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Fallen Leaf

Fallen Leaf Game Cover
91%Game Brain Score
gameplay, story
grinding, replayability
91% User Score Based on 230 reviews

Platforms

PCSteam DeckWindows
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Fallen Leaf Game Cover

About

Fallen Leaf is a single player platformer game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Delta Shore Games and was released on July 15, 2024. It received very positive reviews from players.

Fallen Leaf is a retro side-scrolling adventure focused on tight, action-packed level design set in a whimsical world where almost anything goes!

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Fallen Leaf screenshot
Fallen Leaf screenshot
Fallen Leaf screenshot
Fallen Leaf screenshot
Fallen Leaf screenshot
Fallen Leaf screenshot
Fallen Leaf screenshot
Fallen Leaf screenshot
Fallen Leaf screenshot
Fallen Leaf screenshot
Fallen Leaf screenshot
+10
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91%
Audience ScoreBased on 230 reviews
gameplay24 positive mentions
grinding7 negative mentions
  • Fallen Leaf is a fantastic homage to classic platformers, combining elements from games like Mega Man and Shovel Knight with its own unique charm.
  • The game features a wide variety of characters, each with distinct abilities, allowing for diverse gameplay and strategies.
  • The pixel art and music are top-notch, creating an engaging and nostalgic atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.
  • Some players find the game too easy, with a lack of challenge in the early levels and a forgiving checkpoint system that diminishes the sense of accomplishment.
  • The character switching mechanic can feel cumbersome, as players have to cycle through many characters, which may disrupt the flow of gameplay.
  • Certain gameplay mechanics, such as losing power-ups upon taking damage, can lead to frustration, especially in later levels with more challenging enemies.
  • gameplay
    90 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay is a blend of classic platforming mechanics reminiscent of titles like Mega Man and Super Mario, featuring tight controls and a variety of characters, each with unique abilities that enhance the experience. While the levels are generally enjoyable and well-designed, some players noted a lack of variety in mechanics and occasional redundancy in gameplay features. Overall, the game is praised for its engaging and accessible gameplay, appealing to both casual players and platforming enthusiasts.

    • “Gameplay-wise, the movement and action feels good, and there's a wide array of characters you can eventually unlock that have varied abilities.”
    • “Its main unique mechanic (relative to other games in the genre) is the ability to switch between a large cast of characters on the fly at any time with the shoulder buttons.”
    • “The gameplay is enjoyable, even for me who has very little platformer experience.”
    • “Levels aren't too long, but there are too many with not enough variety of mechanics.”
    • “However, the mechanics in this game are also redundant; you might recognize that redundancy implies pointlessness in these features.”
    • “The gameplay is also not great, playing more like a bad classic Mega Man game than anything else.”
  • story
    90 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story of "Fallen Leaf" is characterized by its light-hearted, humorous tone, often embracing a silly and chaotic narrative style that may not appeal to everyone. While the plot is generally considered thin and somewhat nonsensical, it is enriched by charming characters and engaging dialogue, making it a fun backdrop for the gameplay. Overall, the story serves more as an entertaining addition rather than the main focus, with players appreciating its whimsical nature and the depth provided by numerous NPCs and side quests.

    • “The writing was a real surprise and delight, showcasing a truly interesting story, told through compelling and readable prose (and it's funny!).”
    • “Despite the game being overflowing with levels (more than 80 of them across 6 worlds), one of the most charming things about the game is the surprisingly well-developed story.”
    • “But alongside all of that cheery energy there’s also a bittersweet story about family, friendship, forgiveness, and redemption, which I really don’t want to spoil because it’s so sweet.”
    • “But even then, let's just pretend that isn't a problem, because the actual problem with Fallen Leaf's story is much bigger.”
    • “The story is also a bit annoying; perhaps it just isn't my type of humor, but it got pretty old fast.”
    • “The story is full of dialogues that usually play at the end of the level, and Fallen Leaf has an almost overwhelming amount of NPCs and the dialogues we can carry out with them.”
  • music
    74 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is widely praised for its nostalgic chiptune style, reminiscent of classic NES titles, while also incorporating modern sensibilities. Reviewers highlight the impressive variety and quality of the soundtrack, with many tracks being catchy and well-suited to the gameplay, enhancing the overall experience. While some critics note that the music may not be as memorable as that of legendary composers, it is still considered a standout feature that complements the game's charming visuals and engaging mechanics.

    • “The music is stellar, too, with every single level bringing a new track; it is mind-blowing how many compositions are in here.”
    • “The music, on the other hand, is a delightful work of passion and personality that is a nice breath of fresh air from the pile of highly melodic and emotional music commonly seen in video games nowadays.”
    • “Fallen Leaf has as many as 112 tracks in its soundtrack, which is no small amount considering that this is an indie game.”
    • “As a video game music nerd, the soundtrack isn't amazingly interesting or memorable from a melodic standpoint, but it is very well mixed and has a good degree of brisk energy and is good, but not great.”
    • “While every element of this game (controls, level design, music, graphics) in a vacuum is fine, it doesn't reach the quality to set itself apart.”
    • “The music is standard fare, but there are dozens of stages, lots of secrets and bonus content to enjoy, and the game plays well.”
  • graphics
    51 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of "Fallen Leaf" are widely praised for their detailed and expressive pixel art style, which successfully blends retro aesthetics reminiscent of NES and GBA games with modern sensibilities. Reviewers highlight the vibrant color palette, smooth animations, and charming character designs, noting that the visuals enhance the overall gameplay experience while maintaining a nostalgic feel. While some critiques mention occasional simplicity, the overall consensus is that the graphics are engaging and contribute significantly to the game's appeal.

