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While big name like Axiom Verge, Blasphemous, and Hollow Knight garnered tons of the indie Metroidvania space, Kyle Thompson’s been basically working in the background on darling and accessible titles such as Crypt Custodian, Islets, and Sheepo. If you tried one, you’d instantly recognize the style and approach of others. Now Well Dweller presents us with a new adventure, and I think it’s the most charming of Thompson’s Metroidvania.
Well Dweller begins with a fairy tale. After being found abandoned in a forest, a baby girl is brought to a childless queen and raised as her heir. Except something isn’t quite right with her, as she’s inexplicably cruel, and after a suspicious death the new royal demands all birds in the kingdom be killed for an outfit. Glimmer is one of the remaining ones, living in a skull in the bottom of a well with his crow family as the story begins. His mother sends him out with his siblings in tow in search of scraps of food from the Hunter’s dinner table since she’s too ill to forage for the family herself. However, that journey leads to the small crow and his tiny match heading out to challenge the queen herself.
All of the bird and animal critters in Well Dweller are absolutely adorable. Any time there is dialogue involving them, it’s quite charming and personable. There’s so much heart to the game, from Glimmer being “voluntold” to go get food and take the younger kids with to tire them out to dialogue from other NPCs we meet as we try to survive and reach the queen, it’s great. Likewise, the mechanic of finding hidden pages for additional parts of the story is handled well and feels like an encouraging reward to learn more about the bigger humans influencing the world these poor lil’ guys gotta live in.
As this is a Metroidvania, Glimmer starts with basic abilities and gains a larger repertoire of skills after exploring more of the map and reaching more bosses. So at the start, the crow can jump and slide (which you’re invincible during). Once you get the match, you can attack enemies with it. Eventually, you’ll be able to glide, climb walls, send the matchstick out like an arrow and potentially create a platform you can jump on along a wall, and fire off little bombs. Things unlock at a good pace, and the structure is such that it’s pretty clear when certain abilities will come in handy. Plus, in the case of each additional skill, it feels like there are applications for both attacking and platforming. Sliding is good for reaching new areas or getting around bad attacks. Gliding is handy for judging or getting out of the way for things! Things make sense.
Now, Kyle Thompson game design is generally quite good. But I’ve noticed that the developer is great at creating games that can be challenging if you look for it, but the main campaigns are created in such a way that someone could go through it and have a good time even if they aren’t particularly skilled at these sorts of dodge-heavy titles. Crypt Custodian proved to be a good example of it, and Well Dweller is an even better one. First, there’s the constant reminder of how healthy Glimmer is due to the brightness of the match he wields. So if you aren’t paying attention to the health bar in the upper left corner, you still have that visible gauge and the “red” at the edges of the screen when you’re near death. Both major and minor enemies telegraph their attacks with visual effects that feature distinctive shapes and colors, to give you an idea of what to expect. Also, the main path’s platforming isn’t terribly taxing, so it’s only if you look for secrets that things could get “scary.”
The only exception to the accessibility is the way in which healing works in Well Dweller. You don’t just tap a trigger and find Glimmer’s health restored. You need to watch a gauge and hit again when the indicator is in a specific spot for it to be a success. It’s a bit frustrating! Especially once you get later in the game and face some of the bigger bosses.
Speaking of later, I’m impressed at how large Well Dweller is while still feeling like it isn’t overwhelming. This is a big map with a lot of fun nooks and crannies with collectibles and trinkets to pick up if you take the time to go through everything. But the thing is, even after spending about nine hours with it, I don’t feel like it took that long. It’s very respectful of a player’s time with a natural progression that makes the “right” and “most efficient” path one you’ll probably take without even realizing it.
Well Dweller is a darkly charming Metroidvania that is an eventful run for anyone and a challenge for those looking for one. The design essentially means people of any skill level could enjoy it. There’s also a lot of heart and even humor here for such a dark and dramatic tale. I think it will end up being remembered as one of Kyle Thompson’s best.
Well Dweller is on the Switch, Switch 2, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC.
