Parents' Guide to Creature in the Well

What would happen if you tossed together two-parts sci-fi dungeon crawler with one-part pinball machine, and topped it off with a bit of racquetball for flavor? As strange as that mix sounds, it's the best way to describe Creature in the Well. Far from a traditional dungeon crawler by any stretch, the game genuinely feels like it sticks you in some surreal labyrinth designed by someone that watched Star Wars one too many times with The Who's Tommy album playing in the background. It's a trippy experience unlike just about anything else, and yet somehow it works beautifully.

The game's visual style looks like someone breathed life into a comic book. Its combination of neon glow set against the depths of the abandoned subterranean facility strikes just the right balance of dungeon grunge and sci-fi sleek. Gameplay is deceptively simple to pick up and play, with responsive and fluid controls. But that doesn't mean the game is easy to play. Make no mistake about it -- to say Creature in the Well is tough is an understatement. The game's difficulty starts off easy enough, but quickly ramps up to almost frustrating proportions. Timing, aim, and even a little bit of luck all have to align just right to finish the adventure. But more important than all of these is the ability to think strategically, to figure out how and where to best place your shots. And though it's easy to want to give up on some of the harder parts of the game, that's usually right about the time you come up with the right solution and find yourself even more eager for the challenges ahead.