Fall of Light

41%
Game Brain Score Based on 168 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Fall of Light Game Cover
A frustrating experience through the fan favorite escort mission.
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In "Fall of Light" , players step into the role of Nyx, a retired warrior, as they navigate through dark dungeons and treacherous pathways to evade the Shadows and defeat enemies. The game is inspired by Dark Souls, featuring a similar control scheme and atmosphere, but with a touch of Ico's companionship element. For optimal gameplay, a gamepad is strongly recommended. The game's recent update has been featured as a "Hidden Gem" and one of the "Best new Steam games" of the week on Rock, Paper, Shotgun.

  • Mac OS
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

41%
Audience ScoreBased on 168 reviews
story21 positive mentions
music4 negative mentions
  • The game features an interesting story and atmosphere that draws players in, with emotional elements tied to the father-daughter relationship.
  • There is a decent variety of weapons and combat styles, allowing players to experiment and find their preferred playstyle.
  • The game has a unique aesthetic and design that, while minimalistic, can be visually appealing in its own right.
  • The controls are often unresponsive and sluggish, making combat frustrating and difficult to manage, especially with keyboard and mouse.
  • Game-breaking bugs and glitches, such as the escort mechanic causing issues, can render the game unplayable at times.
  • The overall design can feel derivative of Dark Souls, lacking originality and often leading to tedious gameplay experiences.
  • story79 mentions

    The story of "Fall of Light" centers on the journey of Aether and her father as they navigate a dark world in search of crystal shards, blending themes of light and darkness. While some players found the narrative intriguing and emotionally resonant, others criticized it for being predictable and poorly presented, with gameplay mechanics detracting from the overall experience. Despite mixed reviews, the game offers a unique storyline that diverges from typical fantasy tropes, culminating in multiple endings that can evoke strong emotional responses.

    • “Great story: starts out mysterious and develops into one of three awesome endings.”
    • “The storyline is actually pretty interesting and for me, seemed influenced by the concept of darkness/light, good/evil and that story running parallel to an underlying story.”
    • “I loved the story, I loved the ending, loved the little pieces we got along the way to build up the story.”
    • “Fall of Light follows the journey of Aether and her father, as he explores and guides her throughout a world shrouded in darkness, in search of three crystal shards. Suffice to say that the story is alright, but definitely nothing to write home about.”
    • “The story doesn't try to disguise that it is a mere Souls knockoff.”
    • “The story isn't presented very well in the beginning.”
  • gameplay39 mentions

    The gameplay of "Fall of Light" has received mixed reviews, with many players criticizing its clunky controls and delayed mechanics, which detract from the intended challenge reminiscent of Dark Souls. While the escort mechanic involving the player's daughter adds a unique narrative element, it fails to enhance the overall experience and can feel repetitive. However, some players find enjoyment in mastering the mechanics and appreciate the variety of weapons and tactics available, suggesting that the game has potential once players adapt to its systems.

    • “However, once you get the mechanics down, it is a very fun game with a lot of variation between weapons and tactics.”
    • “Fall of Light is a top-down soulsborne, with the same principles, concepts, and core mechanics.”
    • “An interesting mechanic is that you're accompanied by your daughter, who can be killed and becomes a spirit you then recover... get it, like a soul?”
    • “However, the controls and mechanics are clunky at best - it is hard to appreciate its novel storyline.”
    • “6 hours - bored by repetitive gameplay.”
    • “Thanks to a woeful control scheme that prioritizes input lag and unresponsiveness, every one of its mediocre mechanics suffer to the point where Fall of Light feels more like work than fun.”
  • graphics35 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the charming aesthetics and art style, while others criticize the use of mismatched assets and poor execution. Many find the visuals to be decent for an indie title, but not particularly impressive, and some express disappointment with the overall quality, including cutscenes and environmental coherence. Despite these criticisms, a few players still enjoy the atmosphere and visuals, indicating a level of appeal in the game's artistic direction.

