Down the Well Demo

Note: The demo can only be played properly with a controller. We recommend using an Xbox One or a PS4 controller.

Not all games are about wracking up kills, frags, diamonds, getting a high score or saving the world. Sometimes the games that stay with you forever are those that make you feel, but not a specific sentiment, just feel. One such game is Down the Well, a dark-themed exploration games where you play as a little girl exploring the darkness of the underworld, imagined here as the bottom of a well.

The game does not have an objective, you're there just to observe, and then reach an endpoint. Since apparent fondness towards idle time will make you just stare around at your environment, you'd expect everything to be beautifully designed from agraphic's point of view. Fortunately, this is something that the game boasts heavily, as the graphics and atmosphere will make even a walk in the woods seem like a chilling experience, even when you know there are no monsters scripted in the game. The atmosphere is dark, bleak, yet beautiful at the same time, although the lack of music and predominance of atmospheric sounds will make you twitch whenever you even hear something that resembles a cricket.

There is no story; there is no endgame, there's just you and the obvious need to move forward and see where all of this ends. While you do receive some information in the form of text whenever you reach a point of interest, and it tells you about what you should be doing, and why you should be doing it. There is no HP bar or multiple lives, nor are there any means to get hurt anyway, but the game narrative and overall feel will let you know which are the things you must do and which you shouldn't.

If you've ever watched a drama or psychological thriller that left you empty as the credits rolled, then you already know the feeling Down the Well will be putting you through.