Well Dweller has no interest in reinventing the metroidvania, and it doesn’t pretend otherwise. The new game from Kyle Thompson, who also made Crypt Custodian and Islets, sticks to a very classic structure for the genre. Where it stands apart is in how well it is made: movement with superb precision, rich exploration and a dark fairy-tale world that also knows how to make you laugh. I found the combat and bosses a notch below everything else, though that never spoils the whole. Here is why Well Dweller deserves your attention, and what stops it from climbing even higher.
At a glance
A classic metroidvania in structure, but remarkably well executed.
Exploration and movement are the heart of the experience, and they are excellent.
Expect around twelve hours, more if you are going for 100%.
A cruel fairy tale starring a tiny bird
The premise sets the tone. In this dark fairy-tale kingdom, a queen has the birds slaughtered so she can use their feathers. You play as Glimmer, one of the last survivors, who lives with his family at the bottom of a well and sets out to find food for his sick mother.
The story quickly turns into a rescue mission after Glimmer’s mother and siblings are taken. Those siblings matter a great deal to the mood, too, popping up regularly throughout the adventure and bringing plenty of personality to the world.
What I liked most is the way it mixes registers. Well Dweller keeps swinging from horror and cruelty to absurd humour, and its most macabre moments are regularly undercut by a line of dialogue or a comic scene. It dares to go dark without ever feeling heavy.
The art direction plays on the same contrast. A very clean, picture-book style provides the backdrop, while enemies and bosses take on far more grotesque, dark and horrific shapes. Environments shift in look and mood on a regular basis, which keeps you wanting to see what comes next.
One detail helps place the game: this isn’t Kyle Thompson’s first metroidvania. Well Dweller’s Steam page presents it as the work of the creator of Crypt Custodian and Islets, two games in the same genre, and it shows in how confidently it handles the conventions. Nothing is left to chance in the way the world opens up, how abilities are handed out, or how you are drawn back to the areas you had to leave behind. Well Dweller is published by Top Hat Studios.
Well Dweller is a joy to explore and to move through
This is clearly the heart of the experience. The kingdom is large and interconnected, and it constantly nudges you back into areas you have already visited. Progress hinges on new movement abilities that gradually open up paths you could not reach before, in the most faithful tradition of the genre.
The movement system is particularly well done. Jumping, climbing, dashing, gliding and using the matchstick all flow together smoothly and precisely. Simply getting around is a pleasure in itself. And that is probably what sets Well Dweller apart from a merely decent metroidvania.
The matchstick has a role outside combat too, as it becomes central to some environmental puzzles, for instance when you use it as a spring or to trigger a mechanism. The level design also keeps refreshing itself thanks to mechanics specific to each biome: temporary platforms, bubbles, bells and other area-specific elements.
Puzzles are generally simple to understand but sometimes demanding to pull off, especially when you have to chain several movement abilities together. For my part, that is a good balance: you know what the game wants, and the challenge comes from your hands rather than from an opaque riddle.
Secrets everywhere and trinkets to equip
The world is packed with things to uncover. Secrets, collectibles, timed challenges and optional areas are tucked away all over the place, including bird spirits to free and pages that tell little stories. Completionists will have plenty to do long after the credits roll.
The trinket system adds a layer of customisation. These items grant various bonuses and are equipped according to the slots available. Early on, the limited number of slots forces real choices, then progression unlocks more of them, until you can equip almost everything by the end of the game.
Simple combat and somewhat repetitive bosses
Combat is deliberately simple and takes a back seat to exploration. Glimmer mainly fights with his matchstick and a flask of flammable oil, which he can strike from a distance with the matchstick. To be fair, the system stays smooth and enjoyable, thanks to effective aim assist and a dash that lets you dodge attacks.
Bosses, on the other hand, are the least convincing part. Their attacks feel alike from one fight to the next and sometimes lack originality. Their difficulty is still well judged, though, with no big spike to break the pace of the adventure.
Verdict: a very well crafted metroidvania
Well Dweller is a particularly accomplished metroidvania. Excellent movement, very successful exploration, an original world and humour that lands: it ticks every box that matters in the genre, and it does so with care. Its limits lie mainly in a lack of structural innovation, and in combat and bosses that are less varied than the rest of the adventure.
Honestly, if you enjoy the genre, it is an easy recommendation. The adventure runs to around twelve hours, with more content for those chasing 100%. The game came out on 22 September on PC, PS5, Xbox Series, Switch and Switch 2, at $19.99, and it is on Game Pass from day one, according to Top Hat Studios’ launch press release. If you are after a metroidvania that shakes up the formula, though, this isn’t the one.
In practice, I would recommend Well Dweller to anyone who enjoys combing every corner of a map, backtracking with a new ability and mastering a nimble character. Players mainly after demanding fights and memorable bosses will find the combat side a little thin. For everyone in between, its day-one arrival on Game Pass makes it an easy one to try for subscribers.
| What we like | What we like a lot less |
|---|---|
| A cruel dark fairy tale, constantly defused by absurd humour | Simple combat, pushed into the background |
| Picture-book art direction, contrasted by grotesque enemies | Bosses with repetitive, unoriginal attacks |
| Puzzles and biome-specific mechanics that keep the levels fresh | |
| Secrets everywhere, and trinkets that force real loadout choices | |
| What might make you buy itLarge, interconnected exploration, carried by smooth and precise movement | What might put you offA very classic structure that never reinvents the genre |
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