Fallow
- August 25, 2021
- Ada Rook
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"Fallow" is a single-player adventure game with a good plot, impressive graphics, and moving original music. In this emotional game, players follow Isabelline Fallow, who lives in a world that keeps forgetting itself and its inhabitants. The game features 80+ hand-drawn pixel art backgrounds and various puzzle-filled locations. With a length of 2-5 hours, it's a compact but immersive experience that lets you explore and uncover its mysteries, while also supporting the developer through Patreon and Twitter.
Windows
Reviews
- Fallow features a hauntingly beautiful atmosphere, with stunning pixel art and an incredible soundtrack that enhances the emotional experience.
- The game offers a deeply personal and thought-provoking narrative, exploring themes of trauma and connection in a unique and evocative way.
- Players appreciate the game's mechanical diversity, with interesting puzzles and a rich world filled with secrets that encourage exploration and replayability.
- Some players find the pacing slow and the gameplay repetitive, leading to moments of boredom and frustration during exploration.
- The narrative can feel opaque and lacking in concrete resolution, leaving some players unsatisfied with the story's conclusion.
- There are concerns about the game's price relative to its length, with some feeling it is overpriced for the amount of content provided.
- music60 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 35 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its exceptional quality, atmospheric depth, and emotional resonance, often described as haunting and beautifully crafted. Many reviewers highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature that enhances the game's unique aesthetic and storytelling, with some even considering it one of the best soundtracks in gaming. Overall, the music is seen as integral to the game's immersive experience, complementing its visuals and narrative effectively.
“The sepia-toned pixel art, rich language, and melancholic folk music of Fallow come together to create an atmosphere unlike any game I've played.”
“Beautiful, lightly obtuse, wonderful art, powerful music, and a delicate narrative to guide you through this special world.”
“A meticulously crafted atmosphere of often serene scenes, coupled with sparse but detailed animations, and a soundtrack that will stay with you long after you put the game down.”
“Wandering around the world, you gain an uneasy feeling from strange sights and dark areas that feel as though something will jump out at you since the music actively changes between screens or is suddenly not there at all.”
“Music that, as I've come to expect, worms its way inside my brain like a parasite.”
“Soundtrack haunts.”
- story36 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The story of the game is described as deeply emotional and thought-provoking, often conveyed through flashbacks and dreams, creating a surreal and personal experience. While some players appreciate its thematic depth and world-building, others criticize it for lacking a concrete narrative and feeling incomplete. Overall, the game offers a unique blend of atmosphere and storytelling that resonates differently with each player, making it a compelling yet polarizing experience.
“The story was deeply emotional and the world building was perfect.”
“This is a beautiful game which really hit home for me, and I imagine anyone else who's been through similar experiences as those depicted in the story will also feel very seen by it.”
“All pieces of Fallow manage to work together to support immersion, bolstering the simple exploration and adventure game-esque gameplay into a very haunting introspective experience, one that tells a story filled with interesting themes and great world building.”
“The story is mostly told through flashbacks, memories, and dreams with not a lot of concrete details.”
“Nothing really happens in the story.”
“Io is worth an eighth of the price, with a story that is barely worth talking about because it barely exists in the first place.”
- atmosphere28 mentions
- 68 % positive mentions
- 21 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its haunting beauty, characterized by sepia-toned pixel art, melancholic folk music, and a moody ambiance that immerses players in a unique emotional experience. Reviewers highlight the meticulous world-building and sound design, which together create a captivating and often psychologically intense environment. Overall, the game's atmosphere is described as thick, immersive, and unforgettable, making it a standout feature that resonates long after gameplay.
“This game is soaked in an atmosphere that'll stay with you long after you have finished it.”
“The sepia-toned pixel art, rich language, and melancholic folk music of Fallow come together to create an atmosphere unlike any game I've played.”
“Mesmerizing, gloomy atmosphere with beautiful pixel artwork and a melancholy soundtrack to accompany you on this little journey through Isabel's dreams and memories of a decaying world.”
“The game constructs a dour, sometimes suffocating atmosphere through its limited-palette environments, a score of brooding folk and ambient, and a cast whose tear-stained pasts tore apart the now that they couldn't keep.”
