I don't like making bold statements often, but here goes: I genuinely think Light Fall is probably one of the best platformers I've played in a long time. It's smooth, it's sleek, it has a definite sense of it's own life and flair and style. The demo was challenging but not overwhelming, the narrator chastises while still being fun to listen to, and the atmosphere is something that has to be experienced.
This is Light Fall, and it's a game you should check out right away.
I was wondering PAX East 2015 when I ran across this game on the indie megabooth floor. Made by the small development studio Bishop Games, Light Fall is a platforming game that has a lot going for it. Their booth had multiple set ups to try the game, and you could get one of their fancy T-shirts for free...if you could beat the two stage segments they had prepared under the time limit.
The developers were right on hand, and coached you through the levels. They also liked reminding you that you were behind on the time table for getting free stuff.
Without shame, I will gladly mention I'm not the best at platformers; not terrible, but certainly not an expert. While I did manage to finish, I took my sweet time, playing through the small puzzles and understanding the timing of the game, I'm glad I did, as I was fortunate enough to spend time with the development team as I went through the level.
To be quite frank, I started taking my time just to enjoy the scenery.
This game is genuinely pretty, and a pleasure to play through.
Light Fall comes across as a game that has a lot that it wants to prove; it has taken a lot of points from recent indie platformer games, but worked to make sure that it doesn't feel like a clone. The great minimalist game Limbo had a great shadowed approach to the characters and map details, and Light Fall expands on it by making colors splash across the backgrounds, highlighting the action of the characters and the dangerous purple crystals you can fall onto. There's a narrator in the game, one that helps tell the story for your apparently mute character, laying down hints about the plot and backstory for the world of Numbra.
The owl flies in and out of the game, seeming miffed that you woke him up, but becoming more curious as your avatar overcomes more and more challenges
Something I sincerely enjoyed about the game was the ability to create my own terrain, manipulating it to help survive. You can see it in the small clip above, how the boy you play as is gifted with the ability to manipulate the world around him. The 'shadow core' as it's called, is a gift from the gods, letting him leap over danger, defend himself against attacks, and simply explore the awesome looking world. While I did mention the game was challenging, because of this ability, it never felt impossible, and I'm looking forward to playing the full game to see what other uses I can get out of manipulating the world around me in this platformer. Bishop Games is asking for a small amount of money on it's Kickstarter to finish the development process, and believe me, the investment will be well worth it. Light Fall was an absolute joy to play, and if it was able to suck me in as much as it did in only a few minutes, I think you'll agree with me too.
Don't believe me? You don't have to: there's a demo right in their updates section for the Kickstarter. They are putting their money where their mouth is, and in my opinion, they have every right to. The amount of polish on this is already fantastic, and by the time the game comes out in full, I'm sure all of it will have that same glossy sheen. Check it out, you won't regret it.
