There's something very special about party games, wouldn't you say? Those that serve as a vehicle for socialisation and partying rather than labouring itself down with constructing solid narrative or immersive worlds. All those games need to do is prove fun enough to make people want to hang out in their virtual spaces alongside some friends. (Although that's easier said then done.) Recent years has seen this space pretty much dominated by the Jackbox series of games, but even amongst that yearly franchise there have been some notable duds and misses for the developers; so creating the next big party game is not a refined art at all. That's why it's always interesting to see when a new one takes the place, what does it do differently, why does it appeal, and is their long-term success in this title's future? Well for today that game is Fall Guys, and I intend to look into it's utmost depths.
So what is Fall Guys? Well have you ever seen Takeshi's Castle? Because it's basically that. 60 odd people enter a tournament of competitive tasks wherein a certain number of people who are in the lower bracket of completing that task (Usually the last third, from what I can tell) are eliminated each round. This all rolls around to a tense finale where only one can storm the castle and use their little water pistols to destroy the paper target of the enemy, which I swear only ever happened like twice in the entire history of that show. Wait, we were talking about something else? Oh, that's right, Fall Guys. So Fall Guys takes that basic premise and turns it into an online game which, lo and behold, works surprisingly well. Games are simple, usually involving running obstacle courses, battling over giant foam balls or their own version of Grief Run from Mineplex. (There's one you couldn't really pull off on the TV.) So maybe it lacks the sheer surrealist absurdity that Takeshi's Castle coveted, but it's still a whole bunch of fun.
Ah, but what's the catch? A multiplayer game in today's age, there has to be some sort of slick twist upon the basic formula in order to confirm its long-term success. And indeed there is, seems that Fortnite truly has pushed the envelope beyond the closing point. For you see, Fall Guys cuts it's teeth on cosmetic transactions, a battle pass and the whole 'seasons' thing that every game is doing now in order to bring people back under the delusion that each new season will drastically change up the game. Although, to their credit, I think a formula like this could greatly benefit from a season-based angle; if they were to literally just throw in a few new games to the rotation every season whilst retiring a couple, that really could keep things fresh. But Devil's Advocate aside, this does read like the play-by-play book of the entire online world right now and I'm not sure how I feel about that. In one way I like the idea of games that grow with their audience but on the otherhand It's just another game vying for my freetime and there's only so many hours in the day. I just finished my second run of Dark Souls 3 and that alone took close to 3 days, I don't have time to sprinkle these pseudo MMO's into my schedule too.
But apparently I'm in the absolute minority in that regard, as this Fall Guys game has hit absolute paydirt with it's launch in a big way. Those with even a passing comprehension of the Twitch landscape (à la moi) will notice that this game has been showing up on the streams of many a popular influencer, as it's a title that allows for mass competitions both amidst fellow streamers and fans. (Also, a competition format in general makes for great content.) The game itself practically exploded at launch, with people hitting the servers so much that they died and the developers took to twitter to complain about an apparent 'review bombing' in response. (Questionable tweet, but I understand how frustration can make one a little tunnel-visioned.) The title has shot to one of the most watched on Twitch right now, with just shy of 200,000 viewers watching right now at the time of writing. And as for the publisher of the indie world, Devolver Digital, who backed this project, apparently this is their most successful launch of all time. (Good for them. Maybe they'll now have the capital to make next year's E3 the weirdest yet! Assuming we still have E3 then...)
In the current climate, both in gaming and the international space, I couldn't think of a more apt game to enter the annals of widespread popularity. We're in an age of depressing content suiting depressing times, everywhere we look there's just more reminders that everything is a mess and getting messier everyday. What we really need right now are the bright colours and adorable abandon to which Fall Guys throws itself, with it's cast of cute creatures, neon drenched courses and ludicrously head-bob-worthy tracks. This is a game perfect for a time when everyone could use a break, and it's inoffensive gentle exterior helps mitigate that overwhelming stress which burns out a lot of regular's in the battle royale field. Because make no mistake, this is a Battle Royale. Just one that turns the formula on it's head a little, tilts it's perspective to the side and makes you see something else.
When you look at the popular big multiplayer titles around it, like 'COD: Warzone' and 'Valorant', there's a certain leaning away from casual play that isn't exactly friendly to the majority of the gaming public. Even Fortnite, which initially won appeal as the more chill (and better constructed) version of PUBG has now been consumed by overly aggressive competitiveness that make casual play nigh-on impossible. (Just look at the walking conduit of meme-worthy diatribes known as 'Ninja') Right now we're looking at a game that seeps itself in approach-ability, to a degree where I actually can't even envision the same fall into hardcore-hell that Fortnite underwent. This game is just too cutsey, too chaotic and too open armed to develop that sort of an audience. And I think that details a comfy little niche for this game to fit into that it may just snuggle into for the long haul if all the stars are shining on it.
These days are the honeymoon days, of course, the times when everything is rosy and no one talks about the problems with the game or the repetitiveness of the whole affair; nor the problematic nature of a pay-to-entry game which runs itself on microtransactions. Will these become a problem once the sheen of newness fade? (As it did with 'Apex Legends'?) Only if the Devs get greedy and try to push the envelope. (And then try to gaslight the entire Internet. Absolute galaxy-brain move there, Respawn.) Right now I think that Fall Guys is in a good place, one where the team can continue to count their good fortunes for a while before the other shoe drops. I do wonder if this team, who's game seems to have blown up beyond their wildest expectations, will be able to keep up with demand. We've already seen the huge server debacle from the launch day, maybe that's indicative of crazy noisy days to come. (I can't stop the Jojo references. SEND HELP!!!)
I'm a fan of the idea of Fall Guys, and I hope the studio continues to enjoy their surprise good fortunes. It's always nice when a smaller studio manages to hit it out the park like this, and also when the wider gaming community find one title they can collectively get behind. Though I will admit I do wonder about the longevity of a title that depends on a handful of very same-y feeling modes, I remember that Mineplex is still very much alive and well so I guess I'm just the shortsighted ass in the minority. Maybe not the game for me, solo fellow that I am, but I still respect and enjoy watching other people have fun with it.
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