While much of the game industry continues to churn out titles that are complex in terms of gameplay mechanics and visual aesthetic, one genre still maintains its simplicity while creating new elements to bring everything to life. We’re talking about the platforming genre, one that has been around as long as the industry had been conceived many decades ago, and still continues to thrive in every possible way. Whether it’s Nintendo’s iconic Mario jumping and stomping on goombas, or Yooka and Laylee fending off cartoon styled enemies in Yooka Laylee, the platforming world continues to breath new life in what is arguably one of the oldest genres out there. This brings us to Light Fall, a gloriously designed and well put together title by the team at Bishop Games, which takes platforming adventure to a whole new level with intricate level designs and stimulating gameplay. Anyone who loves a challenging platforming experience will certainly find Light Fall to be an adventure worth embarking on. With its simple yet radiant visuals that take some inspiration from titles like Ori and the Blind Forest, paired with an enormous amount of depth to the gameplay mechanics, Light Fall is a title that caters to those who seek out something fresh and provocative.

When playing Light Fall for the first time, a few things will happen; for one you’ll be blown away by just how gorgeous the game looks on screen and second, the ease of use in terms of controls as you hop from platform to platform. It’s not just any ordinary platformer, however, as you’re the one who must place the platforms on screen, so that your character can traverse the Forgotten World of Numbra with no problems and survive the many perils that lie ahead. Light Fall is also an indie title and so, like many indie titles, it steps out of the comfort zone that many AAA titles tend to often find it hard to break out of. From its fluid animations to the amount of freedom you have while controlling the Shadow Core, Light Fall has this feeling of uniqueness that you can only find through playing the game. No other title on the market right now comes close to replicating the style and finesse that Light Fall portrays, which is great because you know that you’re getting your money’s worth. Be ready for a vast world that’s immersive and mysterious, captivating and riveting, while providing you with an experience unlike any other. If you enjoy speedrunning then there’s also a mode which you can dive straight into and create your own little competitive environment with friends, or perhaps a community. Whatever your prerogative, Light Fall has it there for you so be sure to have your radar set on this one.

As mentioned earlier in the article, Light Fall is an action platformer which takes place on a 2D plane, and throws you into a world that’s filled with wonder. You rely on your Shadow Core, a device that creates a small little platform in front of you so that obstacles can easily be avoided. While the overall premise of the game is quite simple, mastering the art of placement is what makes the game a stimulating ordeal. The first few levels act as somewhat of a guide to ensure that you understand how the mechanics work, and to get a better feel of how to make the best use of the Shadow Core. As you progress further into the game, however, the hardcore side of the game starts to reveal itself as now, obstacles become a little more arduous than the last, and making sure to properly space your Shadow Core is pivotal.

You can dash to speed things up as you hop from platform to platform, but ultimately, it all comes down to you to make sure the Shadow Core isn’t overused. What we mean by that is the Shadow Core comes with limitations and so, mashing out random Shadow Cores without properly executing a formula to reach the next section will create a very tempestuous scenario. When the Shadow Core has been used to the max, it will light up to indicate that you’ve gone a little too far, which means that you won’t be able to create another platform until the other is removed. It’s like erasing a platform and then creating a new one every time, making the journey towards the next section very time consuming. You’re mentally pushed to the limits at times because dying a lot starts to become more common, and so therefore you need to develop patience along with critical thinking in order to successfully move forward.

Fortunately, there’s no time limit to the game and so, you can retry the level as many times as you need in order to figure out the right alignment of each platform, and pass through without much worry. Each level you play through tells its own story as you’re the one creating how everything unfolds each time a platform is placed on screen. It doesn’t feel linear in that regard since it encourages you to really think outside of ordinary means to ensure you don’t end up falling to your death countless times. For that reason, Light Fall enlightens you and compels you to go beyond what’s expected to really bring out the best of what the game is offering. It’s not just about fending off foes and racing your way through each stage for bragging rights, but rather it feels a lot like building something new every time which only further dictates how the rest of your gameplay experience will pan out. You’re in the driver’s seat every time and aren’t relying solely on a pre-designed platform template, which is what most other platformer titles tend to depend on. That obviously isn’t a bad thing, of course, when you consider successful titles like the ones we exemplified earlier, but it’s being able to take the next step to create something provocative for the mind that truly makes a game worth playing.

Light Fall is nothing short of a spectacular platforming experience. It takes all of the great aspects of the genre and glues it together with its own unique form of gameplay, to create a very cohesive and memorable experience from start to finish. It’s not an incredibly long game in that there’s a massive amount of levels to run though, but it’s lengthy in the sense that every level provides a new obstacle that will test your mind. Taking the strategic approach is totally part of this experience and is what allows you to truly feel that sense of ultimate freedom. You often become your own worst enemy while playing because it’s so easy to really get into your own head, which plays a bunch of tricks on you. However when you’re finally able to zone in and overcome your anxieties or fear of failure, Light Fall truly takes you on a beautiful adventure that you’ll simply want to explore for hours on end.

Light Fall is definitely one of favorite indie titles of this year and for very good reason. We had the opportunity to test the game out in its preview build, which blew us away and so, our expectations remained quite high while going into the full review version. Nothing much had changed other than some cosmetic UI makeovers and bug fixes which was a splendid sign. In the end, Light Fall totally had us by the edge of our seats constantly trying to survive the many challenges that were thrown our way. Dealing with foes felt satisfying while the constant thrill of creating our own escape options felt rewarding all the way to the very end. We hope that you found this review to be insightful and gave you enough information to help you better decide whether the purchase is worthy or not. Be sure to follow us on Twitter and Twitch to stay up to date on all the latest gaming news!

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