Creature in the Well takes us deep into decaying mechanical facilities, restoring power with some deadly pinball play, in this week’s IGP First Look.
A robot awakens in a whirling sandstorm, finding shelter within a nearby cave. That shelter doesn’t turn out to be much comfort when a giant skeleton hand reaches up out of the darkness, a pair of eyes peering up from the murk. This creature babbles about some things you won’t quite understand for a while, then leaves you to find more fun than you;d ever expect to find in some old ruins.
Pinball. Yeah, these broken-down machines and doorways are powered by your skill with the silver ball. The various areas of Creature in the Well are filled with a variety of bumpers and mechanisms, all of which get powered up by your ability to send energy balls hurtling into them. This might sound easy, as a living, mobile flipper should make for some easy pinball. It’s not long before the game forces you to hit balls at specific angles, counter laser fire, and avoid dangerous blasts as you keep that ball bouncing.
Within minutes, the game starts throwing clever, puzzling environments at you that’ll test your aim and bouncing skills, constantly giving you rooms with intriguing new setups. Even for the pure thrill of watching the ball bounce around as you rack up power points, it’s quite fun and compelling. With its hint of a deeper, possibly unsettling story, the odd beauty of the sandstorm-wracked wasteland, and the delightful pinball play, it seems like this one’s going to be well worth spending some time with.
If only I could figure out the healing…
Creature in the Well is available now on the Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Steam.
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