If you’re anything like me, the idea of playing something from publisher Devolver Digital is something I always look forward to. After all, the company excels at making unique experiences that might even catch you off guard. At E3 2019, we got to go hands-on with a little game full of personality, Fall Guys. It’s a smaller indie title developed by Mediatonic, with the goal of blending the mini-games of Mario Party with the chaotic nature of a multiplayer Battle Royale.
Admittedly, Mediatonic acknowledges the oversaturation of the Battle Royale genre, and wanted to make something different. During my demo, I got to play with three other players and a slew of NPCs to make things extra chaotic. The build available at E3 only had three mini-games to play through, but they were a great representation of what’s to come for the final product. According to the developer, around 30 or so mini-games are expected to make it in the final release.
In Fall Guys, you play as a cute and customizable blob that adds a ton of personality to the game. The moment-to-moment gameplay consists of around 100 players competing to win in a randomly generated selection of mini-games. The ones shown in the demo were simple, yet way more fun than I expected.
E3 2019 Fall Guys Preview — Lots of Mini-Games
The first mini-game was a race, but the catch is that you must bust through a door to move to the next checkpoint. Starting out, there are several doors to choose from. However, not all doors can be busted through, and you never know which ones will allow access. As you cross each checkpoint, the amount of doors you have to choose from decreases, so it gets wild quickly.
The next mini-game consisted of all players thrown into a map with the goal of snatching another player’s tail. The catch with this one is that there aren’t enough tails for everyone, and since you’re on a time limit, you might find yourself on the edge of your seat while you scramble around. When someone grabs your tail, you can quickly grab another one from a nearby player, but there’s some element of strategy you have to use when doing so. The map had a decent level of intricacy, with structures to climb and obstacles to avoid. And if you’re left without a tail when the timer runs out, you’re out for good.
Finally, the last mini-game was probably the least interesting in terms of design, but still had a lot of tension due to it being the final round. This one was another race, much like the first round, but instead featured a slew of obstacles to avoid. You almost can’t move with all the players and structures in your way, but that’s what makes it fun. The first one to get to the end and grab the crown wins. Some of my most memorable moments involved me trying to jump over a pile of players who had all been knocked down by a swinging arm, only to be smacked in the head with a giant ball. It’s slapstick comedy at its best.
According to the developer, Fall Guys is expected to include support for 100 online-players at once, but if that turns out to be too much, the total player-count will be lowered. Fall Guys is still a work in progress, so there’s a lot that might change before release.
You can expect to get your hands on the PS4 version of Fall Guys in 2020.
For more Devolver Digital goodness, you can check out our Carrion E3 2019 preview.
