Creature in the Well

79%
Game Brain Score Based on 197 reviews
  • gameplay
  • graphics
  • story
Creature in the Well Game Cover
The Creature in the Well is a harsh mistress, but one that’s incredibly rewarding to those who push on
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"Creature in the Well" is a top-down, pinball-inspired action game set in a mystical desert mountain. As the last BOT-C unit, players must restore power to a struggling city by defeating a menacing creature in the mountain's depths. Using hack and slash mechanics, players battle enemies and solve puzzles to clear paths, uncover secrets, and upgrade their gear.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

79%
Audience ScoreBased on 197 reviews
gameplay37 positive mentions
grinding5 negative mentions
  • Unique blend of pinball mechanics and dungeon crawling, providing a fresh gameplay experience.
  • Beautiful art style and atmospheric sound design enhance the overall immersion.
  • Short and engaging, making it easy to pick up and play without a huge time commitment.
  • Difficulty spikes, especially in boss fights, can be frustrating and may deter players.
  • Repetitive room layouts and puzzles can lead to a sense of monotony as the game progresses.
  • Controls can feel clunky and imprecise, impacting the overall gameplay experience.
  • gameplay116 mentions

    The gameplay of "Creature in the Well" is characterized by its unique blend of pinball mechanics and action RPG elements, offering a refreshing yet sometimes repetitive experience. While many players appreciate the innovative mechanics and satisfying gameplay loop, some find the controls can be finicky and the overall challenge may not escalate effectively, leading to moments of frustration. The game's aesthetic and sound design are widely praised, but the execution of its core mechanics leaves room for improvement, particularly in terms of variety and depth.

    • “The gameplay carries the momentum, a perfect mix of reflexes and puzzle solving that have you coming back for more.”
    • “Creature in the well is a fun game and you'll quickly be drawn into the simple gameplay.”
    • “The gameplay is cool.”
    • “The gameplay isn't built into anything truly compelling.”
    • “I really liked the gameplay at first, but then it got really repetitive.”
    • “The art style and presentation are amazing, but the gameplay and level design can be both repetitive and frustrating at times throughout the game, and can turn into a slog if you find yourself dying to a boss, and having to not only run all the way back, but in some cases having to re-complete puzzles along the way.”
  • graphics50 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising its unique and stunning art style, vibrant color palettes, and immersive aesthetic that enhances gameplay. However, some players criticize the visuals for being bland or repetitive, noting issues like graphical glitches and a lack of polish that detracts from the overall experience. Overall, while the art style is often highlighted as a strong point, there are concerns about consistency and execution in the graphics.

    • “Great graphics and gameplay.”
    • “The art style and sound are great, the presentation of the game is wonderful and was a real pleasure to experience.”
    • “The art and graphics in this game are very rich and authentic that really deserves some high credibility, no question about it.”
    • “Not much going on aesthetically.”
    • “If the devs are reading this, if you are working on a sequel, instead of using this ugly bland aesthetic to streamline your production of a proof of concept game, maybe go the extra mile and make it pretty.”
    • “There are some minor graphical issues that make the style look cluttered and amateurish instead of heavily stylized.”
  • story44 mentions

    The story has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its charm, intriguing elements, and worldbuilding, while others find it sparse and lacking depth. Many appreciate the art style and atmospheric storytelling, but some feel the narrative could have been more engaging or fleshed out. Overall, the story serves as a backdrop to the gameplay, with varying levels of interest and investment from players.

    • “The writing is extremely charming, the mystery of the plot pushes you forward.”
    • “There was genuine worldbuilding and storytelling hiding behind every corner, and every triumph felt visceral and earned.”
    • “The story starts off mysterious and you start to find clues to who you are and what you're supposed to be doing.”
    • “Don't worry too much about the story; it's a robot trying to reactivate some facility or something, not very engaging.”
    • “The story provides nearly nothing past the setting and start.”
    • “The story was sparse, and the environmental storytelling was nil, but the colors and design of the world were still nice.”
  • music22 mentions

    The music in the game is generally praised for its beauty and ability to enhance the atmosphere, with many reviewers noting its immersive quality and strong connection to the art style. However, some players found the soundtrack repetitive, wishing for a greater variety of tracks to accompany the gameplay. Overall, while the music contributes positively to the experience, its limited diversity is a common critique.

