Downwell

Without a doubt this is one of the finest roguelikes i have ever played. Moppin is a masterpiece of Roguelike design. One of the things i really enjoy in this game is the combo system. The sounds are detailed so every time you hear that crunch you know that you're getting closer to a greater reward, whether it would be a collection of gems at 8 enemies, a charge point at 15, and extra health at 25.

You can play as a variety of styles, which forces you to truly master the game if you want to beat it. Yes, it is difficult but it feels so satisfying after you finally beat the master in the well. My personal favorite play style would be arm spin style as timevoids except shops always contain some sort of gun module for you to play around with. This allows you to gain health or ammo very fast, and would be the style i recommend to first beat the game.

Timevoids give you a break to calm yourself and be safe from enemies before you jump back in. The game has a intense yet fast pace, and you always have the option to skip timevoids if you want to. Every time you beat a stage, you get to choose one upgrade for your character, except handstand style. Knive And Fork and Gem Powered are the best upgrades in this game.

If you manage to go the entire run without touching a single timevoid, you get a tomato before the boss which grants you health and charges. Since handstand does not allow upgrades, doing the tomato challenge with that style makes you forget everything you know about the game and forces you to be in survival mode.

Overall, a masterpiece. I would give this my highest recommendation.

A simple, well executed and beautiful pixel roguelike. Difficult but its very tight, sharp and extremely satisfying to beat every single time - pulling off the simple rule of "easy to learn, hard to master" very very well. This combined with the great aesthetics simply makes it a joy to play, even as you get your teeth kicked in. Not much to say, but that's really because the game speaks for, and sells, itself.

Simple fun. You jump down a well, you try to get as far as you can to the bottom. It's as simple as a game can be, but it's still just really fun. If you have a monitor that can turn 90 degrees, this is a must-play, but for the normal folk who spend their money on normal people things like Arca CDs, it's still a cool game to check out. It's also ridiculously cheap so like just go for it.

It's always such a delight to see something so simple be so well executed. From the art to the sound design and the gameplay, the polish here is so glossy and nice and it's such a fun concept to have a gravity platformer like this one. Definitely a standout from all of the pixel-indie stuff you gotta swim through.

Not much to say, other than that Downwell is a solid title that presents a simple, easily replayable challenge that can be picked up and played instantly, and remains difficult even after playing continuously. Movement is sharp, the soundtrack is distinct and interesting, and the artstyle is striking in its choice of only using three colors, two of them being black and white. Perfect to play if you've got 20 minutes to burn or if you're sitting around trying to pass the time.

While it may look like a plain and straightforward platformer at first, in which you just go killing enemies as you descend into a vertical dungeon ("Down-Well"), this notion is quickly dismissed as soon as the player discovers the real charm of the game: the combo system. Enemies can be killed either by shooting from above, which also slows down the fall, or by landing on them, and chaining multiple of these later deaths, jumping from corpse to corspe and never touching ground, creates these bouncy combos that achieve great playfulness and elegance and are the core of the game.

The secret to this delightful system is rather simple. 'Jump' and 'shoot' are one and the same, merged into a single button, thus creating a central dilemma: Control vs Power. Is it better to shoot and keep a steady pace on the fall to avoid dangers, or to recklessly blast through the screen stepping on every enemy in sight? Each player is left to choose their own prefered strategy, but anybody who knows how to have fun will definitely pursue the longest combos possible, to the point where it is more desirable to step on a red enemy and lose a life than it is to touch the ground and break the combo.

Very few games manage to keep a simple design and layout while still being innovative and fun, and Downwell is a masterclass in all of these aspects. While not addicting, I see myself coming back to it at least twice a month just in order to experience the unparalleded satisfaction provided by the combo mechanic. One of my personal favourites.

PS: While they are all great, I slightly prefer the mobile version over the PC/console one. I think that the adrenaline-inducing velocity of Downwell is better felt on a small screen.