Downwell 9+

This is one of the best games available on iOS in my opinion, and certainly the only one that I've really sunk hours into. The gameplay is challenging, but fun and satisfying, and you can take things at your own pace and land often, or descend at breakneck speed racking up massive combos. The concept (both for the item of gunboots, and "falling based Platformer") is original and pulled off fantastically. The sound effects are kind of "crunchy" if that makes any sense, every sound effect feels natural but dynamic. The graphics are simple but have a very nice sort of minimal look with most of the many palettes and effectively get across the information you need about the things you're plummeting towards. Some animations, particularly the "jump moving into falling" animation for the main character, are beautifully smooth. The music is really great and atmospheric and I could listen to it over and over, which is good, since, this being a Roguelite, (roguelikelike?) you'll probably visit most levels, particularly early ones, more than once. If you're thinking about buying this game, just take the plunge (har) and go for it, especially if it's on sale!

Downwell is a ridiculously addicting vertical shooter where you slowly fall to the bottom of a well while trying to collect gems, find gun boot upgrades or purchase health or charge upgrades from the shops along the way down. The game sports a classic retro look with its 8-bit pixel graphics and also let's the player unlock skins that will have you thinking you're playing it on your first ever game boy. After completing normal mode you're given an even more challenging mode which I have yet to beat to do this day. Even though the game is for the most part repetitive, the upgrades you'll receive after completing each level will make it seem like a different run through each time. It also rewards skilled playing by giving you health, gems and charge points after racking up large combos. The combo system makes the game feel very rewarding and gives the player a reason to keep playing to rack up even bigger combos. I have been unable to delete this game from my phone and will continue to play this for the foreseeable future. Amazing game Devolver keep up the amazing work.

This is actually my first App Store review, because Downwell is that good. It is not just a great game, but a perfect game for its format. It’s quick, arcade-y rogeulike gameplay with its intuitive simple controls and gameplay make it perfect to play on your phone. The combo system allows its surface simplicity to actually have a lot of depth and challenge. It really is the best mobile game no doubt, 5 stars. However, I do have complaints. As a UX change, I wish you could also turn off sound-effects. You can turn off background music, but it’s pretty annoying when you’re trying to listen to music and you hear the little beeps and boops. As an actual gameplay complaint, while I really appreciate the simplicity I do wish their were more upgrades with more diversity. The very few in the game feel somewhat limited after enough gameplay. They haven’t updated this game in a year so I really hope they make a sequel with more content. This game is truly amazing and if you’re gonna have 1 game on your phone it should be Downwell.