Back in the early days of Discover, we didn't have much of a choice when it came to what we played. It was either the popular games at the time such as No Breaks Valet or Towerfall before things started to pick up. However, a game that sadly got pushed aside in favor of these highly publicized games by OUYA Incorporate was FallenWorld (also known as Fallen World). A game that was my second OUYA purchase & many wonder whether or not I enjoyed it. Find the answer to that question and determine whether or not it's something you'd like to play as this is the FallenWorld review.
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Story:
The developers known as Kurato imply that this game is story driven. However, there's not much story to be had in FallenWorld, but that's not to say what it has isn't good. The story can be summed up as a female cyborg that is the final hope for humanity, and your job as a cyborg ninja is to protect her so she can stop the threat that aims to wipe out the rest of humanity for good. This threat is the mainframe and machine network, and you have to fight your way to Machine City to save what's left of the fallen world by shutting down both of these.
Overall, I wouldn't call the game story driven but more story provoke. What little they have for FallenWorld is good, but more could have been given for the main story if not some backstory on the two main characters which is completely absent. In the end, it is what it is.
Gameplay & Controls:
FallenWorld is a mixture of a hack 'n' slash game & tower defense. Upon starting one of the nine levels, the female cyborg puts up a barrier around her and your job is to protect her. You do this by swinging your sword, spawning turrets, spawning soldiers, and creating shockwaves against the variety of enemies that are after her. All but your basic sword attacks cost energy to use which can be acquired by defeating them with your sword. Once acquired, you can unleash a lot of mayhem which quickly becomes easier as you acquire experience since you can level up your weapons and attributes from the shop.
Continuing on, you're taken to a shop upon completion of a level. Here is where you can upgrade anything from the soldiers you summon to your sword's combo potential. Upgrading shouldn't be mindless because the levels ahead will test everything you have because the amount of enemies that the game will pent you against will increase to nearly sweat inducing levels. Thankfully, the game makes sure you acquire enough experience and gives you a great selection of things to upgrade with to have the player be self-sufficient.
As previously stated, the game contains nine levels which increase in difficulty and length as you progress. It also includes a hard difficulty upon completion of the normal difficulty where you can tackle the greater challenges with your upgraded equipment. The amount of levels may seem small, but the fact that there's replay value in an extra difficulty artificially inflate it to eighteen levels if you're willing to go through the game again. If not, then you'll find the experience to be satisfying, yet short.
However, how can one tackle a game without proper controls? FallenWorld has extremely smooth controls that even those who've never played a video game can instantly master. Everything is fluid, responsive, and very satisfying. This makes FallenWorld one of if not the best game in regards to controls on the OUYA console so far.
Overall, the game is solid in its gameplay and controls. The balanced increase of difficulty as you progress will insure that players won't get frustrated, and the shop allows you to play how you want to with an exception of upgrades that are mandatory for smooth progression. It also offers replay value in the form of a higher difficulty that will test you for everything you're worth if the normal difficulty is too easy. With everything said, there's hardly a blemish to be found in these areas of FallenWorld.
Visuals:
The visuals for FallenWorld can be described as a post apocalyptic Jet Grind Radio from the Dreamcast. That being said, the game is definitely nice to look at. The characters and enemies are well animated and pop out from the scenery. The scenery itself is a tad uninspired due to the fact that the motif has been done to death, but it's not something that can be considered a detriment to the experience.Overall, there's hardly anything to be said about the visuals in FallenWorld. They're not something that surprise the player because of how good it looks, but still very appealing to the eyes nonetheless.
Soundtrack & Sounds:
The soundtrack in FallenWorld is another great aspect about the game. It's catchy, fitting, and even engrossing in some regard. It gets you in the mood to fight the threat and continue onward in the game. The sounds are also good because every impact with the sword gives you a very satisfied feeling that is almost required for any game in the hack 'n' slash genre. Even things such a summoning a soldier to help you in battle has a pleasing tone associated with it.
Overall, everything auditory within FallenWorld is done very well. I wouldn't be surprised if some players looked up the soundtrack online to add to their collection of video game music.
Conclusion:
FallenWorld is a fantastic game that I don't regret purchasing in the slightest. Its great soundtrack, appealing visuals, perfect controls, and solid gameplay make it one of the best purchases I've ever made. It has minor issues in regards to what you should and shouldn't upgrade since the seemingly optional upgrade system has underlying mandatory things that you have to purchase with your accumulated experience in order to proceed through the game without headaches. Another issue is the fact that the game can be short if you're not willing to play through the higher difficulty. The inclusion of the harder difficulty itself enables you to start from the beginning with all your upgraded equipment which adds replay value, but an endless mode would have made an excellent addition to a game that's already satisfying as it is.
The story for the game is something I hoped would have been fleshed out more, and the fact that there's no backstory for the two main characters accumulates into something of a missed opportunity for FallenWorld. However, these are all very minor issues and anyone who wants to experience one of the OUYA console's hidden gems and one of its best games in general is implored to give this game a try. In the end, FallenWorld gets a five out of five.
Score: 5/5
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