    • “The graphics are beautiful; but, does not make up for the controls and other difficulties of the game.”
    • “I really enjoyed the story and the graphics and the atmosphere.”
    • “The aesthetics are fantastic.”
    • “On top of that, most of the game is made up of assets from the Unity store that weren't even aligned to the same art style, creating a jarring effect that breaks the environment.”
    • “The graphics are poorly done with sad cutscene voiceovers.”
    • “[awful, laggy, combat, one long tedious escort mission, boring, blocky visuals, camera is rubbish]”
  • atmosphere22 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its depth and beauty, evoking feelings of darkness and desperation reminiscent of titles like Dark Souls. Despite some critiques regarding sound effects and environmental blandness, many players appreciate the game's ability to create a captivating and immersive world, especially considering its indie development. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout feature that enhances the gaming experience.

    • “Definitely worth it if you like Dark Souls; it's not too complex but has a ton of atmosphere and looks beautiful as well.”
    • “Really good atmosphere; for an indie game with only 2 developers, it's almost a masterpiece.”
    • “They have worked hard to create a great atmosphere that will accompany you during the whole game, and the final result is just amazing!”
    • “It's not necessarily scary, but it's a lovely world of darkness that really makes you feel that sort of 'dust bunny in the midwest town' type of off-setting atmosphere.”
    • “I’m depressed... the atmosphere in Fall of Light is really strong and when they hit this girl, oh!”
    • “Still somehow this game managed to capture the atmosphere of desperation from Dark Souls 1, which I personally absolutely love.”
  • music10 mentions

    The music in the game is generally described as minimal and lacking, with many reviewers noting its absence in key moments, which detracts from the overall experience. While some appreciate the subtlety of the music and sound effects, others find it insufficient and bland, contributing to a dull atmosphere. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a missed opportunity that could have enhanced the gameplay.

    • “The music and design is subtle and pleasing, not epic and grandiose.”
    • “Sound effects are good and well placed, but I find that I would have loved music here and there.”
    • “The lack of pronounced sound effects and an atmospheric music set in a bland environment makes it a chore to play.”
    • “The game really lacks a soundtrack in many places.”
    • “It's small, dull, it looks bad (exactly like all of the other crappy games on Unity), the music is barely there.”
  • emotional10 mentions

    The game effectively engages players emotionally, featuring a touching plot twist and a heartfelt story that resonates deeply, evoking strong feelings and even tears. While some reviewers note that the gameplay may be mediocre, the emotional depth and impactful ending are highlighted as standout elements that enhance the overall experience.

    • “This game made me cry ;(”
    • “Damn game got me emotionally involved like in the old days.”
    • “Fall of Light does two things a lot of games are afraid to do: it strips what you think you need in an RPG and then adds an easy, emotional story to follow.”
  • grinding8 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be somewhat tedious, with repetitive fights and aimless wandering contributing to a sense of monotony. However, many note that the grinding is not as excessive as in other games, making it more bearable despite the frustrations with combat and movement mechanics. Overall, while grinding exists, it is often overshadowed by other gameplay issues.

    • “The concept, story, and design seemed cohesive, but fights did get repetitive and after a bit I did feel like I was grinding to level my character.”
    • “Walking is tedious, so is fighting.”
    • “There was a moment in the game where I was really lost and was just aimlessly grinding around.”
  • stability4 mentions

    The game experiences notable stability issues, particularly with movement mechanics, leading to players getting stuck in certain areas and encountering slow ascent on stairs. These glitches have resulted in the need for restarts, detracting from the overall gameplay experience.

    • “Some glitches with movement sometimes make you stuck in certain places. I had to restart the game a few times because I couldn't continue moving, or it made me go up stairs ridiculously slow.”
    • “The mages and archers still do this buggy backwalk.”
    • “Some glitches with movement sometimes make you stuck in certain places. I had to restart the game a few times because I couldn't continue moving, or it made me go up stairs ridiculously slow.”
  • optimization2 mentions

    The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some users praising its smooth performance and efficient resource management, while others report occasional frame rate drops and stuttering issues. Overall, the game's optimization appears to be satisfactory for most players, but there are still areas that could benefit from further refinement.

Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

30% average critic score

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Play time

4hMedian play time
7hAverage play time
2-16hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 6 analyzed playthroughs

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