Downward: Enhanced Edition is a first-person action platformer that places players in a post-apocalyptic world where three stray planets orbit Earth and have triggered widespread catastrophe. The core experience revolves around parkour traversal across ruined landscapes filled with remnants of past civilizations, combined with light exploration and ability upgrades to uncover the reasons behind humanity's downfall.
Gameplay
The gameplay centers on fluid first-person movement through open environments. Players run, jump, slide, climb ledges, and wall-run to navigate vertical and horizontal challenges in areas ranging from icy caverns to lava-filled zones and ancient temples. A recall ability lets players mark a spot and return to it instantly, which helps recover from missteps during complex sequences. Additional powers unlock over time, including double jumps from floating rings, a grapple that tethers to specific points, and the creation of temporary platforms. These tools combine with basic parkour to reach higher ledges, cross gaps, and access hidden paths.
Progression involves collecting orbs scattered throughout the world to upgrade character stats such as health, defense, and orb-gathering efficiency. Ancient guardians appear as obstacles rather than traditional enemies; players must dodge their attacks until weak points glow, then collect power cores to disable them. Exploration rewards players with artifacts and treasures that contribute to the narrative branches. The world features a central hub connected to distinct regions, encouraging players to backtrack and discover secret areas once new abilities become available.
Game Modes
Downward: Enhanced Edition operates entirely as a single-player experience with no multiplayer components. The main loop focuses on story-driven exploration across an interconnected open world, where objectives guide players toward key relics while optional paths lead to collectibles and upgrades. Time trial challenges appear in select floating arenas, offering extra orbs for beating set completion times and providing practice for core movement mechanics. These optional activities integrate directly into the single-player structure without separate modes or lobbies.
Story and Exploration
The narrative follows an amnesiac protagonist guided by a mysterious voice, tasked with retrieving three powerful relics to address the planetary alignment crisis. Story details emerge through environmental storytelling and scattered collectibles rather than lengthy cutscenes. Player choices in exploration paths, collected items, and areas visited influence the ending, creating replay value for those who want to uncover different outcomes. The setting blends post-apocalyptic ruins with fantastical elements, featuring diverse biomes that reward thorough searching with useful items and hidden treasures.
Enhanced Edition Updates
This version includes visual improvements, additional assets, reduced loading times on PS5 hardware, and alternate endings compared to the original release. Haptic feedback on the DualSense controller enhances the feel of movement and interactions. The experience remains concise, typically lasting a few hours for the main path with additional time spent on full exploration and challenges.
Is It Worth Playing?
Downward: Enhanced Edition suits players who enjoy precise first-person movement and open-world discovery in the style of parkour-focused adventures. The satisfying traversal and sense of uncovering secrets stand out during well-flowing sections, while the upgrade system and optional time trials add light progression and replay incentives. Reception highlights strengths in atmosphere and movement variety alongside occasional inconsistencies in platforming precision and a lightweight story. Those seeking a short, focused single-player journey on PS5 with emphasis on exploration over combat will find the most value here, particularly if they appreciate discovering multiple endings through different approaches to the world.
