The final boss of Downwell (a game by Ojiro âMoppinâ Fumoto) is a creature in two parts. The bossâ lower half spits out enemies and projectiles and retreats when attacked, while the upper half slowly pushes toward the protagonist, forcing the player to keep moving and stay on the offensive to avoid being crushed. The clear division between the two parts makes it obvious that they operate independently and cuts out any mess that might clutter up the play area in the middle. Itâs arguably nonsensical, but it follows the Super Mario Bros school of design: Pretty much anything goes as long as it benefits the overall look and feel of the game.
All of its teeth make it clear that this boss is not to be touched (as if Downwellâs colour theming wasnât clear enough), but the arrangement of the teeth is interesting. The mouth on the lower part can open and close horizontally, but when itâs open the entire mouth resembles a lower jaw corresponding to the upper jaw above the player. The eye is video game shorthand for âweak pointâ, but it also gives some personality to what is otherwise just two blobs of meat with teeth.