Hell Well | PS5 Review

From shmups to weed smoking aliens in buzzsaw UFOs Panda Indie Studio's journey of indie innovation seems to know no bounds. In fact they've now gone off the deep end into satanic territory with a roguelike tower defense game called, "Hell Well". 

In Hell Well the player controls a satanic priest with a grimoire that can summon demons for defense at the expense of gathered angel's souls. Seems the angels have caught on to this priest's antics, and are in hot pursuit sending their own army to combat the growing demonic threat. As the priest your goal is simple. Survive waves of pursuing angels while reaping their souls, and summoning demons to continue your rampage until you topple the hierarchy and the boss angel at the end of a run.

Set on a squared arena with obstacles, a chest for random priest upgrades, and markers for placing summoned demons your priest will go about defending himself as he faces the legions of angels in hot pursuit. At your disposal is a fireball spell on cooldown, a limited bomb option for explosive damage, and demons which act as tower defense when you're in range that cost angel souls to summon and to upgrade. 

Demons, in particular have varied costs depending upon strength and can be obtained from the chest altar via the upgrade option for angel souls. The demons like the priest ability upgrades are randomly offered always leaving an open option to sacrifice that upgrade for bonus souls. 

Whichever way you choose to go about it spells, and demons are a must is surviving the several waves of angels in each run. Upgrading summoned demon's health and levels will help increase their survivability in the fight. Also upgrading the priest with additional powers and spells will help to this end. 

Success for efforts rendered pays out in new features, boss unlocks, and color palette alternatives that can be toggled at the main menu hub. You'll find things like blood moon mode thrown in for extra measure. The added fact that each playthrough itself is randomly generated furthers replay value, and helps the game live up to it's roguelike roots. 

The Verdict ...

For what it's worth Panda Indie Studio definitely put in the effort to offer something other than a cookie cutter experience. There's nothing really copycat about this game despite it's genre usage. The theme is also unique, and the pixel art equally as so. The only thing I can think of that might be a downside to some players is that Hell Well deals in satanic themes. This includes images of baphomet. If that bothers you this indie is most likely not something you'd enjoy. If you don't mind that then it's solid gameplay-wise, and really showcases the developers' creative side.