Without gunboots, Downwell was an altogether different game

Peek at this prototype

Slowly but surely, Downwell is 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 playing Downwell, you won’t stop feeling good.

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 imagine Downwell without gunboots, but they weren’t always there.

before gunboots pic.twitter.com/syF3LyJazI

— Ojiro (@moppin_) October 21, 2015

This early version might as well be a completely different game!

In the words of designer Ojiro Fumoto, “thank heavens for gunboots.”