Light Fall is an insanely fast-paced platformer for the challenge seekers among us.
It’s also hard; very hard. When playing it, I felt the same mix of rage and determination I haven’t felt since my days playing Super Meat Boy.
The game is a story of a boy with special powers, told through the narration of a wise old owl. The narration is charming in a way, and very reminiscent of Bastion. I particularly enjoyed listening to him as he describes and explains a new ability.
The first ability you get and the one that will serve you the most throughout the game (or at least the parts of it I got to play) is the Shadow Core. With it, you can create a special cube anywhere around your character at any moment. You can land on it, use to wall-jump or even activate some switches.
It’s a platformer that literally lets you create your own platforms with the push of a button.
The catch is you can only create five of these cubes before you have to touch the ground and reset the count. It is also extremely tricky to position a cube correctly as you are hurling through the air at intense speed.
Combine that with solving puzzles and avoiding lasers and other projectiles, and you get yourself a nerve-wracking test of skill. Light Fall is the kind of game that expects you to survive not only the many challenges it throws your way but your own mistakes as well.
As you probably gathered, Light Fall is built with speed in mind.
You can’t just stand still and calculate your next move. You have to go for it, make fast decisions and perform incredibly precise jumps. One single misstep and your back at the beginning.
There are also creatures to fight and breakable walls to punch through, though it is clear that the developers invested most of their effort into the platforming elements of Light Fall.
It’s the kind of game in which the more you fail, the better you get. For a newcomer, beating a level in a single run is nothing more than a distant dream. The key is dedication (and reflexes). You know what I’m talking about if you know how to appreciate a good challenge.
But the game is not solely about the challenge. Light Fall is also a beautifully crafted game.
The scenarios look great, and the animated backgrounds really make each level come alive. Huge beasts and crashing waves all add a sense of purpose to the levels and urge you to keep going ever forward.
You can also contribute that to the old owl’s narration that dynamically reacts to your actions or the dramatic musical score. It can be a bit too much at times, though, as it often stressed me out a little too much.
From what I got to play so far, Light Fall is lovely and challenging at the same time. Look forward to enjoying the mix of pleasant visuals and rage-inducing gameplay when the game comes out on PC and Nintendo Switch later this year.
Some of our posts include links to online retail stores. We get a small cut if you buy something through one of our links. Don't worry, it doesn't cost you anything extra.