“A meticulously crafted atmosphere of often serene scenes, coupled with sparse but detailed animations, and a soundtrack that will stay with you long after you put the game down.”
“The sound design, atmosphere, and world building are immaculate, and the way the puzzle-solving is woven into the gameplay is simply excellent.”
- gameplay15 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The gameplay in "Fallow" is characterized by a blend of exploration and puzzle-solving, set against a visually stunning backdrop with exceptional music design. While it leans towards a narrative-driven experience reminiscent of walking simulators, it offers mechanical diversity and engaging puzzles that enhance immersion. However, some players may find the gameplay repetitive and frustrating due to extensive walking and occasional non-cohesive narrative elements.
“Fallow is a beautiful work of artful gameplay and storytelling that I highly recommend to anyone even a bit intrigued by it.”
“The sound design, atmosphere, and world building are immaculate, and the way the puzzle-solving is woven into the gameplay is simply excellent.”
“All pieces of Fallow manage to work together to support immersion, bolstering the simple exploration and adventure game-esque gameplay into a very haunting introspective experience, one that tells a story filled with interesting themes and great world building.”
“If you're not a fan of 'walking simulators' with some puzzle gameplay, maybe this isn't for you.”
“This game has a non-cohesive narrative to drive its walking simulator gameplay.”
“The gameplay can be a little frustrating - there's so much walking, and the world isn't stable, so the things you need can pop up in places you think that you've already explored.”
- emotional15 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is widely praised for its deeply emotional storytelling and personal themes, resonating with players on a profound level. Many reviewers noted that it evokes strong feelings, often leading to tears, and provides a sense of comfort through its exploration of interpersonal struggles. The combination of poignant writing, stunning aesthetics, and a haunting soundtrack creates a memorable emotional experience, although some found the ending narratively unsatisfying.
“In all seriousness, this game is probably one I'll remember for a while emotionally.”
“I love Fallow; it put a lot of difficult feelings that I could never describe into words. I cried a couple of times while playing it.”
“This is a deeply emotional game that touches interpersonal themes at a level that often feels neglected in popular media.”
- graphics14 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are praised for their beautiful pixel art and atmospheric design, creating a mesmerizing and melancholic experience that enhances the storytelling. While the color palette may be limited, the visuals effectively evoke a sense of exploration and nostalgia reminiscent of classic titles. Coupled with an exceptional soundtrack, the overall aesthetic contributes significantly to the game's emotional depth and worldbuilding.
“Mesmerizing, gloomy atmosphere with beautiful pixel artwork and a melancholy soundtrack to accompany you on this little journey through isabelline dreams and memories of a decaying world.”
“If the idea of a soulful exploration/puzzle game set in a deserted world with hints of strange biomechanic technology and a weird sense of foreboding eeriness, all presented in amazing pixel graphics that give off a Game Boy's Link's Awakening vibes sounds like something you'd be into, then yeah, get this.”
“Its Game Boy-like graphics balance being aesthetically pleasing with being vague enough to allow your imagination to do the heavy lifting expertly, and the soundtrack (arguably the strongest part of the game) is an interesting blend of atmospherics, synths, and folk instrumentation.”
“Visuals are well done; however, the color palettes range from a darker beige to lighter beige.”
“Mechanically, visually, and especially the music design is phenomenal, but that might not land if you aren't digesting the complex metaphors/aesthetics.”
“Its Game Boy-like graphics balance being aesthetically pleasing with being vague enough to allow your imagination to do the heavy lifting expertly.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game offers high replayability due to its abundance of secrets and detailed descriptions, despite the puzzles being relatively simplistic. Players are encouraged to revisit the game to uncover all its hidden elements.
“Most of the puzzles are relatively simplistic, but the game is dense with secrets and descriptions that warrant a high degree of replayability.”
“Once you've completed the main storyline, there's little incentive to go back and explore again.”
“The lack of meaningful choices and consequences makes replaying the game feel redundant and uninteresting.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game is primarily driven by creator advertising on social media platforms like Twitter, indicating a reliance on influencer promotion to generate interest and sales.
- grinding1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the absence of grinding, combat, and stressful timed action sequences, indicating a more relaxed and enjoyable gameplay experience.
“There's no grinding or combat or stressful timed action sequences.”
