Downward: Enhanced Edition
LumiScore
Growth
48/100
Growth Value
- Spatial Awareness
- Hand-Eye Coordination
- Reaction Time
Risk
LOW
Engagement Patterns
Minimal pressure to spend or play excessively.
Heads up
Parent Pro-Tip
Set clear session boundaries using the checkpoint system
Top Skills Developed
Development Areas
Representation?How diverse the game's characters are in gender and ethnicity. Higher = more authentic representation. Display only — does not affect time recommendation.
Bechdel Test?The Bechdel Test checks whether a game has at least two named female characters who talk to each other about something other than a man. A simple measure of representation.— N/A — no named characters
First-person parkour game focused on solo exploration with minimal character interaction or dialogue
Parent Pro-Tip
While Downward has natural stopping points at checkpoints and between exploration sections, the engaging parkour gameplay and open-world mystery can make it easy to play 'just one more section.' Help your child identify good stopping points—like after completing a major area or defeating a guardian—and set a timer to prompt breaks. This builds healthy self-regulation skills around even low-risk games. Consider playing together initially to appreciate the impressive parkour mechanics and discuss the post-apocalyptic storytelling, which can prompt interesting conversations about environmental themes.
What your child develops
Downward excels as a first-person parkour platformer that heavily engages spatial awareness (5) and hand-eye coordination (5) as core mechanics. Players must constantly judge distances, angles, and timing while navigating medieval ruins through running, jumping, and climbing. The game provides strong problem-solving challenges (4) through environmental puzzles and navigation obstacles, complemented by adaptive challenge (4) as players master increasingly complex parkour sequences. Strategic thinking (3) comes into play when planning routes through open-world environments, while memory and attention (3) are required to remember paths and guardian patterns. The reaction-time demands (5) and fine motor precision (4) make this excellent for developing physical gaming skills. The post-apocalyptic mystery narrative encourages some critical thinking (3) about the game world, and learning transfer (3) occurs as parkour principles apply across different areas.
Regulatory Compliance
Tap a badge for details. Grey = not yet assessed.
About this game
Downward is a first-person open-world parkour based platform adventure set in the medieval ruins of a post-apocalyptic planet Earth. Make your way through breath-taking landscapes, face ancient guardians and unravel the deep mystery that lies behind the disappearance of humanity.