Downwell

Downwell, setting aside previous reviews, is a really good game. It runs perfectly on mobile, is comfortable, and easy to understand, which makes it very accessible for any player.<br/><br/>It would be interesting if, once you unlock a level, there were an option to start from that point or restart from zero. Still, I understand that this is part of the creator’s vision.<br/><br/>My only complaint is the controls: they feel somewhat small and too close together, which can be uncomfortable at times. Including an option to adjust their size or reposition them would greatly improve the experience.<br/><br/>That’s why I’m giving it 4 stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Albert Einstein

For a rouge-like that is quite hardcore, I love the straightforward game mechanics and design focusing on getting the skill for the game without any over complicated stuff for the looks. That said, i think sometimes there is frustration with the visibility of the character and the difficulty of maneuver that has not gone away after hours of play. The playstyles imo doesn’t affect the gameplay too much unless you are a veteran player and I really wish there is some way i can customize my experience more, or to make it easier if i want to….

Downwell is a masterclass of game design, and the best game you’ll find on iPhone.<br/><br/>Some of the best games are ones where the initial complexity is low, but the depth is enormous. This is called “elegance”. Downwell takes one primary action — shooting with your gun boots — and builds the entire experience around it. Everything from maintaining momentum, hitting enemies, getting combos, and staying in the air is tied to this one action.<br/><br/>The pixel art and animation are endearing, and the soundtrack is phenomenal. You’re able to unlock new color palettes by collecting gems, and that one factor alone makes Downwell endlessly replayable.<br/><br/>I only have one small criticism, that there isn’t a separate toggle for music and sound effects. Sometimes I want to play with my own music with sound effects turned on, and Downwell lets you do that! But other times I want to play Downwell while listening to a podcast but I can’t hear the podcast over the sound effects, and there’s no option to fix this.

Game is a banger, no notes, I just want to second screen this game and cannot because the sound effects are so loud and annoying.

The game is really fun. It’s hard but very simple and that’s what you’re looking for with a mobile game. The one criticism I have is that there isn’t an option to mute the sound effects so if I want to listen to something while I play I have to listen past the very loud gun boots. Let us mute the sound effects

Not sure if it’s intentional, but the bats in this game are the most infuriating enemy in the entirety of it. They either stick to the walls until you pass them or they seem to randomly fly upwards from below visibility which is very frustrating as their hitbox is misleading and their heads deal damage even when above them slightly. The issue I see is that the bats “activate” once falling passed them. So why do they occasionally bug out and fly from off screen up towards the character? If it’s broken please fix it. If it’s not, please possible change it?

I tried this game on my free month of Apple Arcade, I realized I mostly only played this one so I got the paid version. I realized that on this version the notch form my iPhone 14 Pro is covering part of the hp bar and gem box. I went back to the + version on Apple Arcade and saw it wasn’t an issue there and the game fit normally. It’s a per peeve but a small update wouldn’t hurt to fix this. Otherwise super addictive and fun gameplay loop!