Downward Demo

Most post-apocalyptic scenarios envision the world as a bleak place devoid of anything beautiful or at least colorful. Brown and gray are the only shades that reign over the landscape, but it really depends on how long after the apocalypse the events in the story take place. Nature has a way to come back from almost everything, so after the radioactive clouds have washed away and the green waters sink deep into the ground, lush greenery is bound to cover everything once more, with or without humans around to witness it.

Downward is a first-person platformer with parkour elements and a bit of exploration added to the mix to keep you on your toes. The whole thing takes place in a post-apocalyptic world, but since it’s centuries after the cataclysmic event, everything looks much nicer than what you would expect. Hence, instead of ruined shopping malls or brown wastelands, you get to explore a magical world full of powerful artifacts and lush environments.

The goal of the main character is to master his abilities in order to explore the world in question and find a couple of powerful artifacts that should be able to explain the reason behind the apocalypse that took place centuries ago. You can also make use of various interesting skills along the way and explore the ruins of lost civilizations.

It’s not difficult to see where Downward got its inspiration from, since many of the mechanics are borrowed from the genre-defining Mirror’s Edge. Hence, you can perform daring jumps, run on walls and climb a variety of tall structures along the way. You can also learn tricks like double jumps or teleports, not to mention the fact that you have to face enemies every now and again.

One of the most important parts in a platformer such as this one is the fluidity of the mechanics and having responsive controls. Thankfully, these things are not an issue here, so the only obstacles are the actual in-game challenges, since you do not have to fight the controls or deal with annoying mechanics along the way. The game is still in early access the moment, but the number of bugs is nowhere near what you would expect.

In the end, Downward is a very polished platformer and a unique adventure game set in a beautiful world, while also being fairly challenging and addictive from a gameplay point of view. Thus, if you like jumping and climbing things, Downward is by far one the most enjoyable experiences in the genre at the moment.