The Hollow Knight games either hate you or are just indifferent to your existence. Their insectoid protagonists are not given special hero treatment like most other games; they suffer like everyone else around them. And, at other times, the hostility is more directed, since they’ll throw players at tough bosses and set up elaborate gauntlets far away from checkpoints. They are frequently masochistic, but masochism is not a strict requirement for the search action platformer genre. Well Dweller is a great example of the opposite approach, demonstrating how a Metroidvania can be rather solid and relaxing even if it doesn’t push forward in any meaningful way.
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From a bird’s-eye view, Well Dweller is set up like most of its other genre peers where players are dropped in a labyrinthine map and link up the sections by using new abilities and unlocking doors. It’s about as by the book as it can get in Well Dweller, which is not terribly exciting on its face.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Levels are paced well and don’t drag on for too long | It’s a relatively middle-of-the-round game with not many new ideas |
| The visuals, audio, and writing are quite charming |
Well Dweller Is Simple but Designed Well
But Well Dweller trades ingenuity for smooth design that is meant to keep players moving with just enough pushback. Combat is simple — there’s only one melee attack and a fire bottle projectile — but being sloppy can lead to an early grave (and thankfully it doesn’t lean on cheap contact damage). Platforming also isn’t too demanding, but there are a handful of sections that call on players to use their hovering, wall climb, and bouncy throwable matchstick abilities intelligently. This isn’t Nine Sols, yet players have to move with some intention to avoid being sent back to a checkpoint. However, even then, those checkpoints are generous and don’t cost any currency or force players to redo everything. A small death marker on the map would be nice, yet even that small oversight isn’t a big deal because it never takes too long to get back to the small bird protagonist’s gravestone.
Some of this ease of use stems from its forgiving shortcut design. Stages are often designed in a way where players have to activate a shortcut in order to go forward, meaning natural progression sometimes automatically unlocks an easy way back. It’s efficient, and the shortcuts that aren’t as directly tied to moving forward are often marked on the map. And, to make traversal even more intuitive, it’s possible to fast travel between checkpoints at just about any time from any place. Many Metroidvania games can make getting around a little tedious, and this just excises almost all of that cruft.
But Well Dweller doesn’t just pull players by the nose — beak here, maybe — from objective to objective, as if to sand off any and all friction. The lack of objective markers means it’s up to players to figure out where to go and how to find all of the key items. It’s a smart choice because it means players still have to analyze the map and figure out what foggy section holds the path forward while mitigating the ability to get frustratingly derailed. The map isn’t massive or tedious enough to allow that to happen, however, those unwilling to organically survey the lands can buy maps that make objectives more obvious. When coupled with the ability to poke around and find new perks and collectibles, the game still has plenty of the exploratory elements that are key to the genre, despite its more lenient nature.
With a collection of standard, if well-built, mechanics and features, Well Dweller is able to overcome mundanity because of its length and presentation. Biomes aren’t huge, and the overall game doesn’t drone on for too long. It is more resistant to banality because it’s not given much of a chance to drag. There are just enough stages to make it a relatively meaty experience without delving into excess. Its cutesy visuals and music help, too, since they mesh with the more relaxing nature of its gameplay. The humans look utterly grotesque — and given how evil they are, that’s likely the point — but everything else is whimsical and painted with an array of soft, inviting colors.
Taken as individual pieces, Well Dweller‘s parts don’t hold up to the impossibly high standards set by other games of its ilk. It doesn’t have the mechanical sophistication, best-in-class art style, or storytelling chops of games like Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, Nine Sols, or Hollow Knight. And while it can’t stand up to those genre juggernauts even when taken as a whole, it fares markedly better than it should because of how elegantly put together it is. Well Dweller is a delightful search action platformer that doesn’t waste the player’s time while also letting them explore a world that has had all of its fat sheered off. It’s designed around its limitations well and wraps up before those limitations start to fester. So despite its name, its ability to not dwell is ones of its biggest strengths.
A PS5 copy of Well Dweller was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.
How does a more relaxing Metroidvania sound to you? Or do these types of games need to be hard for you? Send us your answer in the comments below.
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