Downwell Guide - Tips and tricks for GunBoot initiates

Downwell is an awesome game and that's all down to a combination of the simple concept and extremely well-designed mechanics.

The thing is, it takes a good while before these mechanics sink in and you'll need to experiment with what's possible within the game's rules.

Well, 148Appsis here tohelp give you a kickstart. Here we'll guide you through the hidden mechanics and share tips to help you venture further down the well.

Wall jumping

Did you know you can wall jump in Downwell? It isn't really explained anywhere in the game, but if players have full ammo and bump up against a wall, they can hit the jump button again and the directional button away from the wall to spring up and out into the center of the well

The best part is, it doesn't use any of your GunBoot charge.

It's probably most useful in situations where players feel cornered or if they want to jump back up to a store or item cave.

Pick up every gun

If you come across a weapon that at first glance doesn't appear as good as the one you currently have equipped you should still definitely pick it up.

Why? Because weapon items bestow life or charge on players, which make significant long-term impacts on survivability.

This isn't the best call in every situation - particularly in the later worlds - but it's a sound strategy when starting out.

Master the combo system

If you can learn to link kills together without hitting platforms,you'll reap some massive combo benefits. Let's break it down:

• 8 kill combo: Grants players 100 gems
• 15 kill combo: Grants players 100 gems and a charge
• 25 kill combo: Grants players 100 gems, a charge, and one hit point

To help maintain combos, keep in mind that bullets (or "charges") reload when stomping enemies, so it's possible to get a huge kill streak by alternating between stomping and shooting enemies.

Also keep in mind that side caves and stores don't reset your combo, so feel free to visit them to stop time, regain your composure, and then resume your chain of chaos.

There's also a game mode called Levitate that lets you fall slower - it's a great place to practice your combos.

Get more life

Did you know you can earn additional hit point slots without buying curry from the store?

If you get health powerups when they are already fully healed, a white bar starts to fill up under the life bar. When it fills up, you'll automatically add one hit point to your life bar.

What's the best powerup?

The most useful powerup between levels is always dependent on what's available and what suits your playstyle.

That being said, the member's card is almost always an ideal pickup - especially if offered early on. Having the store available at the beginning of every stage is like getting a potential bonus powerup at the beginning of every level moving forward, provided you have enough gems to invest.

Choose a palette and stick to it!

Although it's tempting to try runs with every newly unlocked palette, the gameplay in Downwell is so frantic that we'd recommend you pick a single palette. That way you can so they can acclimatise to what everything looks like and react faster.

The best palettes are ones that clearly color code stompable vs. non-stompable enemies, like the default scheme or Pastel.

Have you got any Downwell tips we didn't cover here? Let us know in the comments below!