(Review) Downward

The Short Version:

Considering the team behind it consists only of three people, Downward is worth its praise. It has some of the best parkour mechanics I have ever seen in a game, packed with some unusually captivating levels to run, jump, and slide through.

Sadly, other areas didn’t receive this same level of attention. A weak story that feels unfinished, along with dull characters, doesn't provide this game any favours. If it’s the parkour you’re after, you’ll likely enjoy this. However, if you’re also looking for a good story, you’re going to be disappointed.

Pros:

-Entertaining parkour mechanics

-Remarkable visual design

-Densely packed and detailed maps

-Decent amount of side content

Cons:

-Tedious combat that feels bare-bones

-Forgettable story with a lacklustre conclusion

-Underdeveloped characters

-Can be difficult to navigate

My Rating: 6.5/10 - Average

Saving the World is Pretty Forgettable...

Downward is a first-person, semi-open-world parkour game, complete with both sci-fi and fantasy themes. Set in a post-apocalyptic future, you explore through the hostile ruins of a forgotten civilisation in search of answers while using your athletic prowess to survive.

Earth has changed, both in its appearance and hospitality. Confrontational creatures are only some of the remnants of this fallen society and will not hesitate to cause you harm should you get too close.

As for the landscape, it is virtually unrecognisable to the planet we live on today. Floating rocks and foundations combined with steep and jagged mountainscapes result in a world that looks surreal and unique. This is made even more bizarre by the three orbiting planets that have a direct influence on how the land is formed.

The bizzare, almost dreamlike appearance the levels make traversing them equally as captivating.

That last part is what the base of the story revolves around, as you slowly learn about the impacts these worlds impose. The game starts with you waking up in the middle of nowhere to a voice in your head. You, as the player, have no idea why and how you’re there, so you just do what the voice tells you.

Your character doesn’t have a name, but what he does have is a sense of humour. Trying to desperately stay alive after being thrown into a confusing survival situation seems quite amusing to him. Why he’s there in the first place is never explained. What you do know is that those planets have something to do with why everything is the way it is. With this in mind, your goal is to… fix the world?

Here is where I have criticisms. The narrative is poorly communicated and underdeveloped. I was confused as to what I was doing. It felt like I was ticking off a checklist rather than partaking in any meaningful actions. The characters aren’t believable or fleshed out, as they don’t seem to have any obvious motivations for what they’re doing, and the dialogue is too drawn out in some scenes.

Yes, this is a walking, talking, giant lava turtle. I'm not entirely sure what to say either. Charming lady. That's basically all I know about her.

To make things worse, the story lacks a proper conclusion. After a relatively quick boss fight, you do a thing, and it ends without any real explanation of what said thing entailed. I was left puzzled and unsatisfied as the credits rolled.

Now this is Parkour!

If there is one area that excels in Downward, it’s the parkour mechanics. The system is intuitive and smooth while also being able to pose a challenge to those willing to take the next step. The pace you go at is up to you, but in my experience, the faster I went, the more entertainment I got out of it.

To spice things up as you progress, you will unlock new abilities. One of these is known as “The Mark”, which serves as a portable checkpoint. While it does have limited uses, it can’t be understated how valuable this feature is. Make it to the top of a high vantage point, but fall on the final jump? Just use The Mark. No need to smash your keyboard.

Other abilities include a double jump, wall running, a magical grappling hook and a platform creator. All of these add a broad amount of variation to the gameplay that makes it continuously feel refreshing.

Climbable objects are easy to spot, but blend into the environment around them almost seamlessly, providing an immersive experience.

To top it off, there's a skill system that allows you to purchase upgrades ranging from personal bonuses such as increased health, to parkour-related perks to improve your effectiveness at traversing the maps. These skills can be purchased using skypieces, an in-game currency that’s scattered throughout each environment.

The only area that lets the gameplay down is the combat. While far from being an action game, it does contain foes that have to be dealt with using unorthodox means. What this amounts to is dashing from side to side, running around in circles right until the point where the enemy is vulnerable. While in this state, you click on them a few times, and boom, they’re dead. That’s it. Needless to say, this becomes very repetitive and tiresome the more you do it.

Oh no! A big scary enemy is charging towards me. Better make him dizzy and spin around him until he gives up and longs for death!

Lands to Explore, History to Uncover...

Although the game is short, there is a lot to see and discover, and not just for the purposes of sightseeing. There are benefits for players who are willing to explore all four of Downward’s distinct and unusually attractive locations. Whether it’s a frozen wasteland dotted with floating islands that are connected by chains or a tropical, desert oasis filled with ruins, there are secrets to be found all over.

These levels are made even more alluring when you take the “planet switching” mechanic into consideration. Each map contains a device that allows you to control the orbit of the three planets. Depending on which planet you select, different paths will be open to you that would otherwise be hidden.

But what is there to find? Quite a lot. The further you delve, the more you will come across various historical artifacts which provide a minimal but decent amount of worldbuilding. You can also sell these at the shop for skypieces to unlock more skills. Any other kind of relic you find will be connected to one of two side quests.

As well as purchasing new skills, you can also customise the apperance of the shop to make it look nicer. Why do this? Well... why not?

Some locations however, can be a pain to navigate. Paths can be way too obscure or downright tedious to follow. The challenge is understandable, but when you have to put in so much effort just to arrive at a small cluster of skypieces, it doesn’t make the process of getting there feel worthwhile. Having a mini-map showing points of interest would’ve been a welcome feature, but instead you are given a compass that's too vague. Aside from that, I enjoyed the levels considerably.

Should you complete the game before finding everything, you are given the option to load an autosave that’s placed just before the final mission, giving you an opportunity to experience everything else it has to offer.

Since it’s very likely that you’ll not have found everything or completed the side missions before finishing the last mission, this can be considered as post-game content. It may be basic as you are just collecting things, but if you’re enjoying the parkour and the exploration, then these activities will keep you invested for at least a few hours afterwards.

Those who are willing to spend time exploring every nook and cranny of each map will be rewarded quite handsomely, assuming you're patient enough..

This level of depth, combined with some remarkable graphics and a high level of attention to detail, make traversing through Downward feel more like a journey, as opposed to a chore. If the story held up, I would call this a gem, but as it stands, I’ll just say that it’s an average game that’s fun to play.

Technical Details:

My PC Specs:

Operating System: Windows 10

Processor (CPU): Intel Core i7-6700k

Graphics Card (GPU): Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070

Memory (RAM): 16GB

Performance: Consistent 60FPS from start to finish, with no noticeable stutters. Brilliant optimization here!