Fall Guys Free-for-All! Is it worth the install?
Most of us were playing a sussy game called Among Us at the height of the pandemic, but it would soon see some competition when a tv-show inspired game emerged. Fall Guys was released on August 4th, 2020, and it was all we could see on Twitch for a couple of days, maybe even weeks.
The premise is a 60-player wild American Ninja Warrior competition. There are several rounds with different challenges ahead, and if you're lucky enough, you might even win! This silly game was a fantastic way to bond in an innovative virtual setting. The ridiculous costumes you could don on your character set the experience's tone.
I was resistant to playing this game when it first came out as it was not my typical form of entertainment. I am an avid Apex and Valorant enthusiast, and while I enjoyed Among Us, it was an easy jump to make as it was free! It was a bit tough to justify the price of Fall Guys at the time. After a few months, one of my close friends finally got me to play, and frankly… I regretted spending money on that game. Some of the maps were frustrating, especially "Slime Climb," and I would get tilted. It's crazy to say that I could keep my cool in stressful Apex games, but falling into slime was the last straw. It didn't help that some Fall Guys players would grab onto you as you tried to reach the finish line. The colorful background and silly characters make you forget that it is a competition. You're finally getting into the rhythm of jumping from one platform to another when suddenly you get grabbed and thrown off the map for the fourth time. Sounds frustrating, right?
To no surprise, I ended up uninstalling Fall Guys for YEARS. Until last week, when my friends wanted to play. I decided to go into it with an open mind, and I am so glad I did!
The new maps are intriguing, and they updated my nemesis, "Slime Climb," which I still fell into… but in a fun way! Perhaps I was more mentally prepared to turn off my competitive side, but I do believe that the developers have made excellent additions, including Squads Show. This mode places you in a team of four, so I was able to be in a group with my friends instead of competing against them. While this mode was added permanently in April 2021, it was new to me, and I really enjoyed being able to be silly with friends.
Having different perspectives is always a good idea! I asked my Fall Friends/Competitive Phasmo team what they thought of our Friday Fall Guys gaming session, and they kindly shared their perspective. I just wanted to thank them again for being so helpful and letting me include them in this post (although they disagreed with being subjected to my graphic design skills).
So is Fall Guys worth the download? I would say yes! If you are willing to accept that a lot of luck and silliness is on the menu, then you will have a great time, and if not… well, at least it's free!