Well Dweller: the one-person metroidvania that has snuck in among the surprises of the year

Well Dweller wasn't on my radar, and from what I've read, I wasn't the only one. In this metroidvania we control Glimmer, a little black bird who lives with its family at the bottom of a well. When a cruel queen orders all the birds captured so she can make a dress out of their feathers, Glimmer grabs a giant match as a weapon and sets out to rescue its family across a kingdom on the brink of ruin. That premise alone won me over.

The review I read, played on PS5 Pro, highlights above all how fluid the controls are and the pace at which new abilities arrive: sticking the match into walls, sliding, climbing or jumping between walls. On top of that, free fast travel from the camps makes backtracking addictive rather than tedious.

The bosses are apparently the best part of the game, with a special mention for a fight that inverts the controls in its second phase and is handled with real mastery. The art direction, inspired by illustrated storybooks, and the soundtrack round out the package.

On the downside, the review points to little variety in basic combat and a very accessible difficulty. Even so, it scores 91/100 and is considered one of the big surprises of the year. And the most impressive part for me: it's the work of a single person, Kyle Thompson.

Source: La Razón