GAME REVIEW – Wildwood Down (PC)

By Marty Mulrooney

Wildwood Down is an indie point-and-click adventure game created by Crashable Studios, a two-brother development team based in the United States (you can read AMO’s recent interview with studio co-owner Micah Orsie here). Inspired by a beach trip to Wildwood, New Jersey, the game stars their childhood friend Daniel, who has Down syndrome, a wonderful sense of humour and a love of video games – making him the perfect protagonist for this comedic feel-good murder mystery.

Wildwood Down may be an indie endeavour, but its audio-visual presentation is a real treat from the very first moment. Following a charming live-action introduction delivered by present-day Daniel, the opening in-engine cutscene shows a teenage Dan being driven to Wildwood Down, New Jersey, by his sister, Becca. Also joining them is their super-chill friend Dakota and Becca’s obnoxious boyfriend, Josh.

The voice acting is excellent across the board, and the graphics are certainly eye-catching – mixing a flat, 2D pixel-art aesthetic with a bright and colourful 3D world. Monkey Island meets PaRappa the Rapper might give you some idea of what to expect. These initial moments also do a good job of introducing the game’s simple one-click interface, complete with a traditional inventory that is accessed via the cardboard box icon in the bottom left corner.

Finally arriving safely at Wildwood Down, more or less, Dan and his travelling companions find Senior Week – a huge graduation party held on (and under) the boardwalk each year – in full swing. Dan’s first quest: buy coffee and doughnuts for the gang. The tongue-in-cheek tone is set when a cheeky seagull swoops down and steals his mom’s credit card just as he’s about to pay. Thankfully, there’s a nearby drinking contest where first prize is a slingshot…

The clever puzzles are highly reminiscent of LucasArts at their height, when they were churning out classic ’90s adventures such as Day of the Tentacle. There’s a little bit of Looney Tunes logic (and physics, for that matter, as Dan can take some real punishment and still walk away relatively unscathed), but for the most part, the puzzles are intuitive and make sense. Admittedly, getting stuck feels authentic, but thankfully, it only happened to me a handful of times.

The real adventure begins when Dan’s sister goes missing and night descends on the boardwalk. Rumours of a serial killer called the ‘Boardwalk Butcher’ only add to the sense of urgency, with Dan talking to everyone he can to ask them if they’ve seen Becca. This is where the game shines, as Dan’s dialogue has an ad-libbed quality that is both endearing and genuine. In particular, I loved his interactions with boardwalk vendor Miggy, a live-wire blonde who believes in him from the start and does everything she can to make sure he succeeds.

Dan’s conscience is voiced to great effect, serving as a narrator of sorts, and the regular back-and-forth banter as he talks to himself is consistently hilarious. This inner monologue also offers some much-needed guidance throughout the game, clarifying the player’s current objective. They say variety is the spice of life, and that’s certainly true here: before the credits roll, Dan will track down a suspicious DJ in a creepy mirror maze, break into an abandoned aquarium via the villain’s secret submarine and enter an underground wrestling competition.

Despite Dan’s circumstances during Senior Week being less than ideal, this really is a feel-good adventure – even when being chased around the top of a lighthouse by a serial killer during a thunderstorm. The majority of the soundtrack has a laid-back beach vibe that perfectly suits the game’s seaside setting, with some catchy jazz and rock thrown in for good measure. The presentation is excellent, with the pixel art only faltering during extreme close-ups – a small price to pay for the surprisingly cinematic cutscenes.

Some of the included mini-games might make purists baulk, but they’re well implemented and never overstay their welcome. I particularly enjoyed a sneaking section that gave a nod and a wink to the original Metal Gear Solid. The only real issue I faced was using an Xbox controller to play some of the games in the arcade (as I was streaming to my television using the Steam Link) – to beat them successfully, I ended up moving back across to the computer and using my mouse instead.

The wrestling section is also quite tricky, and I’m not sure how many of the matches I won through sheer perseverance mixed with a healthy dose of luck. However, the presentation of each fight was awesome, complete with epic finisher moves that reminded me of Final Fantasy VII. The in-game hint system didn’t always latch on to the specific puzzle I was stuck on, but thankfully, it was spot on during the wrestling matches.

I didn’t face a single bug either, which is more than can be said for a lot of the bigger-budget AAA games that have been released in 2025. And, despite the game having plenty of NPCs walking about and some spectacular lighting effects, the frame rate never falters. This is a seriously impressive release for a two-person team, and building the entire adventure around Dan was an inspired decision – he deserves to become a breakout star.

Wildwood Down is a fantastic point-and-click adventure that evokes the classics while still managing to forge its own unique identity. It never takes itself too seriously, but there are some surprisingly heartfelt moments sprinkled throughout the 10 or so hours it takes to complete. Dan really is the perfect protagonist for this comedic style of game, and his unwavering devotion to his sister and blossoming friendship with Miggy never failed to make me smile – even when I was scratching my head over some of the more challenging puzzles. If Crashable Studios ever decide to send Daniel on holiday again, my bags are already packed.

8.5 OUT OF 10