    • “The art and animations are all quite detailed and expressive, but they meld well with the old-school aesthetic and color palette that the game is going for.”
    • “The aesthetics within the art is a fresh retro charm with muted color palettes.”
    • “Gorgeous colorful pixel graphics in 8-bit style but with quality animation, anime-style cutaways, very tight controls, short but engaging stages with hidden items and characters to find, an interesting world map, surprisingly funny writing, and a few laugh-out-loud animations.”
    • “While every element of this game (controls, level-design, music, graphics) in a vacuum is fine, it doesn't reach the quality to set itself apart.”
    • “Locked fps, no ultrawide support, audio is low effort, story reads like something a toddler came up with completely sanitized of any excitement, controls are binary, art style is pixel but again comes across as placid.”
    • “Graphics: decent (PS1 graphic feel)”
  • humor
    41 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is characterized by a lighthearted and silly tone, with many players appreciating the funny writing, engaging dialogue, and quirky characters. While not every joke lands perfectly, there are enough amusing moments and clever references to keep players entertained. Some found the humor to be chaotic or repetitive, but overall, it contributes positively to the game's charm and enjoyment.

    • “The script is pretty humorous, and everything has a silly tone overall, so luckily the main plot never really takes itself too seriously.”
    • “From pop culture references to parodies to even straight-up slapstick humor, the writing is quite entertaining all around.”
    • “The story is light, upbeat, and humorous, and the jokes land well.”
    • “It also doesn’t help that the story isn’t that good; it tries to put in meta humor, but to me, it’s not funny, and that’s just my taste.”
  • grinding
    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and uninspired, as it often involves repetitive backtracking to collect hidden items that lack variety. While some upgrades require significant time investment, the need to grind for in-game currency can detract from the overall enjoyment, especially for those aiming for 100% completion. Ultimately, the grinding feels more like a chore than a meaningful part of the gameplay experience.

    • “It isn't exploration or meaningful interaction with the game world, but tedious backtracking through a checklist of found items under the guise of interaction.”
    • “Now, the above makes this game range from boring to tedious, but then there are some problems that make this game a pain to play.”
    • “Because of this, the fallen leaf long overstays its welcome and gets really tedious toward the end, especially if you're going for 100% completion.”
  • emotional
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is praised for its emotional depth, featuring a heartfelt story that evokes strong feelings, including moments that can bring players to tears, such as a touching interaction with a homeless musician. The combination of nostalgic gameplay mechanics and a memorable soundtrack enhances the emotional experience, creating a wholesome atmosphere that stands out in the genre. Overall, players appreciate the game's ability to blend humor and sentimentality effectively.

    • “With its heartwarming story about fellowship, a really cool combination of mechanics based on retro titles like Mega Man, DuckTales, and Castlevania, and a memorable soundtrack composed by Jake Kaufman, it left quite a high bar when it came to standards for the genre.”
    • “I can’t lie, I cried a little bit when I gave a saxophone to a homeless musician and he started to play a gorgeous blues-like song.”
    • “The music, on the other hand, is a delightful work of passion and personality that is a nice breath of fresh air from the pile of highly melodic and emotional music commonly seen in a fair share of video games nowadays.”
  • replayability
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players appreciate the replayability of the game, noting that unlocking additional characters enhances gameplay variety and allows for different playstyles. The presence of collectibles also adds value, as they are accessible and can be found during initial runs of each level.

    • “Collectibles provide some replay value and are fairly distributed; I found almost all of them during my first run of a level and never felt they were too obscure.”
    • “The more playable characters you discover and unlock, the more every level opens up, allowing you to play however you want!”
    • “Collectibles provide some replay value and are fair; I found almost all of them during my first run of a level and never felt they were too obscure.”
    • “The game lacks significant incentives to replay levels after completing the main story, making it feel repetitive.”
  • character development
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development in the game is noted for its simplicity and diversity, with designs that complement the environmental aesthetics. While the character designs are straightforward, they effectively align with the game's charming yet familiar settings, contributing to an overall cohesive experience.

    • “The character designs are simple, but really diverse, and the environmental design is quite charming, even though it rarely deviates from common tropes in significant ways.”
    • “The character development feels shallow and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
    • “There are few meaningful choices that impact character growth, leaving the development feeling linear and uninspired.”
    • “The characters don't evolve in a way that feels rewarding, and their arcs often fall flat.”
  • optimization
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is praised for its excellent optimization, featuring low system requirements that ensure smooth performance and minimal battery drain, even during extended play sessions. Additionally, players report that the console remains cool while running the game.

    • “In terms of performance and battery life, the game has low requirements, allowing me to play for extended periods without draining the battery to zero. The console itself remains cool during gameplay.”
    • “In terms of performance and battery life, I didn't manage to run the battery level down to zero during any of the sessions, and the console itself doesn't actually heat up at all.”
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Frequently Asked Questions

Fallen Leaf is a platformer game with fantasy theme.

Fallen Leaf is available on PC, Steam Deck and Windows.

Fallen Leaf was released on July 15, 2024.

Fallen Leaf was developed by Delta Shore Games.

Fallen Leaf has received very positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its grinding.

Fallen Leaf is a single player game.

Similar games include Khimera: Destroy all Monster Girls, Curse Crackers: For Whom the Belle Toils, Freedom Planet, Ghost Song, Shovel Knight and others.