    • “The art direction, music, and engaging world do a lot to build up the game's atmosphere, and make it a pleasure to explore and see what you'll find next.”
    • “The music is absolutely lovely, though a few more tracks would go a long way in this game.”
    • “The art is gorgeous, the music is really nice to listen to and never got annoying - and the combat is very fun, if hard as hell.”
    • “I found the music pretty bland, unfortunately.”
    • “You’ll listen to the same handful of songs for most of the game; though seeing how you can beat it in less than 10 hours, it’s definitely not a significant negative to me.”
    • “Or even the same music or storyline.”
  • atmosphere12 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its beautiful art direction, engaging music, and intriguing world design, creating a stimulating yet chill environment for exploration. Players appreciate the blend of sci-fi elements and classic arcade influences, which contribute to a haunting and immersive experience. While the atmosphere is consistently highlighted as a strong point, some reviewers note that it may lose its impact as the game progresses.

    • “The art direction, music, and engaging world do a lot to build up the game's atmosphere, and make it a pleasure to explore and see what you'll find next.”
    • “A haunting and atmospheric game that combines elements of arcade classics like breakout and pinball to create a frenetic and colorful hack and slash dungeon-delving adventure.”
    • “The direction, atmosphere, visual design, and attention to detail is amazing.”
  • grinding5 mentions

    Reviews indicate that the grinding aspect of the game is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the lack of tedious level grinding and the ease of collecting achievements, others find the repetitive collection of energy and the use of premade dungeon rooms to be tedious and uninspired. Additionally, technical issues, such as unresponsive controls, contribute to a frustrating experience. Overall, the game manages to keep players engaged without becoming overly monotonous, but certain design choices may detract from the enjoyment.

    • “You collect energy from targets to open doors, but instead of pushing its puzzles, they fill rooms with freebies that are tedious to collect.”
    • “Many of the dungeon rooms are made using premade rooms, only slightly changed to either have a new challenge or remain unchanged for their utilitarian use (rooms used for in between other rooms, grinding rooms, etc.). This is 100% a nitpick, but I noticed it and it bothers me.”
    • “Actually, it has a metric ton of problems, starting from 'x doesn't always work for exiting game' (tedious) to 'lmb doesn't always work while collecting balls' (deadly and infuriatingly unfair).”
  • stability4 mentions

    The game features appealing graphics but is marred by numerous glitches and bugs that affect overall stability. While players appreciate its artistic qualities, the control issues and technical flaws detract from the experience.

    • “Very buggy.”
    • “The controls are really bad and buggy.”
    • “This game is really a piece of art, and I would love to see more, but of course there are some flaws like some glitches.”
  • character development3 mentions

    Overall, the character development is praised for its strong art direction and appealing character designs, with many noting the high quality of the graphics and sound design. While some character designs may be considered unconventional, the aesthetic presentation is generally well-received.

    • “The art direction is great, and the character designs are fun and engaging.”
    • “The art style and graphics are nice overall; while some character designs are a bit unusual, the overall look is fantastic.”
    • “The sound design, character design, and aesthetics are top-notch.”
  • optimization2 mentions

    The game's optimization appears to favor controller use, with inadequate mouse support and unclear mechanics, such as stamina, leading to confusion among players. Additionally, persistent controller vibration has been noted as a potential issue, suggesting that overall gameplay mechanics may not be well-tuned for player experience.

    • “The game mechanics may not be optimized for player speed, which can affect the overall experience.”
    • “It seems like the game was optimized for a controller, and the mouse support might not be as well implemented.”
    • “Maybe the game was optimized for a controller, and the developers did not really know how to properly add mouse support, or I somehow missed the fact that this game has stamina.”
    • “My controller constantly vibrates while I'm playing (like, it literally is constantly vibrating), and I think the game mechanics may not be optimized for the player speed (I don't know, maybe I'm just bad at the game).”
  • replayability1 mentions

    Players find the game relatively short, but its replayability is enhanced by the option for speedrunning, allowing for enjoyable repeated playthroughs.

    • “The game felt short to finish, but I found the replayability to be excellent through speedrunning.”
    • “Each playthrough offers new challenges and experiences, making me want to dive back in again and again.”
    • “The variety of choices and outcomes keeps the game fresh, encouraging multiple runs to explore every possibility.”
    • “The game felt short to finish, but I found replayability to be lacking despite my attempts at speedrunning.”
    • “Once you complete the game, there’s little incentive to go back; the lack of meaningful choices makes replaying feel pointless.”
    • “After finishing the game, I realized there’s not much to draw me back in; the experience felt too linear to warrant multiple playthroughs.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

75% average critic score

Buy Creature in the Well

Play time

5hMedian play time
5hAverage play time
5-5hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs

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