Well Dweller Review – A Journey Old and New

One of the trickiest sensations to articulate in gaming is the flow state. Its definition of being fully attentive and immersed makes sense on paper, yet the authenticity of this feeling is so rare in its purest form. I’ve enjoyed countless games, but entering that flow state is far from common.

Yet Kyle Thompson’s metroidvania Well Dweller is a new title that has managed to do just that. Its general simplicity may not satisfy all genre fans, but it hit a sweet spot I couldn’t help relishing.

Well Dweller Builds a Surreal, Melancholic World

Well Dweller follows the matchstick-wielding bird Glimmer, who ends up on a quest to save his family after they’re captured by the Hunter, with the Queen seemingly planning to have them killed. However, the adventure requires him to explore this surreal, endearing landscape, find his family, and gather enough golden feathers to access the royal abode. The simple premise isn’t exactly a major driving force, yet it’s a strong enough backdrop to give the journey weight, reinforced by opening sections that establish Glimmer’s ordinary life before it’s torn asunder.

The characters Glimmer meets also bring genuinely varied personalities to the setting. Between a somewhat erratic shopkeeper and the travelers Glimmer meets on the road, each with their own plights and goals, Well Dweller is coated in an almost quiet melancholy that quickly characterizes it. The stark, contrasting imagery of some enemies, along with a grim sense of humor, leans into this disconcerting atmosphere.

Simple Combat Keeps Well Dweller Moving

Regardless, Well Dweller’s gameplay is where it thrives most. There isn’t too much to discuss here given the game’s compact scope, but just about everything is tackled elegantly. Given the genre at play, little about the title stands out mechanically, yet the manner in which everything flows together is entrancing.

Glimmer’s weapon is a matchstick that throws out expected melee combos. These actions feel swift, smooth, and pretty intuitive, trading depth for near-immediate reliability. That sense of reliability is a major reason the general flow works as well as it does. The simplicity means there isn’t much of a disconnect between deciding what you want Glimmer to do and actually doing it, letting his basic actions become instinctive surprisingly quickly.

Then, there’s a mechanic in which you can throw replenishable flaming vessels to enkindle foes, giving you a valuable resource that constantly plays an active, meaningful role. Additionally, healing follows a timing-based input to be effective, instilling a dynamic facet to consider mid-battle. Plus, a slide works as you’d expect: it provides invincibility frames against hazards and enemy attacks.

While there are other matters of note, such as equippable trinkets that offer bonuses depending on select circumstances, like dealing more damage at full health or adding new properties to the core fundamentals, those aforementioned features form the foundation of encounters. For the most part, I thoroughly enjoyed this to-the-point approach that pushes you forward right away, but I can’t deny I wish there were another innately different battle idea or two sprinkled into the core combat loop for more variety.

Then again, I don’t necessarily think Well Dweller needs more complicated combat, either. Its simplicity is a large part of the appeal, especially given how quickly its mechanics become second nature. Instead, adding another idea or two to those existing fundamentals could have helped keep the core loop from occasionally feeling too familiar.

At the same time, the enemy design and exploration are great, partially offsetting the potential dullness that continuous combat can induce. The former boasts several enemy types with clear attacks that vary in how you approach them. Between foes that encircle themselves with flames and those that explode upon death, there is more than enough variety here to alter your general approaches across each area.

In that sense, the enemy design does a lot of the heavy lifting that Glimmer’s relatively simple toolkit doesn’t. His fundamental actions may remain straightforward, but the situations you use them in change often enough that encounters rarely feel completely identical. The bosses, in particular, are pretty memorable in both their presentation and offensive capabilities.

Although part of me wishes they were a tad tougher, Well Dweller’s more approachable design philosophy does affect its pacing, in a sense, through swifter progression. Still, the title isn’t without challenge. You need to understand enemy telegraphs and patterns, especially in more condensed environments, in order to prevail. The skill ceiling just isn’t all that high.

The balance also contributes to that aforementioned flow state. Well Dweller requires enough attention that I never felt like I could completely turn my brain off, but its encounters also rarely become such imposing roadblocks that they completely halt your momentum. You’re consistently being asked to react and pay attention without grinding to a standstill.

Well Dweller Makes Metroidvania Exploration More Approachable

Moreover, exploration embodies a fairly refreshing approach. Well Dweller, of course, follows the core metroidvania design facet of exploring several environments in search of abilities and tools that expand reachability in other areas. Yet, there is a distinct effort to reduce player frustration in the form of early free fast travel to any camps you’ve discovered.

The approach does have the consequence of mitigating tension since you’re essentially able to avoid the dangers of backtracking in many cases. Still, I found the benefit of reaching new places faster outweighed that potential drawback. The cycle of learning a new movement skill, such as wall jumping, and then immediately going to locations that benefit from it is pretty addictive. There isn’t much downtime between discovering something, understanding how it works, and applying it elsewhere, which keeps progression moving at a consistently stimulating pace.

Area progression is also a tad more linear than you may expect from the genre, with the game pushing you through environments in a more directed fashion than metroidvania fans seeking extensive freedom may prefer. Still, it includes several contained platforming sequences and even time trials to complete, plus no-hit combat challenges that offer extra currency. Intriguing illustrated lore pages also provide a deep, if brief, glimpse into the world at large.

You can then use that same currency to buy trinkets and get direct guidance via transparent map markers for main story progression and collectibles. It’s a pretty neat idea for providing clarity without making the experience overly accessible or removing the satisfaction of discovery.

Well Dweller Finds Its Strength in Flow

Well Dweller won’t wow you if you’re seeking a transformative metroidvania that tries to reinvent the wheel. Yet, it manages to take those same well-trodden ideas and reinforce them into an experience that is impressively distinct in its pacing and presentation.

More than anything, that pacing brought me back into the flow state. Combat becomes intuitive enough that actions quickly feel instinctive, enemy designs demand enough attention to keep encounters engaging, fast travel minimizes unnecessary downtime, and new abilities can be put to use almost immediately. None of these ideas are especially revolutionary on their own, but they rarely compete with or interrupt each other.

Given those strengths, I consider Well Dweller to be a worthwhile venture in this genre for prospective newcomers and veterans alike.