The Fall tells the story of Arid, an A.I. installed in a technologically-advanced combat spacesuit, as he navigates a decaying industrial facility in search of medical attention for its injured pilot. Players explore the world in The Fall through Metroidvania gameplay elements.
Pros:
+Unique side-scrolling elements that draw inspiration from the Metroidvania genre
+An intriguing story where you take on the role of A.R.I.D an artificial intelligence
+Extremely challenging, but creatively designed puzzle-based mechanics
Cons:
-Flashlight beams could use some improvement in future titles
-A.I. to magnifying systems need to be improved upon
After playing The Fall: Part 2 Unbound and doing a review for it earlier in February for PS4, I’ve always wanted to know how the first entry would play out and now I got my wish. Part 2: Unbound is a fun game and I recommend everyone play them both of them.
The game is a side-scroller and very different in you are very familiar with moving anywhere other than forward and backward. Every time I play the game, I think Clu is going to launch a programs war against me and I am a user fighting for my life. For those of you who understood that reference, I’m Proud of YOU, for everyone else, do us all a favor and take the easy way out and just go watch both Tron.
The game is very short, did not take long at all to beat just like its counterpart in Part 2: Unbound. The Fall is a clever action puzzled themed game that you must focus on solving each clue in order to get to the next level and beat the game.
The game focuses on saving a pilot who has fallen and crashed on this planet, thankfully the suit is equipped with an onboard computer, A.R.I.D., who is now tasked with the mission of leading the injured man to safety and get medical attention while doing so. The Fall gives you a strong 80s-90s computer styled video game with a sense of adventure and an army of Frankenstein robots without the mad doctor.
Throughout the game, you must find objects in order to save the pilot Joseph. For example, you find some specific tools to eventually fix a car. Where is this car going you might ask, I’m not telling, you will just have to equip your trusty flashlight and look out for those magnifying glass throughout the game. But because you’ll walk right past them so definitely keep your eyes peeled and the phone on silent.
For a nice big chunk of the game you are trapped and in order to reach the medical bay, you must do the household choirs. In my opinion, you must be the perfect household robot. You must examine each room, once you do that, you will need to comfort a crying baby, clean the bedroom and make a meal for this family. These people right, just think they are too good for all of this, just because you have a robot doesn’t mean… You know what, my apologies, I was forgetting how I would react if I had a robot living with me.
First thing I would do is turn off his emotions so I wouldn’t have to deal with an outburst like that from my robot. If thinking really isn’t a thing you enjoying doing then this game is not for you! This game requires you to use everything around you but you must know where to look and what to do once you get the required items. This game doesn’t offer a “Hand-Holding” feature, I actually like that because it forces you to actually think about everything. The Fall is really dark and if you and your handy dandy flashlight are looking at something else then you will miss it and be stuck for a bit.
The Fall – PC, PlayStation 4, Switch [Reviewed] and Xbox One
Developer: Over The Moon
Publisher: Over The Moon
Release Date: Now Available
Cost: $9.99
In the Fall, the flashlight is manual and you have to your gun at the same time, maneuvering can get a tab bit out of control sometimes but eventually, you will get the hang of it. Because I played Part 2: Unbound before Part 1, I had a unique gameplay experience. I wished they’d fixed the AI-to-Magnifying Glass feature.
If you blink and don’t see it you are confused and throw you off until you realize the mistake you made, hopefully, you notice it in a timely manner. This is still a problem. I hope they fix it for Part 3 – if there is a sequel to Part 2: Unbound – simply by making the flashlight rays bigger or adding a feature that will stop users when they are playing the game for them to notice each one, something along those lines. But overall a decent game and recommend players to play Part 2.
Our review is based on a retail version that was provided to us by the publisher of the game. For information about our ethics policy please click here.
Final Score: 6.5 out of 10
About the Writer:
Tyvon J. Hunter is the latest member of the crew. He brings to the table a unique take on video games and sports. He brings an unparalleled sense of inspiration through his sheer excitement to the team as well as those around him. Also, he likes to build theme parks and a lot of them in his spare time.