The Bottom of the Well

About

In The Bottom of the Well, you play as Alice who has just had an unsettingly life-like dream about the end of the world. She retells her experience to her friend in a huge, branching narrative. Although a single play-through might take as little as 20 minutes, experiencing all the possible paths Alice can take through the ruins of her city will take you many hours.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

86%

Audience ScoreBased on 434 reviews

story84 positive mentions

stability5 negative mentions

Engaging and well-written narrative that explores the themes of survival and human nature in a post-apocalyptic setting.
Multiple branching paths and endings encourage replayability, rewarding players for exploring different choices.
Atmospheric music and minimalist art style enhance the immersive experience of the game.

The game can feel repetitive due to the need for multiple playthroughs to achieve different endings, which may frustrate some players.
The skip function can unintentionally skip important text, leading to confusion about choices and outcomes.
Some players may find the lack of a save feature and the need to restart after dying to be tedious.

story
236 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
62%
2%
The game's story is a compelling blend of visual novel and interactive decision-making, featuring a personal narrative centered around Alice's dream of surviving a nuclear apocalypse. Players appreciate the depth and emotional weight of the writing, as well as the branching paths that lead to multiple endings, enhancing replayability. While some critiques mention a lack of depth and occasional confusion, the overall consensus highlights the engaging atmosphere, strong character customization, and the effective use of music to complement the storytelling.
- “The story feels personal.”
- “A fascinating and immersive story, totally worth playing since it's free anyway.”
- “The story is well written and worth replaying, although there are negatives.”
- “Overall, it's a story-driven game mainly told in writing form, with no voice acting or anything of the sort.”
- “The story is well presented, but lacks depth and is short, which is to be expected from a free version.”
- “The story is presented as someone retelling a dream they had to another person, so any tension or sense of urgency that might have existed from your choices aren't there.”
music
61 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
57%
5%
The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric quality, effectively enhancing the emotional weight of the story and creating a haunting ambiance. While many players appreciate the minimalistic piano tracks that complement the narrative, some note that the limited variety can become repetitive over time. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a strong point, contributing significantly to the game's immersive experience.
- “The music isn’t just background noise; it carries the emotional weight of the story.”
- “The atmosphere, the piano music, and the existential questions it raises all make it memorable.”
- “Monochromatic drawings combined with haunting, sparse music create a melancholic vibe which corresponds well with the story.”
- “The music is decent, all piano, but there's very few songs and it can get irritating after a while, especially after multiple playthroughs.”
- “The music is pretty repetitive but more atmospheric than annoying.”
- “The game only features about two songs in its soundtrack, but this is natural for the game's length, size, and price (free!).”
graphics
59 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
63%
5%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a minimalist yet striking art style, primarily utilizing a black, white, and red color palette that effectively complements its post-apocalyptic theme. While some players appreciate the unique aesthetic and find it fitting for the narrative, others note the simplicity and limited number of visuals, suggesting that the artwork, though appealing, could benefit from more variety. Overall, the graphics serve the storytelling well, enhancing the immersive experience despite their basic execution.
- “The art style has a very unique theme; the characters all feel very real, especially Alice and the Mad Hatter.”
- “The graphics in the game are very stylized, opting for a black, white, and occasional red motif.”
- “The graphics are rather simple but not distracting at all and in fact lend to the gritty atmosphere that Alice portrays as she tells her dream story.”
- “The graphics are minimal, audio is one sound looping over and over, and a playthrough only lasts about 20 minutes.”
- “There's no flashy graphics, no complicated key combinations; the action is delivered as a narrative, only you decide from a list of options what our heroine (Alice) does next.”
- “I would've liked some extra visuals when the scene changes, just a little beauty for the eye.”
atmosphere
41 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
59%
34%
7%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its depth and effectiveness, enhanced by a haunting soundtrack and strong narrative elements. Reviewers highlight the combination of introspective writing, eerie visuals, and immersive sound design, creating a memorable experience that captivates players. Despite some gameplay flaws, the overall ambiance and storytelling are noted as standout features, making it a compelling choice for fans of atmospheric visual novels.
- “The atmosphere, the piano music, and the existential questions it raises all make it memorable.”
- “The story, the art, the writing, the atmosphere: all of it just works.”
- “The bottom of the well does a great job setting up atmosphere despite its limited tools; the tone of the writing, the music, the art - it's all admirably done.”
- “The sureal atmosphere is thick in a way that's hard to describe precisely, but which should grip you throughout many frustrating dead ends this game has to offer.”
- “There's also pleasant minor piano music in the background, finishing off a pessimistic atmosphere.”
- “Many ways to end the story, very creepy atmosphere.”
gameplay
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
73%
9%
The gameplay of this visual novel is characterized by branching choices and character customization, offering a mix of interactive storytelling and decision-making mechanics. While some players appreciate the intriguing narrative and unique mechanics, others criticize the slow pace, unclear mechanics, and occasional poor writing. Overall, it provides a free, engaging experience for those who enjoy narrative-driven games, despite some frustrations with its execution.
- “A well-written visual novel with some gameplay elements, like customizing your character and your beginning loadout, to survive the impending nuclear attack.”
- “The gameplay revolves around branching choices.”
- “The music was calming, the artwork was appealing, and the gameplay was fun.”
- “As a visual/interactive novel, this doesn't feature any notable gameplay; it's just a lot of clicking through badly written dialogue that would never have been accepted or published in print, which poses the question, 'how did something this badly written end up on Steam?'”
