Creature in the Well (2019)

Fun up to a point, but the controls and physics are too floaty and imprecise for what they're asking you to do; there were too many timed puzzles and boss gauntlets that felt like they came down to luck rather than skill. And I think the designers kind of realized this, because most of the regular room designs aren't really puzzles, but then they start feeling very samey, just "hit ball at things until no more things and don't die."

That being said, the world is interesting (and the visuals are beautiful) and I'd love to see them iterate on these ideas, 'cause I think there's a lot of promise here. This just doesn't quite deliver.

I feel like talking about game length is my burden. I must do it. I must Goldilocks every game for this site. Is it too long (Red Dead Redemption 2)? Too short (Shovel Knight: Pocket Dungeon)? Or just right (Hollow Knight)*?

However, I really don't know how I feel about the length of Creature in the Well. When it ended, I thought it still had ideas to explore and combine. In a certain way, it seems like it could have been five times the size. The dungeons could have been more expansive with keys to find and doors to unlock. However, maybe I don't want that?

I realized a big motivating factor in finishing this game was its length. I think I only finished it because I knew it would only take me an hour more to see the end.

I think the idea of playing the paddle in a pinball adventure is solid, but the execution, specifically of the mechanics, is poor. It sucks to say. It just isn't an engaging interactive experience.

The world is interesting. It looks pretty stylish and slick. I remember enjoying the music (although my wife found it "Too stressful").

I just was happy when it was over because I wasn't having fun.

*I know that from a "stickiness" standpoint, I really should have used another Knight game as my example for "too long", but enough has not been said about how Red Dead Redemption 2 is too long. Truly we could never shut up about how that game's length just kills any enthusiasm you might have for it, and it still wouldn't be enough.

Creature in the Well is an impressively unique concept - though it frays at the edges when the difficulty amps up, it's still a fun and creative chunk of a game.

As the last remaining of a line of robots, the player sets out to restore an ancient facility's power in order to eliminate a sandstorm and bring good weather back to the world. It's a simple story with some superfluous lore bits but it gets the job done.

As for how that facility is restored, the player moves from room to room in various dungeons of the facility, gathering power from bumpers, turrets, gates, etc - the player charges energy balls and can strike them towards objects - the balls ricochet in a pinball-like fashion, but the player doesn't have to worry about losing the balls. As the player can only charge a few at a time the game becomes a balancing act between avoiding damage and swinging around as much chaos as possible. It can be REALLY finnicky at times to get that shot just right (a reticle later in the game helps immensely) but most of the time causing chaos gets the job done.

That said, there are a variety of challenges in the short length of this game - switches that the ball must bump into in order to activate platforms/bumpers, bumpers that reflect shots, explosive pillars, turrets, hazardous energy fields, etc - the most difficult of these, however, are timed segments where the player must hit bumpers in a very short amount of time in a set order to unlock a variety of secret passages - most of them are upgrades, new weapons (some of which with essential abilities to pass certain difficult spots), and capes for cosmetic use.

The game itself has a distinct style - while not quite cel-shaded, its vibrant colors stand out to give some life to the dreary dungeons. The raging desert outside is also a nice added touch. Music ranges from gentle ambience to pressing techno, and can be a little catchy after enough attempts.

Creature in the Well is short, and a few segments can be particularly frustrating without the most precise aim, but it's also a tight and addictively unique experience that has to be played to be believed.

You walk around smacking balls into "bumpers" to charge them which gives you energy to open doors to smack more balls into things. Sometimes beams or bolts are shot at you. You have to walk between rooms which seem to reset. You also have to return through a bunch of rooms to heal. There doesn't seem to be much indication of where to go.

It's creative, but i don't care for it.

Disclaimer that I played on PS4, but that's not a release option on here for some reason.

Game Summary : Wake up in the desert in the middle of a sandstorm and make your way towards shelter. You find a near abndoned facility that you must fight your way through to restore it's capabilities.

Review Portion : I'm not a huge pinball guy, but I love seeing it implemented as a hybrid Mechanic for some reason. Metal Walker seems really cool to me from what I've tried, Yoku's Island Express is a delight so far, and while Pokemon Pinball Advance is a more straight forward pinball game, it has set objectives which I greatly enjoy. So I may be biased, but I had a blast with this game.

There's really only one enemy in the entire game for you to fight. Most enemies are just parts of the facility that have been taken over to attack you instead of help you. Rooms are generally cleared by hitting the "bumpers" with your pinballs enough to get them to go down. In some rooms this is done on a timer. It's a relatively simple idea that take under 10 hours to beat, so it never feels like it's going on too long.

My enjoyment was hindered only a few times by a particularly frustrating room or boss fight. I will say that while secret rooms are very straight forward to find, despite being secret I would consider them nearly mandatory. Skipping them seems like it could definitely leave to frustration due to being Especially a lightning power up, maybe look up which area has that and do it first if you find yourself having some trouble.

Summary : If you like unique ideas filled with charm and not in your face worldbuilding, you'll love Creature In The Well. Definitely give it a shot if the look or gameplay at all interest you.

Personal Score : 9.5/10

"Objective" Score : 8.5

Dropped after 1 hour.

I really, really, wanted to like this game, as the graphics are beautiful, and the "pinball, but dungeons" concept is very original and it didn't sound like it was done before.

Turns out there's a reason for that. It doesn't work.

The controls are uncomfortable an annoying for a game that depends so much on careful position and aiming, mechanics are barely explained (I had to check online to find out that the random white pool that seemed to be part of the background is, actually, a healing spot) and puzzles depend on hiting the ball in the EXACT AND PRECISE way the game wants you to, while it throws laser beams and you and there's a 10 second countdown.

I respect what this game it is trying to do. It's just not fun.

On the bright side, the graphics are gorgeous, and it was free.