If you like your fairy tales a little dark and twisted, Well Dweller might be right up your alley. This metroidvania-style adventure follows an adorable little birdie named Glimmer, who is on a mission to save his family. After a crazed hunter snatches up his siblings, Glimmer sets out to rescue them and take on the wicked queen, who’s been hunting birds for their feathers to make a royal gown. It’s a pretty dark premise for a game with such cute characters, but that contrast is part of what makes it interesting.

The gameplay revolves around exploring a large, connected world, finding secrets, solving puzzles, and unlocking new abilities. As Glimmer gets stronger, new areas become available, giving you reasons to revisit places you’ve already explored. One thing that helps the game stand out is its movement mechanics, which put more emphasis on climbing than the double jumps you’ll find in plenty of other platformers. There’s a lot to discover, but the backtracking can get a little old when you’re trying to figure out where to go next. Sometimes you’ll find a path that looks promising only to discover you can’t do anything with it just yet. However, there are plenty of checkpoints, and eventually you will unlock a faster way to travel back and forth between areas.

Combat is fairly straightforward, with Glimmer using a matchstick to fight enemies and trinkets providing different upgrades. The bosses are a highlight, featuring some seriously bizarre creature designs that fit the game’s dark fairytale setting. You’ll also find storybook pages that reveal more about the world and its characters along the way. While there’s plenty to enjoy here, regular enemies don’t always offer much variety and some encounters can start feeling repetitive. There are also stealth and chase sequences that require good timing, which might test the patience of some players, but I enjoyed them. I think they added a nice little change of pace to the game; as per the “repetitive-ness” I mentioned above.

One of the first things that stands out about Well Dweller is its art style. The game has a hand crafted look, with spooky, detailed environments. Including cute little characters, that can turn downright horrifying when you get a closer look. There’s almost a Tim Burton-esque quality to some of the designs, with unusual creatures and a world that feels like something out of a twisted storybook. The bosses are especially memorable, and there’s a nice balance between the charming and the unsettling. It gives the game a personality of its own instead of making it feel like just another dark fantasy adventure.

I also really love the main protagonist Glimmer. A super-cute little bird who is stuck in a literal nightmare, trying to save their family. How could you not?

The music does a good job of setting the mood, too. The soundtrack fits the strangeness, and it helps make some of the more sinister areas feel even more unsettling. The story is told through Glimmer’s adventure and the smaller tales scattered throughout the kingdom, rather than relying on lots of dialogue. I like the idea of discovering more about the world as you explore it, although players looking for a big, character-driven story might want a little more depth. Thankfully, there are difficulty settings and assist options to help make things more manageable, which is nice when some of the game’s challenges get a little frustrating.

Overall, Well Dweller has a lot going for it. The exploration is engaging, the art style is awesome, and the combination of adorable characters and nightmarish creatures gives it a unique feel. The backtracking and occasional frustrating sequences keep it from being perfect, and the combat could use a little more variety, but there’s still plenty here for fans of creepy metroidvania games to enjoy. If you’re looking for a new adventure with a darker fairytale twist, Well Dweller is worth checking out.