Fall Guys (PS4) review

Its a knockout! 

In a year in which we would all like to forget, Fall Guys dropped on us out of nowhere and it's fair to say this game has helped keep us entertained in our houses. 

I started playing Fall Guys when it was made available through PlayStation Plus and the free games line up for August. This game is so much fun and in my opinion one of the best battle royale games out there. Adding a season pass (which is also free) gives the game much needed replay value and keeps things fresh. I'm actually a fan of season passes in games as it gives you something to play for, and unlocking content can be addictive. It's similar to the season pass in Call of duty, as you progress through the game you earn points to unlock content. This includes outfits, emotes, titles and even crowns (which you would normally only get if you get to the final of Fall Guys and win) and that is far from easy. 

It's very much like Wipeout or Its a knockout, where the premise is to be the last one standing out of 60. This isn't easy nor does it sound easy, but each round eliminates a certain amount of people if you fail to qualify in time. This could be a race to the finish through an assault course or a game of tag (yes really). There's loads of mini games in Fall Guys and you'll find that you may hate some and love others.

The only problem I found is that the further you progress the harder is gets, as you are with people who are usually good at the game, with the weaker ones eliminated. 

Events are varied enough from 'door dash', a race to the finish with a row of doors every few steps and only certain doors will open, you need to find the right path. Usually people will follow the one that's open and therein ensues a rush of people trying to squeeze through the only open door, and it's comedy. There are many events with their own unique take on the battle royale formula, such as a hill climb (fruit shoot) where you have to reach the top, with fruit flying down the slope to try and knock you off course. 

The final event is usually played out when it's down to the last 10 or so, and theres various final events that are randomly generated. I found Fall Mountain and Jump Showdown to be my favourite as I had the best chance on these. Hex-a-gone is a frustrating yet fun experience I found. You are each stood on a hexagon shaped platform, with each one dissappearing after a second or two of being touched which makes you jump to the next hexagon, until eventually you have nowhere to go and will fall to the next section of hexagons, and so on. I think there are about 10 rows and you have to be the last one not to fall into the slime at the bottom. It's fast, frantic and frustrating to say the least and requires precise timing and forward thinking to plan your next few steps ahead.

Matchmaking in Fall Guys is fairly good with me being able to find a game pretty much straight away. The game isn't without its bugs and glitches with random disconnects which can be annoying, but this was rare and didn't affect my opinion towards the game too much. Patches and updates have fixed various bugs but overall its a fun game which anyone can jump on and immediately have a blast. 

The controls are simple and it works, quick thinking on stages require less buttons to find, so having 3 main buttons is a great idea. Your movement can be done with the analogue stick, jump is X, and grab is R2. Fairly easy to remember then, oh and square is dive, very useful in certain situations that require a fast escape. This system works fine and suits the game well. Your character (a sort of bean with eyes) is basic enough and will fall if he gets knocked over or hits an obstacle. So you have to be wary of your surroundings and try to keep your balance, jumping is all about timing and getting it wrong can be the difference between winning and being eliminated.

Verdict 7/10

Great fun for all the family and if you didn't grab it when it was free through PlayStation Plus, it's definitely worth the £15.99 price tag

+ Easy to pick up and play

+ Great fun

- Online only 

- Connection issues