Downward is a first-person parkour adventure game that was originally released in 2017 by Caracal Games. Seven years later, the game returns in an Enhanced Edition that has improved graphics, new assets, general optimizations, a new ending, and a release on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. As a fan of Mirrors Edge, I was curious to play another movement-based game and while there are bursts of fun to be had, Downward is a hard game to recommend.
Set on a post-apocalyptic world, the story falls our protagonist on “humanity’s final adventure” as he investigates the three stray planets that mysteriously begin to orbit the Earth’s atmosphere. This involves using a handful of parkour techniques like jumping, double jumping, wall-running, and eventually, a grappling hook-like tether to traverse the open maps.
As I said at the top, moments where you can zone out and get lost in the movement are where the game shines. However, a mixture of bad writing (or translating), subpar line delivery, and temperamental gameplay mechanics that result in unfair deaths really muddle the whole experience. The game is short, taking about 5 hours to run through, and the late-game skyboxes are cool to look at. It’s just a matter of if you can stick with the game long enough to see it.
Watch the review discussion from our weekly podcast above to hear my full thoughts on Downward: Enhanced Edition. If you are in the mood for a parkour game and don’t care about the story or occasionally clipping through the map, then Downward is available now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam. Owners of the base edition of the game get the Enhanced Edition as a free upgrade. A review code was provided by the publisher.
