Rewarding puzzle solving and fun characters over shadow a combat system that I could have used less of.
Well written and voiced characters are what define The Fall. Drop in an eerie setting, and interesting story, and you've got yourself a compelling 5 hour experience, which leaves little to be desired.
The Fall's story is short and to the point with a few surprises along the way. Of course the surprises are what make the story interesting, so theres no reason to go into detail. With a great sense of humour and strong voice work, the characters are what make the story, and game, a really enjoyable experience.
Despite the combat not being a strong part of the gameplay, it employs a simple one button cover mechanic and one weapon, so it never becomes over complicated or frustrating. In some spots it felt like it was there only to pad out the games length, but it did allow for a quick change of pace throughout the story.
The bulk of the game is spent solving puzzles in an adventure game-like fashion (finding objects and using/combining them with other objects), with some well thought out and humorous solutions. Using a flashlight to reveal points of interest is an interesting attempt at solving the pixel hunt problem that has plagued so many adventure games in the past. And I feel it works really well for the most part. Simple interactions like opening doors would serve better if they had a dedicated button instead of having to go through the motions; shining the light on the door panel, opening the object menu, and choosing the interact function, it's just one too many button presses, but overall it works well.
Though the gameplay comes up short in places, The Fall is a well crafted side-scroller, with fun puzzles, a beautiful art style, and a story that has me waiting for episode two.
