Well Dweller Review

Well Dweller (Switch 2) Review

Doing the Metroidvania very well.

Why yes, another Metroidvania is gracing the Nintendo Switch 2. It’s been a pretty astonishing avalanche of high-quality titles in this genre over the last few years. Ever since Hollow Knight and the return of 2D Metroid, it’s been such a pleasure to see other developers reinterpret, add and challenge the conventions of the genre. Enter Well Dweller from Kyle Thompson Games, which is another fantastic game you should absolutely not overlook in 2026.

Well Dweller sees you playing as Glimmer, a bird that lives with their family in a small well. They may very well be the last bird family in the kingdom as the cruel queen has ordered all her hunters to capture the birds for their feathers to create a dress. But the family needs food, and the scraps from the hunters will have to do. Alas, misfortune arrives and Glimmer’s family is taken away. Armed with nothing but a large matchstick, Glimmer sets out to rescue their siblings and mother from the clutches of the queen.

At first I was sort of taken aback by Well Dweller, but not because of its world design; the presentation is immediately striking. It’s gorgeous, fairy-tale-like, and immediately distinguishes itself from similar titles. This is particularly true because the stories that are told are very dark and dour. The ravaged landscape and scattered groups of critters trying to survive are balanced by beautiful colors and distinctive regions. But what really struck me was the pacing. It felt slow and unwieldy. For a bird, glimmer feels sluggish and can’t fly or jump particularly far. It made the opening a bit rough to get through.

Sticking with it as I did, Well Dweller slowly unravels its clever iterations on the Metroidvania. That matchstick isn’t just a melee weapon. It can be shot at walls to create a little platform to increase your jump. But it can only be done when you’re stationary on solid ground. It makes traversal and platforming a lot more engaging, especially given that using your weapon to fight retrieves the matchstick from said wall. You can see how all these layers stack together to create some truly fun platforming challenges. That’s where the real strength of Well Dweller is hidden. The level design is simply superb. At first it may feel as if the map is incomprehensibly large and cumbersome to navigate, but the game flows so naturally that exploration, whether it is for straightforward progression or finding hidden collectibles, always comes naturally. You’re never needlessly prodding at walls to find obtuse ways to proceed. It made coming back to Well Dweller each night such fun.

Underneath the hood there are some careful considerations that aid its world design. First off are the trinkets. These little collectibles give minor perks to Glimmer. They start out small, like adding a burning effect to your throwable weapon or gaining more currency from defeated enemies. But the game only limits the number of trinkets you can equip by how many slots you have found in the world or bought from the shop. These slots are fairly cheap, meaning that you can slowly amass a true armory of trinkets with all their effects stacked. The game also allows you to fast travel to any save point at any time. Whenever you’re low on health or want to check out your new trinkets, you can do so right away and tend to lose only minimal progress. That may sound a bit like a letdown to hardcore fans, but I think it is exactly the thing I was missing from something like Silksong. It just makes exploration so much more fun. Add to that the third clever addition: the ability to purchase the location of secrets in the world at your save point. Even while these points are marked, you still need to often overcome a platforming or navigational challenge in reaching the secret. Best of all? These are all optional. If you want to play it as a true hardcore 2D action platformer, you definitely can.

There is also a stout challenge found in the boss battles. These frightening creatures, often husks of humans or bizarre transformations of critters, are an absolute highlight. Their attack patterns are clearly telegraphed and unlike many other games in this genre, touching a boss does not inflict damage. This means that the combat truly encourages you to get close and personal if you can manage to dodge their incoming attacks. Some aren’t even traditional bosses, but rather a series of escalating platforming challenges. The variety is amazing and they tend to feed back into the darker storytelling the game is going for.

Well Dweller doesn’t overplay its hand. It may seem incomprehensible at first glance, but through its thoughtful design, gorgeous artstyle and engaging combat it feels like another one of those must-play indie Metroidvanias. I have yet to play Crypt Custodian or Islets, but Kyle Thompson is now absolutely on my radar as a game designer. To me, this game is a surprise hidden gem. Everything fits together so well (pun intended). In a stacked year full of strong titles, this is another contender for my favorites of 2026.

Summary

Pros

• Gothic and dark presentation sells the fairy tale vibe that the game is going for.
• Strong design choices make Well Dweller a joy to experience from beginning to end.
• Thoughtful iterations on the Metroidvania that are a natural fit.

Cons

Worldwide Releases

Related Content

• Well Dweller [Switch]

Got a news tip? Send it in!
Advertisement
Advertisement