The Fall is a 2D sidescroller with light elements of puzzle and combat. You play as Arid, a combat suit tasked to protect the individual inside as they both fell from the sky into an abandoned facility. One of the most fascinating things about the game is how the game explores the relationship the suit or it’s AI has with it’s wearer (or pilot in this case). The game also explores what it means to be a machine and how much of a ‘machine’ they really are when they are gifted a degree of self-awareness only a living breathing individual might possess. Both Arid and the other AIs are constantly tasked to withhold their protocols while at the same time bending it if it means they are to achieve their goal, which for Arid — protecting her pilot at all cost. This forces Arid to intentionally put her pilot in danger only to open up certain protocols to better serve her pilot. I found this wrestle between being programmed for and self-awareness to change the programming parameters to meet her goals really fascinating.

The game is very atmospheric. The sound and visual art style are played to their strengths. The game does not use much color, however it uses the little color palette it is given to highlight the world to a maximum effect. Same goes with sound with only important audio cues related to gameplay are highlighted to give spatial awareness to the player.

The game has light puzzle elements which majority of the gameplay is comprised of. They aren’t very complicated, however often they are not very clear either and might induce a bit of trial and error when trying to solve them. There is a very basic layer of combat thrown in there and is one of the weakest parts of the gameplay. However there aren’t many instances of the combat to become cumbersome.

The biggest frustration came from the controls. The way you keep holding right analog to target and right shoulder button to enter inventory and finally press A to accept — all this just for using an item is incredibly frustrating. There are simply too many unnecessary steps for the player to do just about everything. Luckily the developers have acknowledged this issue and are working to resolve it for their next game.

So this sums up The Fall. A great sci-fi story wrapped around a game which took me by a surprise. While it is a shame the controls are very annoying, but it did not matter in the grander scheme of things. I am already looking forward to the sequel.

8/10 - Very Good

The Fall is a 2D sidescroller with light elements of puzzle and combat. You play as Arid, a combat suit tasked to protect the individual inside as they both fell from the sky into an abandoned facility. One of the most fascinating things about the game is how the game explores the relationship the suit or it’s AI has with it’s wearer (or pilot in this case). The game also explores what it means to be a machine and how much of a ‘machine’ they really are when they are gifted a degree of self-awareness only a living breathing individual might possess. Both Arid and the other AIs are constantly tasked to withhold their protocols while at the same time bending it if it means they are to achieve their goal, which for Arid — protecting her pilot at all cost. This forces Arid to intentionally put her pilot in danger only to open up certain protocols to better serve her pilot. I found this wrestle between being programmed for and self-awareness to change the programming parameters to meet her goals really fascinating. The game is very atmospheric. The sound and visual art style are played to their strengths. The game does not use much color, however it uses the little color palette it is given to highlight the world to a maximum effect. Same goes with sound with only important audio cues related to gameplay are highlighted to give spatial awareness to the player. The game has light puzzle elements which majority of the gameplay is comprised of. They aren’t very complicated, however often they are not very clear either and might induce a bit of trial and error when trying to solve them. There is a very basic layer of combat thrown in there and is one of the weakest parts of the gameplay. However there aren’t many instances of the combat to become cumbersome. The biggest frustration came from the controls. The way you keep holding right analog to target and right shoulder button to enter inventory and finally press A to accept — all this just for using an item is incredibly frustrating. There are simply too many unnecessary steps for the player to do just about everything. Luckily the developers have acknowledged this issue and are working to resolve it for their next game. So this sums up The Fall. A great sci-fi story wrapped around a game which took me by a surprise. While it is a shame the controls are very annoying, but it did not matter in the grander scheme of things. I am already looking forward to the sequel. 8/10 - Very Good