The Fall is the first part of a trilogy from Over The Moon studios. The First part covers the theme of A.I. Identity and explores the many takes on Artificial Intelligence. The fall looks nice, has great puzzles and an amazing plot. The themes the game tackles are done on such a expertly crafted level it’s  astounding how well it’s done. It’s done with such care and passion it’s commendable. However it’s not all amazing as some of the elements in the game hold it from perfection.

I am the A.R.I.D. onboard a mark-7 combat suit. My intentions are peaceful.

The Fall follows a A.I. aboard a combat suit which crashed on a deserted planet. It’s such a simple but  good concept which make you wonder why this hasn’t been done before. The pilot is unconscious from the crash and the A.I. takes over the suit in order to ensure the pilot’s safety and get him the required medical treatment. The A.I. named A.R.I.D. is the focus of the story and the only interaction A.R.I.D. has with other people are other A.I.’s. Since all human beings are inexplicably murdered. This gives the game a cold and slightly unsettling feeling as all dialogue and interaction is between non-living being who’s only purpose for interaction is mainly focused on the objective which they are programmed for.

In that sense all conversations in the game don’t actually happen. However that isn’t to say that the dialogue isn’t interesting. The dialogue is written excellently and intelligently. Conversations feel more like interrogations from both side, with either side supplying the other with the exact information and details. But in almost every conversation you can hear a certain sense of hostility and dread which comes from the expert voice acting in the game. A.R.I.D. while robotic and calculated in her speech still make it sound like there is some emotion behind every word she says. As A.R.I.D. tries to save her pilot she shows more and more signs of independence from her own protocols. One of the other A.I.s only known as the system administrator acted somewhat like a conscience and guiding hand for A.R.I.D.. He sound more human and compassionate than A.R.I.D.. Then there is the caretaker which seems to work only based on protocol and relies a bit too much on it. He’s creepy, dangerous and solely reliant on his programming. A.R.I.D. seems to fall between the two and it feels like a power-struggle between Human-like emotion and calculated programming. This makes the plot of The Fall incredibly interesting. It asks these questions in a relatively subtle way while still being the main focus of the plot. The ending is a pretty good  twist but ends on an extreme cliffhanger that while excellently done still is a cliff hanger for the sequels which leaves the game feeling like it got cut short too soon. The story in The Fall is amazing but what about the gameplay does it match the expertly crafted story or does it fall flat?

You are faulty.

The gameplay of The Fall is mainly puzzle based. You go around investigating stuff and collecting items to use elsewhere. These puzzles are fairly hard and sometimes feels very convoluted. However the difficulty won’t be enough to keep players from seeing more of the game. And while some puzzles are rather convoluted A.R.I.D. provides enough hints to solve most of them. Every puzzle also feels like it’s making sure the player has a more out of the box mindset. The puzzles are great but on top of the puzzles there is also combat. Combat feels arbitrary in a game like The Fall considering its theme and setting. With the combat feeling as an unnecessary addition it still functions well. Combat is all about going into cover and shooting the enemy when they expose themself from cover. While it looks intense and exhilarating the actual flow of combat is as simple as following a pattern of hiding, waiting and shooting when the enemy is done shooting. There is no real tough or strategy to the combat as it just boils down to a waiting game. While The Fall’s strong point is the narrative, the puzzles are still great and a fairly tough challenge. The combat however not only lacks in-depth and strategy it also feels arbitrary to the design of everything else of the game.

You are irrelevant. 

The Fall uses a very dark  and blue color scheme to complement the deserted setting. Everything is generally covered in darkness with the background giving hues of colors to make the environments stand out more. The game looks exactly as it should be. In a way the game will remind some of other games like Out Of This World or Flashback. The piles of ruble, the broken monitor’s and even the dysfunctional A.I.’s make up the facilities personality. The world of the Fall is empty, haunting and at most points very hostile. One of the best things about this game is the tittle screen and menu. Both look like DOS inspired operating systems. Together with the visuals corruptions that intentionally happen from time to time. It both looks amazing and add so much to the authenticity and feeling of the setting of the game. The Fall looks great sounds good and has a great atmosphere.

The Fall is an amazing game. The story is interesting and has some very  intelligent themes, The visuals and environments support the narrative and gameplay very well. The puzzle elements of the game are fun and really challenging and make the players approach the world of The Fall with a thinking outside the box approach. The only bad parts of The Fall are the cliffhanger ending, good though it maybe feels too abrupt, and the combat which while fully functional feels unnecessary and goes down to the basics of following a specific pattern with no skill or thought behind the player. The Fall has a lot in common with The Swapper and while it doesn’t reach the height The Swapper reached, it comes only a few point short from it. The Fall is an amazing experience which anyone who has some interest in A.I. identity should be required to check out. The only real things that keep it from perfection are the abrupt ending and the simple and unnecessary combat.

9/10

Tested on PlayStation 4