Downward: Enhanced Edition is an updated version of a budget game from 2017 that came and went without any fanfare whatsoever. Upon checking out this new version of the game, I was hoping to uncover a hidden gem that I could then recommend to others. Unfortunately, what I found was something more akin to a polished turd.
Downward: Enhanced Edition is out now and is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X and Series S.
The story holding Downward: Enhanced Edition together is vague to say the least. You play as some guy who has to climb a bunch of poorly modelled ruins because a voice in your head told you to. The goal is to collect three crystals, which I only learned after following waypoints to find the first one. It almost feels as if the developers are trying to obfuscate the story because they know how weak it is.
I am not saying that every game released has to contain a story like The Last of Us. That being said, I do need more to keep me engaged that just the sole act of doing parkour; a novelty that wore off over a decade ago. Ereban: Shadow Legacy had a memorably striking visual flair to it, Mirror’s Edge had an intriguing futuristic plot of totalitarianism underpinning it, and Dying Light had the melee zombie action of Dead Island.
Downward: Enhanced Edition has nothing to it except from run-of-the-mill first person parkour gameplay that we’ve all seen a million times before at this point. Criminally, the parkour gameplay at the core of this experience doesn’t even feel all that great to play, so it isn’t as if the game can even be forgiven for lacking in other areas.
The jump button being set as R2 on PS5 as the default is unintuitive, and the slide function feels janky as hell, with no smooth transition being seen when moves are being linked together. Wall running is inconsistent and unreliable, working perfectly sometimes and not others, and fall damage feels far too generous, eliminating a lot of the risk that should be present.
What Else is There?
So, if the main crux of Downward: Enhanced Edition’s gameplay isn’t great and the story is virtually non-existent, then what else is there? The graphics are mediocre at best, the sound design is made up of obnoxious blips and generic stock sound effects, the musical score also has a royalty-free feel to it, and the voice acting leaves a lot to be desired.
The only component left to discuss is the combat, or should I say the lack thereof? Several stone golems will show up and slowly swing punches towards you that are easily avoidable. That being said, don’t make the same mistake I did and just assume that accessing the upgrade shrine will pause the game. The closest I ever came to death in combat was due to this specific aspect of poor game design, which says it all really.
That’s right, there is an arbitrary skill tree that XP points can be spent on, but the upgrades themselves are pretty naff and never had any real noticeable effect on gameplay. They felt tacked on at best given that every ‘combat’ encounter consisted of jumping away from the big slow fist of the golem and then looking at his back and tapping R1 when it turns from red to green.
Overall, Downward: Enhanced Edition is shovel-ware that does nothing new and feels dated due to the fact that it tries to capitalise on a trend that died off years ago. The game did run fine and it is available to purchase at a pretty low price, so it earns some point back there. That being said, there is just far too much else to play in 2024 for you to waste your time on this one.
Downward: Enhanced Edition – 3/10
