We Love It's Guide to…
Explore a dark fairy-tale kingdom as Glimmer, a matchstick-wielding bird searching for his kidnapped family and the wicked queen.
Released 22 Sep 2026
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Well Dweller is a dark fairy-tale metroidvania, full of charming characters living in a wretched kingdom. Play as Glimmer - a tiny bird armed with a matchstick - who must burn the wicked queen to save his family.
Developed by Kyle Thompson · Published by Kyle Thompson, Top Hat Studios, Inc., Doyoyo Games
Glimmer, a small bird armed with a matchstick, ventures through a ruined kingdom after his family is taken. He meets its animal inhabitants and sets out to find his siblings and confront the queen.
Explore connected regions, battle beasts and bosses, solve puzzles, and use Glimmer’s matchstick to fight, light dark places, and create springy footholds for platforming. New areas also introduce different traversal challenges.
As Glimmer gains abilities, previously unreachable routes open up across the map. Collect trinkets to upgrade and customize his abilities, and find storybook pages, secrets, and other collectibles along the way.
In the supplied reviews, players often praise the hand-drawn dark-fairy-tale atmosphere, charming characters, and smooth movement. The matchstick’s role in both combat and traversal stands out as a distinctive mechanic, while map tools and adjustable difficulty make exploration approachable for many reviewers. Some players, however, find the challenge and combat too light, the adventure short, or parts of the level design repetitive.
Deep within the forest, at the bottom of a well, lives the only creature brave enough to kill the queen...
WELL DWELLER is a dark fairy-tale metroidvania made by the creators of Crypt Custodian and Islets!
Play as Glimmer - a tiny bird armed with a matchstick- who must burn the wicked queen to save his family. Explore a dark fairy-tale landscape and befriend the charming characters who reside in the kingdom’s underbelly. Battle terrifying beasts and gain new abilities to expand your map. Solve puzzles, discover secrets, and unravel the mysteries that lie in this rotted kingdom.
Among the rotting ruins are a charming cast of characters just trying to get by. Go camping with Ilda, a tiny mouse who is on the run from the queens grasp. Explore an abandoned castle with Looter, a mysterious scavenger who searches the kingdom for the best wares to steal. And find and reunite with all of your sheltered siblings who were snatched up one night by a crazed hunter.
Light up your matchstick to illuminate the world and aid in combat. Collect trinkets to upgrade your abilities, and mix-and-match them to customize your game play. Solve puzzles, defeat vicious bosses, and forge your path to the queens quarters to save your family.
| Platforms | Windows |
|---|---|
| Achievements | 41 |
| Age ratings |
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| Controller support | PlayStation, Xbox |
| Controller required | No |
| Demo | View demo on Steam |
