Parents' Guide to

The Fall

By Chad Sapieha, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

AI-centric puzzler with dark atmosphere, some violence.

Game Mac, Nintendo Wii U, Windows 2014
The Fall Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

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Is It Any Good?

Our review:
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Kids say (1):

The Fall isn't long, but its dark artistic flair is memorable. Clearly inspired by indie sensation Limbo, players will encounter dramatic lighting and shadow effects from a flashlight shining into the darkness to silhouettes of junk piles. The story and voice acting are engaging as well, making it easy to get sucked into the AI's desperate plight to save its human. It can be surprisingly emotional for a story about robots and artificial intelligence.

The rudimentary puzzles, however, are a bit of a mixed bag. Most of the time, it's simply a matter of searching the environment for objects, then working out where and how to use them. The solutions generally make sense, but there will be times of frustration when you simply try one thing after another in a process of elimination. Cover-based combat, meanwhile, is competent and fun yet uninspired. It seems to exist simply to provide a break from solving puzzles. Still, there's something fascinating about The Fall and its non-human hero that's not easily dismissed. It's worth a look for anyone interested in the possibilities and boundaries inherent in artificial intelligence.

Game Details

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