Down Ward

About

Down Ward is a single player action game. It was developed by Fisholith and was released on November 10, 2019. It received positive reviews from players.

"Down Ward" is a challenging retro-style platformer game. Traverse through different levels, each with unique traps and obstacles. Your goal is to reach the bottom of the ward, fighting bosses and unlocking new abilities along the way. With its old-school difficulty and pixel art aesthetic, "Down Ward" offers a satisfying and engaging experience for fans of the genre.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

+11

Skip User Reviews

89%

Audience ScoreBased on 53 reviews

graphics7 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

The game features a unique movement mechanic with flying and platforming that adds depth and challenge to the gameplay.
The pixel art style and atmospheric music create a captivating and immersive experience, enhancing the overall charm of the game.
It's a free game that showcases a lot of creativity and effort from the developer, making it a worthwhile experience for players.

The graphics can be difficult to see and may feel outdated, leading to frustration during gameplay.
The game lacks clear direction and progression indicators, which can make it feel tedious and directionless at times.
Some players find the controls to be awkward and the difficulty spikes to be frustrating, detracting from the overall enjoyment.

graphics
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
61%
16%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with some players finding the pixel art style charming and expressive, while others criticize the low resolution and monochromatic palette as difficult to appreciate, especially on larger screens. Many appreciate the creativity and atmosphere of the visuals, noting that they can enhance the gameplay experience, but there are significant concerns about the overall quality and clarity of the graphics. Despite the aesthetic appeal for some, the limitations in graphical fidelity have led to frustration among players who feel it detracts from the game.
- “I love the creativity of the art style, which attracted me to check this out along with the music that fits the atmosphere.”
- “The graphics are gorgeous, with a pixel art style that's expressive and easy to track while visually stunning, featuring sprites and landscapes that look just as good in stills or in motion.”
- “I dig the visuals, clearly made with love.”
- “I wish I could withstand the ugly graphics until I finish the game, but I failed.”
- “16-bit graphics is my minimum, but this is Game Boy level, which is a pain to look at on a big screen.”
- “I do not mind pixel graphics, but the extremely low resolution in combination with the monochrome makes it very hard to even distinguish the background from the foreground.”
music
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
40%
15%
The music in the game is generally praised for its creativity and ability to enhance the atmosphere, with many players enjoying the single looping track that is catchy and fitting for the gameplay. However, some users noted that the repetition of the same song across multiple levels can become monotonous over time, suggesting a desire for more variety in the soundtrack. Overall, the music contributes positively to the game's aesthetic, though additional tracks would improve the experience.
- “The music is wonderful and the single color world is beautiful.”
- “The aesthetic is gorgeous, the music and atmosphere very reminiscent of Ecco the Dolphin, and the mechanics work really well already.”
- “Fun chill game, with relaxing music.”
- “There is only a single music track used throughout all the levels, but it started to wear on me about 40 minutes in once I got to yet another massive area to wander, increasingly complex puzzles everywhere, with the exact same song playing the entire time I was playing.”
- “Aside from recycling the same song for multiple levels, it's a really solid game.”
- “The game could use more music.”
gameplay
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
58%
16%
The gameplay is characterized by innovative mechanics, particularly the unique flight and platforming systems that offer a fresh take on traditional controls. While the art style and music enhance the experience, many players find the gameplay becomes repetitive and lacks depth after initial exploration, with some expressing frustration over unclear tutorials and enemy respawns during puzzles. Overall, the game presents a mix of enjoyable mechanics and cozy ambiance, but risks losing player interest due to its repetitive nature.
- “The gameplay and art style, coupled with the music, are actually great.”
- “It's a good-looking and pretty challenging puzzle platformer with very innovative movement mechanics.”
- “It's really fun to explore the strange surroundings, with every level adding a new mechanic or challenge.”
- “The mechanics were fine, but I dislike when these kinds of games love to respawn already defeated enemies while we are trying to solve a puzzle.”
- “Unfortunately, the game wears out its welcome after just a couple of levels due to the repetition of both gameplay (find feathers, bring them to a totem) and environmental design.”
- “My main critique is simply that the gameplay is not very interesting, sadly.”
atmosphere
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its beautiful art style and calming soundtrack, creating an immersive experience that draws players in. Many reviewers highlight the aesthetic appeal and the fitting music, which enhances the overall ambiance, making it reminiscent of classic titles like Ecco the Dolphin and Celeste. However, some players feel that the endless nature of the game can detract from the satisfaction of the experience.
- “I love the creativity of the art style, which attracts me to check this out, along with the music that fits the atmosphere.”
- “The aesthetic is gorgeous, the music and atmosphere are very reminiscent of Ecco the Dolphin, and the mechanics work really well already.”
- “Again, this is a wonderful game to check out for its atmosphere, art, and music!”
- “The game simply seems to go on forever, and although there's something to be said for the atmosphere that that provides, it isn't very satisfying.”
- “The later stages become true practice in patience and are reminiscent of Celeste, but I prefer the aesthetic and atmosphere here much more.”
story
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
75%
The story follows Gable, a little owl on a quest to collect magical glowing feathers in a ruined land, aiming to restore relics and progress to a tower for the next adventure. However, reviewers note a lack of depth in the narrative, with minimal story explanations and no level organization, suggesting that additional variety in locations and tasks could enhance the overall experience.
- “Downward is a pixel action/puzzle/exploration game about an owl on a quest to gather all the magic glowing feathers in each level, then take them to the tower/beacon that will whisk her off to the next.”
- “Add to it some story or more variety to locations and/or tasks to do on your platforms, and you have a solid product worth selling to a general audience.”
- “Add more story or variety to locations and tasks on your platforms. Also, do away with one-hit instakill spikes everywhere that send you back to the start of the level - that is annoying.”
- “There are no level numbers, level select, or story explanations.”
- “The story centers around a little owl named Gable who ventures into a ruined land to rekindle relics.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, often detracting from the overall enjoyment. While some appreciate the challenge, it can lead to a loss of interest, especially when it interrupts more engaging gameplay elements like platforming.
- “I like it, although in my opinion, the game becomes more tedious and frustrating than fun.”
- “The platforming is far more interesting than the puzzles to me, so when that got slowed to a grinding halt, I lost interest instantly.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Users report experiencing some stuttering during gameplay, indicating that the optimization may not be fully refined.
- “I experience frequent stuttering during gameplay.”
- “The game suffers from significant performance issues.”
- “Optimization is lacking, leading to frustrating lag spikes.”