When working on this review, I wanted to learn if there is a word for something that is simultaneously horrifying and adorable. Because whatever that word is, it would describe Well Dweller perfectly. As it turns out, there isn’t one. Not one that does this game justice. But that is just what Well Dweller is; this excellent blend of a horrifying and grim world, centered around cute and endearing woodland creatures and critters. With an excellent sense of adventure and discovery, gorgeous art, an intriguing premise, and impressive platforming, Well Dweller (from Kyle Thompson and Top Hat Studios) hits in all the right places for fans of the metroidvania genre.
A Glimmer in the Darkness
Set in a fantasy land where an evil queen has killed off nearly all bird species, your character Glimmer awakens in his home alongside his mother and siblings and is sent off on an errand to find food for the family. Like all good heroes’ journeys, the stakes are raised pretty early on, and your adventure begins. Save your family, save the forest, and defeat the evil queen.
I was actually really charmed by the little bird family dynamic. Each of the family members have their own little personalities, and act as a bit of comic relief. And then there’s Egbert. Excessively confident, funny and delightful, Egbert is the real star of the show. I really liked the interaction between all the siblings, and this character development speaks to the great writing by solo developer Kyle Thompson.
The story and world building in Well Dweller are truly excellent. I found myself endeared to the characters that I met along the way, as well as motivated to find all the “Pages”; lore entries you uncover to deepen the underlying story of this incredibly sad and grim world. The evil queen is just one thing, this land is full of sad humans, decaying corpses, and animal-killers. Each new area showcased excellent environmental storytelling that expanded on the dark fairy tail vibe.
Contrast this to the wonderful little woodland creatures that you call your friends. Some can be interacted with in your save tent, others will get involved in your quests or can be found sporadically across the map. I really like the little stories in the ‘quests’ you embark on in certain areas. In particular, I happened upon these frogs that were mysteriously lured into the drains. I obviously won’t spoil it, but it comes to a wonderful conclusion. Again, Well Dweller really emphasizes this juxtaposition between the grim dark and the joyous in really smart ways across its playtime.
The aforementioned collectible pages expand the story, and because there’s not an excessive amount, it’s worth finding them all. In fact, I would say that it’s absolutely worth continuing on after the credits roll to get the ‘true’ ending. There are some really cool things that can only be accessed once the game is finished. What you’re rewarded with at the final conclusion is heartwarming, and a wonderful way to wrap up the story.
Take Me On A Journey
The story set up gets you on your journey, but the gameplay is the real meat-and-potatoes for a metroidvania. So how does it stack up? In many areas, Well Dweller is top-tier. The way Glimmer controls is smooth and quick. Despite beginning with a pretty simple move set – essentially a jump and a slide – as you progress through the areas, your arsenal for traversal grows significantly. A note on the slide; I appreciate that very early on the game straight up tells you that you’re invincible whilst sliding, a great little addition that you will make use of constantly.
Like all metroidvanias, as you explore you’ll come across areas you can’t possibly reach or traverse, and you can handily drop markers on the map to remember to return later on. When I did return to these areas, I was pleasantly surprised to see gameplay mechanics continue to evolve, even late in the game. I particularly liked the Autumn Forest area where you have to knock a stone ball into one or more blocks to open up a gate. These kinds of clever gameplay mechanics make the game feel fresh even when you’re nearing the end, and are a testament to the depth of design by Thompson and Top Hat Studios.
The traversal and platforming is where this game really shines, too. There are platforming puzzles throughout each area; spike pits, moving platforms, popping bubbles to reach high places, etc., and there is a real sense of satisfaction when passing these. They are not overly difficult, but sometimes not entirely simple to figure out either, and Well Dweller strikes that balance cleverly. There are also traversal time trials that are quick, fun, and never seem too ridiculous. After playing something like Shinobi Art of Vengeance’s challenge levels, those in Well Dweller felt much more forgiving, yet a nice addition to find scattered throughout the world.
The Hacking and the Slashing
Armed with only a matchstick and an oil vial, the combat in Well Dweller is perhaps a bit too simplistic. It is enjoyable throughout though, and despite a pretty barebones arsenal, the enemy diversity and boss fight creativity make up for a relatively small move set. Each map area, of which there are at least a dozen, comes with a new set of enemies all with unique animations and attack patterns. As you progress to later stages, similar enemies may come your way, but they become more challenging and increasingly dangerous.
The boss fights are a big highlight. All of them have brilliant and incredibly creepy art design – like fairy tail nightmares come to life. Many of them have challenging and distinct attack patterns and will often escalate to second phases as you whittle down their health bar. There are a lot of moments where your platforming and movement skills will be tested to dodge, slide and jump boss attacks, whilst you lob oil vials and repeatedly whack them with your matchstick. Despite the limited skillset, these boss fights are a good opportunity to utilise the perks you unlock with trinkets. There are a couple of trickier boss fights where every bit of chip damage comes in handy. Equipping yourself with trinkets that focus on dealing damage when sliding, refilling your oil vial when healing and increasing damage output can improve your chances.
Speaking of, I like the way the trinket system works. Early in the game you have a tiny number of slots, and each perk can take 3, 4, 5 or more spaces. You have to think about how you’re going to maximise space to equip an effective loadout. As the game goes on and you find and purchase more trinket space, you will have a huge arsenal of skills to choose from and a massive amount of trinket slots to put them in.
The balancing is still great though, and even late in the game you never feel entirely OP. You will never have more than 2 healing items, thus you have to manage your health smartly, lest you have to repeat difficult sections after dying. The penalty for death isn’t bad, though, and you will return to your last visited tent, so trying out things and failing doesn’t mean loss of progress, which smartly encourages exploration.
It’s not entirely smooth soaring in Well Dweller. There were sporadic moments throughout where it was somewhat unclear how to move the story along, and I found myself running to each possible unexplored room to see if it was now traversable with my newly unlocked skills. These moments really ground the pace to a halt, and the momentum of the game suffered. It’s worth noting there is an option to spend currency to show the next waypoint – something I didn’t notice straight away.
There is also a forced stealth section which felt a little frustrating, and unnecessary, thankfully this is only one moment in the whole game. Although the combat is pretty fun overall, it is simplistic in its design. Glimmer only has one attack and is complemented by a ranged AOE, so the combat is a little one-note. I would’ve loved to see more attack variations or special moves, perhaps different weapons or even light or heavy attacks. More depth to the combat would make the excellently designed boss fights even more satisfying.
Well…
Well Dweller embraces exploration and world building as its core pillars, and continually throws new challenges, abilities, and narrative at you throughout its runtime. Traversal never stops being enjoyable, and an ever-growing arsenal of movement abilities keeps things fresh as you adventure across what is a huge play space. The combat is fun, yet simple, with a wide array of enemies and excellent boss fights. The real charm lies in its world design and story, though. An oppressive sense of dread is contrasted by wonderfully designed, humorous, and adorable characters and stories that give a real sense of life to this fantasy world.
Thank you to our PR Partners and Top Hat Studios for providing review access. You can find Seasoned Gaming’s review policy here.
