I haven’t given up on demos just yet. It’s the end of the school year, and it’s quite hellish. Now that it is over, I am here to talk about one of my favorite demos from one of my favorite developers.

This week is the Well Dweller Demo.

Well Dweller is a metroidvania from Kyle Thompson and Top Hat Studios. The game is slated for release in 2026 on PC.

I am convinced that the more games that Kyle Thimpson creates, the darker in theme they will become. I only say his because I was not ready for Well Dweller‘s, at all. The kingdom has been taken over by a Queen who has it out for birds, so she decided to kill them all. You play as Glimmer, one of the last remaining birds in this world, who is on an adventure to save her family. Armed with a matchstick, it is up to Glimmer to find the queen and save her family and maybe even the kingdom.

Emphasis on the dark fantasy.

A lot of the characters the Glimmer meets in the demo are great, especially Glimmer’s siblings. Glimmer has to bring her siblings with her on this adventure, and their goofy, playful demeanor makes me forget about the extremely dark things happening in the background.

Well Dweller plays much like Crypt Custodian and Islets, so returning players will be at home. Glimmer has a matchstick tied to her health; the less health she has, the less damage and light it provides. Enemies hit really hard, so learning movesets, learning the slide, and such reward the player with progression and currency to buy stuff in the shop. At the end of the demo level, there is a glimpse into the boss fights that the game will have, and it was GREAT.

Trinkets make a return because they add so much to the gameplay. Glimmer has a certain number of slots to hold trinkets that can boost damage, health, and provide benefits in combat.

Glimmer can throw her matchstick to the platform off of it and use it to bat a fire bottle across the map. Platforming is a major part of Well Dweller, as the player uses the matchstick to navigate obstacles and solve puzzles.

Dark fantasy means that there are a lot of grim things going on, and the world Glimmer inhabits is GRIM, especially the boss enemies. Bloody and twisted creatures roam this world, and the backdrops provide a good amount of detail about the area that Glimmer is exploring, even if it is pretty terrifying sometimes. I like that frogs are back, and I really like that Glimmer’s family lives inside a human skull, very comforting.

Say whatever you want, but the Thompsons are good at making games/music. I will always be a fan of the Metroidvania genre if they keep making games. Glimmer and her family are cute; you want to play as this character and see them succeed. The world is, for sure, dark fantasy, and I dig it. The movement, combat, puzzles, and exploration are pretty good so far. I cannot wait for the full game!