- “The gameplay is soooooooooooooooooooooooo slooooooooooooooooooooooooow.... gave up after 10 minutes :(”
- “3) The inventory system - I felt like this added extra complexity that made it much harder to explore all the possible paths in the game, which led to excess repetition in gameplay.”
replayability
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
50%
17%
The game offers significant replayability, with players noting the ability to explore multiple endings and make varied choices that enhance the experience. Despite its short length, many found it engaging enough to warrant several playthroughs, especially given its free access. Overall, the combination of an interesting story and diverse decision-making paths contributes to its high replay value.
- “Overall, I love the story concept and the depth of replay value they were going for.”
- “However, it does have a lot of replay value as you can keep getting different endings, and the story that you're playing is interesting.”
- “While each individual playthrough is pretty short, there is tons of replayability based on the different decisions you make.”
- “However, it does have a lot of replay value as you can keep getting different endings, and the story that you're playing is interesting - playing your way through doesn't really take long though.”
- “I only did a single playthrough of this game, but trust me this has replay value as you can achieve different endings.”
- “'The Bottom of the Well' is a well-designed game from how the music creates tension to the narrative design on how unique its multiple storylines are, each ending different from the last, making replayability more worthwhile as you come closer to the understanding of characters and why everything is there.”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
83%
Overall, the game's stability is marred by a number of bugs, particularly in the menu and inventory systems, which can detract from the experience. While the story remains mostly consistent and bug-free, the user interface is described as extremely buggy, impacting gameplay. Improvements in these areas could enhance the overall experience significantly.
- “The story is generally consistent and bug-free.”
- “The game runs smoothly without any crashes or major glitches.”
- “I appreciate how stable the gameplay is; it allows me to fully immerse myself in the experience.”
- “The game is buggy, at least when it comes down to the inventory system.”
- “The extremely buggy UI got me out of the experience several times.”
- “At least as of right now, however, the game portion is moderately buggy.”
grinding
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
80%
Users find the grinding aspect of visual novels and e-books to be tedious, as it often requires repetitive clicking to progress through text and scenes. Fully exploring different story branches can lead to frustration, as players must revisit prior scenes multiple times to uncover all outcomes, often necessitating the use of walkthroughs to avoid excessive repetition. Overall, the experience can feel laborious and lacking in clear guidance.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Visual novels/e-books are tedious at best... imagine the best novel you ever read, but then translate that to a format where the words dribble out and you have to click your mouse every time you want to read the next sentence, instead of just turning the pages.”
- “Finishing can be quite tedious.”
- “Fully exploring branches can get a bit tedious, as you'll need to skip through the same prior scenes every time just to see how one decision may change an outcome. A few of the scenes required to legitimately reach the true ending of the game require some very specific builds and decisions. You'll likely be searching for a walkthrough to avoid sitting through the same scenes too many times, particularly since these vital scenes are not hinted at or signposted in any real way.”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by self-aware dialogue, funny achievements, and engaging references, particularly to Mad Max, which many players found amusing. However, some critiques highlight a disconnect between the comedic elements and the darker themes of the story, leading to a perception that the humor can sometimes feel distasteful in the context of more serious scenarios. Overall, while the humor is appreciated by many, it may not resonate with all players due to its juxtaposition with the game's heavier themes.
- “Some funny achievements, and they had me at the references to Mad Max.”
- “The gameplay is simple, but the game itself is also self-aware at times, which is kind of funny.”
- “The story is engaging, the dialogues are funny (do forgive the occasional typo; there aren't too many of those, promise!) and the music is a bonus.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is significantly enhanced by its impactful music, which complements the heartfelt storytelling and vivid descriptions of a chaotic world. Players report feeling deeply immersed in the narrative, with some moments of loss resonating profoundly. Overall, it effectively evokes strong emotions, making the experience feel personal and engaging.
- “The music isn’t just background noise; it carries the emotional weight of the story.”
- “Descriptions of a world gone mad are efficient and heartfelt; some of the deaths are incredibly dire.”
- “I love all choose-your-own-adventure games, but this one made me feel like I was truly in it.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The game is widely criticized for its poor optimization, with users reporting significant performance issues and suggesting that something may be fundamentally wrong with the executable file. Overall, it receives a low rating for optimization.
- “The game’s poorly optimized.”
- “The ugly - so poorly optimized (or something odd is going on with this .exe).”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The game is praised for its complete lack of monetization, offering a fully free experience without any microtransactions or paywalls, which enhances the overall enjoyment for players.
- “Thumbs up for the literal effort to make this darkest of the dark horror fantasy (I don't like horror at all) and for the 'Sin City' frame for the graphic novel. I especially appreciate the fact that the game is totally free without the lure of microtransactions or paywall setbacks during gameplay.”
- “Don't worry, there are no in-game purchases, microtransactions, or anything.”
- “The game is totally free without the lure of microtransactions or paywall setbacks during gameplay.”
- “Don't worry, there are no in-game purchases or microtransactions or anything.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Reviewers appreciate the character designs, highlighting them as a strong point in the game's overall character development.
- “The character development is incredibly rich and immersive, making each character feel unique and relatable.”
- “I appreciate how the characters evolve throughout the story, showcasing their growth and struggles.”
- “The depth of the characters' backstories adds layers to the gameplay, making every decision feel impactful.”

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