A variety of game’s stretch Youtube’s Let’s Play space, but one theme that shows up consistently are the ones that center around wobbly and wonky controls. Games like Surgeon Simulator, Octodad, and I Am Bread have achieved a much bigger presence in that spotlight, particularly because they are so entertaining to watch.
However an issue that can always arise is if these get repetitious quickly, something that showed up prominently in the rather disappointing Octodad: Dadliest Catch. Meanwhile, games like QWOP don’t suffer through the same symptoms, as their fundamentals have been reduced to a bite-sized kind of exposure.
Now, Curve Digital and No Brakes Games are applying this formula into a more open-ended, puzzle adventure setting. The game’s still got a comical setting much like the influencers before it, but can it excel to be the best of it’s niche yet intriguing genre?
Gameplay:
At it’s heart, Human Fall Flat’s mechanics are definitely influenced by the previous examples mentioned. However, this isn’t a bad thing, because Human Fall Flat and it’s predecessors all know how to do their mechanics well. What’s really more important is what’s backing it, which Human Fall Flat does succeed at, although it’s influx of tutorial sections muddy those waters. However, the whole gameplay system and structure is a lot simpler to get used to then let’s say Surgeon Simulator or Baking Simulator, which are meant to be purposely insurmountable.
Story & Design:
Another important thing to perfect in this strange genre is how the controls work. Too obtuse, and you’ll never settle for that special moment of getting everything right, and too clean and it just feels unfitting. Human Fall Flat commits to this pretty well, with a proper mix of precision and ambiguity. This makes the game’s puzzles a little easier to contribute to, even though they are well designed in the first place.
Presentation/ Visuals & Audio:
Human Fall Flat’s presentation is also very interesting, offering a soundtrack that wouldn’t be expected but strangely works (spoiler, it’s jazz) The same goes for the animated voice acting, making up for a no show in the story department. The game also has an advantageous replay value over it’s competitors, as there are secrets on top of cooperative modes.
Conclusion:
Human Fall Flat has some issues, but it’s one of the few games I’ve played recently where it weaves into the gameplay in rather enjoyable ways. This works even better with other people, making me realize why the game has gotten so much online publicity. It doesn’t thrive off of one gimmick, and is successful and captivating because of that.
Human Fall Flat gets a 8/10 (Very Good)
We’d like to thank Curve Digital for giving us a code!
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