Take the genre of the Battle Royal, remove the weapons, instead let yourself be inspired by Battle Royal TV shows such as Takeshi’s Castle and WipeOut and combine the whole thing with the cuteness factor of the Minions, and the simple but ingenious concept of Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout is ready .
When we looked at the game for the first time at E3 2019, we attested that the project was a charming implementation of a unique game idea with the potential for great multiplayer fun. Now the game has finally started and attracted over a million players on the very first day. Initially, this put a huge strain on the servers. But the developers got these starting difficulties under control relatively quickly.
Similar to the already mentioned game shows like Takeshi’s Castle, in Fall Guys up to 60 players compete against each other in several stages of crazy course races and team games. That is a little less than the originally targeted 100 players per game. In no case does this damage the fun of the game. Even 60 players are still more than enough to stand in each other’s way when overcoming various obstacles.
When people talk about the “latest hype game”, many think of a shooter like the popular Call of Duty: Warzone or maybe a game like Fortnite . The brand new Fall Guys, on the other hand, clearly deserved this title and already had more active players than GTA V on the first weekend. The game is more reminiscent of a colorful Mario party, where the players are fluffy marshmallows – no joke.
Alone against the rest
Like so many others who like to gamble, I really hate the word “battle royale” these days. Since the success of PUBG, Fortnite and the like, every game manufacturer suddenly thinks that you absolutely have to offer such a game in which the last one on the court wins, or at least a similar mode. Yawn. At least that’s how I thought until I saw the first trailer for Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout .
Yes, Fall Guys is a battle royale game too. No, that doesn’t fully explain the unprecedented hype the game has generated on Twitch and other gaming platforms. Because the specialty of Fall Guys is: There are no weapons and hiding spots, but lots of brightly colored mini-games. And the winner is not the one who shoots all the others, but the one who finishes first and grabs the crown.
Battle Royale in a new form
Like so many others who like to gamble, I really hate the word “battle royale” these days. Since the success of PUBG, Fortnite and the like, every game manufacturer suddenly thinks that you absolutely have to offer such a game in which the last one on the court wins, or at least a similar mode. Yawn. At least that’s how I thought until I saw the first trailer for Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
Yes, Fall Guys is a battle royale game too. No, that doesn’t fully explain the unprecedented hype the game has generated on Twitch and other gaming platforms. Because the specialty of Fall Guys is: There are no weapons and hiding spots, but lots of brightly colored mini-games. And the winner is not the one who shoots all the others, but the one who finishes first and grabs the crown.
Quickly in and out
If you are in the mood for uncomplicated fun, you can easily get into the fray at the push of a button. Of course, only if the servers haven’t been smoked again in a big rush – which happened again and again in our test. Even small camera problems or technical nicks such as the jump button that strikes in rare moments disrupt the flow of the game. In addition, the minimalist backdrop not only awakens nostalgic memories of Super Monkey Ball: it is also no worlds away from the graphics of the oldie in terms of level of detail.
In principle, the variety is right here, since e.g. Rocket League-based football is also offered. Depending on what the random selection spits out, some disciplines repeat themselves quite often after a few hours. A level editor for the community or something similar would have been a nice addition. Only cosmetic adjustments such as costumes, color combinations or animated chat commands ensure permanent motivation.
Some patterns or alternate wardrobes like a wolf or hot dog are actually a nice change of pace. Some of them are unlocked with victory trophies. Others are acquired with coins that can be earned in the game and are also available in the real money store or a “collector’s edition” of the game.
Colorful, funny, tricky
Especially in the first few laps you notice: It is not as loose and fluffy as Fall Guys looks at first glance. At the beginning it’s pretty simple: run, jump, hop and grab, the game doesn’t have any more options. This has the advantage that everyone, whether a gaming beginner or a professional, will understand how the controls work in just a few minutes.
But balancing and obstacle running have to be learned first – and the 59 other players who populate the arena don’t exactly make it easier. At a level that consists of huge seesaws, you can easily lose faith in humanity. Weren’t you careful in physics? It is clear that everyone falls down when everyone rushes to one side.
