Peek at this prototype
Slowly but surely,Downwellis taking over our staff. As it well should — it’s fantastic!
It might not look the part at first glance, but get your hands on this game (preferably with a controller), and you’ll see why it’s infectious. In short: you’re never more than a few seconds away from getting into the zone. Once you get good at playingDownwell, you won’t stopfeelinggood.
It’s a game about reading your environment and descending strategically. It’s a game about momentum. A large part of that stems from the central mechanic:your trusty gunboots. You can shoot to slow your fall, or kill enemies, or destroy pesky platforms, but ammo is in short supply. To reload, you’ll need to land, and doing so for even the briefest of moments can be dangerous.
It’s hard to imagineDownwellwithout gunboots, but they weren’t always there.
before gunbootspic.twitter.com/syF3LyJazI
— Ojiro (@moppin_)May 24, 2025
This early version might as well be a completely different game!
In the words of designerOjiro Fumoto, “thank heavens for gunboots.”
