility. At the end of each level you pick up a free upgrade, with shops also available on the way down.

Will I keep playing

I’ve only played half an hour or so at the moment, but I am thoroughly enjoying it. I can’t see it replacing my Binding of Isaac addiction, but it will be nice to have something different to play every now and again. There’s clearly a lot of depth to be had here, mainly through the unlockable skills and characters. Then there’s the difficulty curve, which should also keep me going for a while. For the price of a pint in Wetherspoons, Downwell is definitely worth a try.