So I sit in front of the PC one or the other time and curse. In the first couple of hours, I fly out almost every time in the first two rounds – and only in the last of five rounds can I get the crown, which of course only one in 60 players can have. In each round, which consists of a random selection of the 25 levels, players are mercilessly eliminated. What comforts me a little: No matter how bad I am, I get points. And my cute Fall Guys is happy anyway – no matter how early he got kicked out again.
Falling Puppets
The characters also play a large part in the constant fun. It’s basically a brightly colored blob with arms and legs that is a bit reminiscent of the Minions. The developers call these cute creatures Beans, or simply Fall Guys. In all their kind with slapstick animations, cute noises and funny costumes, the characters are designed to make you laugh.
Sometimes we have the most fun after we have already crossed the finish line and now we watch the other Fall Guys with their awkward and involuntarily funny movements.
The mishap of the other players becomes a great entertainment factor. Especially when you’ve got up to four friends in a group and you can make fun of each other’s failure. Unfortunately there is no split-screen mode, because Fall Guys would be predestined as a party game on the couch.
Customization Options
The game has some customization options so that not all characters look the same. The color, pattern and face of our Fall Guy can be changed. We can also put on different costume pieces on the upper and lower body. The cosmetic options are earned on the one hand through advancement in a seasonal progression system and on the other hand they are acquired in an in-game shop.
For the latter, the two currencies kudos and kroner are required. There are kudos after every game, depending on how far we’ve come.
We earn crowns primarily through victories, but also through the season. Kudos can also be purchased for real money. However, we had the feeling that the distribution of the currency through gameplay is very well dosed and that you can afford a lot with regular games without the use of hard euros.
The first season runs for the next two months. After that, it will be exciting to see how the developers intend to keep the players engaged. A truckload of new costumes alone will probably not be enough. The number of different stages ran out pretty quickly. Repeating the same stages often doesn’t really hurt your motivation. But the situations are always different due to the many unpredictable players. But in the longer term, the game rounds should also provide a breath of fresh air and more variety.
Because just as the idea of the game fits on a beer mat, the scope is also manageable, but this is masked with the unbelievable fun. In this regard, it is also a pity that there is no level editor. With such a tool and the creativity of the players, there would be no limits to endless fun. If the developers manage to build on the good basis in whatever form, Fall Guys can establish itself as a fun multiplayer alternative in the long term, which can even inspire those who don’t like multiplayer to one or the other funny game in between.
Hardly any microtransactions
The big disadvantage of such scolding itself is Pay2Win – there is some super important game currency that you often only get if you pay for it. There are also two currencies in Fall Guys : The crowns, which you get for winning, and Kudos, which you can get or buy for each level you have completed. But both currencies are only there to unlock new costumes – and they don’t help at all in the game. You can also win wonderfully in an ugly wolf costume.
You also have to work hard for the crowns, for which there are really cool outfits. Because you can’t buy them, only as a reward for every fifth level or for winning in the fifth round.
Speaking of levels: By the way, they aren’t just there, but as part of a battle pass for the first season of the game. This is a typical Battle Royale feature: with each season there is new content and a Battle Pass. The offers the players a level system in which they can unlock various rewards until they reach the highest level. Unlike Fortnite, for example, the Battle Pass is available for free in Fall Guys.
Bottomline
PlayStation Plus users with a penchant for online silliness should definitely venture into the fray of Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout! Or rather, fall, because there is – according to the name – no shortage of ground contact. There is also a varied mix of various bounce-heavy disciplines, mini-games and nasty acts of sabotage available as a purchasable arcade title for the PC. It’s just a shame that there are neither local rounds nor a split screen for joint online excursions – and that technically not everything is always running smoothly.
This is likely to be largely due to the huge rush, which is currently being fanned by numerous streamers. In our opinion, rightly, because for a little glee and uncomplicated fun in between, Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout is exactly the right thing – even if some disciplines wear out noticeably after a few hours.
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