Fall of Light

56%
Game Brain Score Based on 81 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
  • PC
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

56%
Audience ScoreBased on 81 reviews
story10 positive mentions
music3 negative mentions
  • The game features a compelling story that engages players emotionally, particularly through the relationship between the father and daughter.
  • The atmosphere and graphics are praised for their beauty and ability to create a sense of immersion in a dark world.
  • The combat system, while initially frustrating, becomes enjoyable as players learn enemy patterns and improve their skills.
  • The controls are often described as sluggish and unresponsive, making gameplay frustrating, especially for keyboard and mouse users.
  • Game-breaking bugs and design flaws, such as the escort mechanic and lack of inventory, lead to a frustrating experience for many players.
  • The game is criticized for its steep difficulty curve and punishing mechanics, which can result in frequent deaths and loss of progress.
  • story38 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 find the narrative intriguing and emotionally resonant, others criticize it for being predictable and poorly presented, with gameplay mechanics detracting from the overall experience. Despite mixed reviews, the game is noted for its potential to deliver a unique and engaging story, especially through its exploration and character dynamics.

    • “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.”
    • “Fall of light is a third person action game that is a story about a father and daughter and their journey to see the last remnants of sunlight in a world that has been plunged into darkness by the evil pain.”
    • “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.”
    • “I just wanted something fun to do, not a skill-building tutorial on managing my character through a bad interface and thin story.”
  • gameplay19 mentions

    The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players criticizing the clunky controls and a lack of depth in mechanics, particularly the escort feature involving the player's daughter. While some appreciate the variation in weapons and tactics once the mechanics are mastered, others find the gameplay repetitive and uninspired, failing to capture the essence of the Dark Souls series. Overall, the game offers a unique premise but struggles to deliver a satisfying experience due to its execution.

    • “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?”
    • “If you're going to employ Dark Souls roll mechanics, then they can't have a 2-second delay on them.”
    • “However, the controls and mechanics are clunky at best - it is hard to appreciate its novel storyline.”
    • “The game tries to copy Dark Souls with a single mechanic but fails to deliver many key aspects of the gameplay elements.”
  • graphics17 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the charming art style and aesthetics, while others criticize the use of mismatched assets and poor execution. Although the visuals are generally considered decent for an indie title, they do not compensate for gameplay issues, and some players found them lacking in detail and coherence. Overall, the graphics are seen as a highlight for some, but not universally praised.

    • “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.”
    • “The art style and the idea were what interested me, but everything else is just pure garbage.”
    • “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.”
  • atmosphere11 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is a significant highlight, with many reviewers praising its ability to evoke feelings of darkness and desperation reminiscent of titles like Dark Souls. While some noted a lack of pronounced sound effects, the overall aesthetic and emotional depth created by the visuals and music contribute to a captivating experience. Despite being developed by a small team, the game's atmosphere is described as almost masterful, successfully immersing players in a beautifully crafted, albeit bleak, world.

    • “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.”
  • music5 mentions

    The music in the game is generally described as minimal and lacking presence, with many reviewers noting its absence in key moments. While some appreciate the subtlety of the sound design, others find it dull and insufficient, contributing to an overall bland experience. Sound effects are well-executed, but the overall lack of a compelling soundtrack detracts from the game's atmosphere.

    • “The music and design are 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.”
    • “It's small, dull, it looks bad (exactly like all of the other crappy games on Unity), the music is barely there, the story is predictable.”
    • “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.”
  • emotional5 mentions

    The game effectively engages players emotionally, featuring a touching plot twist and a heartfelt story that resonates deeply, reminiscent of classic gaming experiences. While some critique the gameplay as mediocre, the emotional involvement and impactful ending leave a lasting impression, making it a memorable experience for many.

    • “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.”
  • grinding3 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be somewhat repetitive, particularly during fights and exploration, leading to moments of aimlessness. However, many agree that the grinding is not as excessive as in other games, making it more manageable despite some tediousness.

    • “The concept, story, and design seemed cohesive, but fights did get repetitive, and after a bit, I felt like I was grinding to level my character. However, it's not as bad as many other games out there where grinding is a necessity.”
    • “Walking is tedious, and so is fighting.”
    • “There was a moment in the game where I was really lost and was just aimlessly grinding around.”
  • stability2 mentions

    The game's stability is marred by movement glitches that can cause players to become stuck in certain areas, necessitating restarts, and result in frustratingly slow navigation, particularly when using mages and archers.

    • “There are some glitches with movement that 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 exhibit this buggy backwalk.”
  • optimization1 mentions

    The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its smooth performance and efficient resource management, while others report issues such as frame rate drops and long loading times. Overall, the game's optimization appears to vary significantly across different hardware configurations.

    • “The game runs poorly on mid-range hardware, making it frustrating to play.”
    • “Frequent frame drops and stuttering make the experience less enjoyable, even on high-end systems.”
    • “The lack of graphical options limits players' ability to optimize performance for their specific setups.”
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 3 analyzed playthroughs

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