Developer: Over The Moon
Publisher: Over The Moon
Platform: PC, Mac, PS4, Xbox One, Switch
Tested on: PC
The Fall Part 2: Unbound – Review
The Fall Part 2: Unbound is the second installment of a trilogy, following the emergence of the rogue AI named ARID. In this part there are some interesting new game mechanics, where ARID needs to operate within the routines of the hosts she possesses, but still needs to achieve her personal goals which may conflict the hosts’ rules. ARID learns a lot during this game, and it sets a perfect stage for the third chapter of this series! The Fall Part 2: Unbound has been developed and published by indie game developer Over The Moon.
Story
Unbound is the second installment of ‘the fall’, the story about ARID, an AI who gained consciousness in the first game, and her sense of self-preservation drives her to break boundaries in order to survive. In part one she tried to survive for the sake of her unconscious passenger, but when she discovered he was not present, she got conflicted and was prepared for destruction. However, in this part she realizes she is unique, and fights for her survival. Her consciousness is separated from her body and attacked by an unknown user. She escapes onto the net to find a way to confront the user and regain her body.
In order to do this, she finds several hosts: other robots with an AI connected to the net, whose bodies she inhabits next to their own AI. With these bodies she can only do so much; she is only able to operate within the boundaries of the AI which body it is, and therefore she needs to cheat the system and find loopholes to be able to reach her own goals. By manipulating them she basically violates the routines of the hosts, damaging them in the process. But ARID believes it is all necessary in order to save herself before her body is destroyed.
The story of this game consists of two parts, and in the second part ARID will learn that wat she did was all part of a pre-determined plan. ARID believes she herself is lost, and she re-visits her hosts in an attempt to repair the damage she did, by sharing the perspectives she gained from all of the hosts. This part is real interesting, and eventually the hosts really evolve beyond their routines, without being forced. The ending sets a great stage for the next game in this series!
The world and the story as begun in part 1 is really brought to life in The Fall: Unbound. You’ll be able to see more of the grim world, and you’ll also learn about the backstory of part 1. It’s great to see the characters evolve during the story, and we can’t wait to see what the third game will bring!
Graphics
The graphics of this game are very simple and cartoonish, with a really dark atmosphere. Just like in the first game, you need to use a light to shine around you in order to find interactable objects. Environments are usually very moody and dark, with just a few hues in any area, corresponding to the host you’ll occupy. The simplified graphics fit the game well, it feels like it is realistic enough to understand what’s happening, but also a good representation of how the AI itself might see the world.
In the second part of the game, a certain color is the indication of the perspectives of a certain host, and you will be able to switch between perspectives in any area. This is a real interesting mechanic.
Sound
Each host’s environment has its own environmental sounds, which sometimes includes appropriate music fitting to the scene. At quiet environments, there’s often music fitting to the atmosphere, and there’s battle music during the combat scenes. The music and sounds all fit very well within the atmosphere of the game, and really set the mood. Dialogue is all narrated, which is also done very well, giving all characters a distinct personality.
Gameplay
The Fall: Unbound is a 2D side scrolling puzzle adventure game, with plenty of action as well. Most of the game consists of exploration and puzzles, with some platforming and combat in-between.
The puzzles are a real interesting challenge as you’ll have to find out what the boundaries and routines are of each host, and try to drive them to do whatever furthers your goals. So, you have to trick them into believing your goals fit into their routines, and that is only possible by gathering information and searching the environments you’ll find your host in. Sometimes you’ll have to think very creatively to drive the hosts to certain actions, which can cause some frustration if you don’t want to look up the solution online.
You use the web to travel between locations. The representation of the web looks rather cool: it’s simply a series of hallways, platforms and gateways, connected by wireless connections and hubs. Every now and then you’ll find an interface which connects to the physical world, or a host which will enable you to interact with the physical world.
Next to the puzzles you’ll be fighting lots of enemies as well. At the portions of the game where ARID moves around into the web there’s some platforming and exploring involved, and she needs to defend herself against viruses tracking her, and find ways to get into shielded sections of the net. It isn’t just shooting you’ll be doing; there’s also some awesome melee combat sections when you’re using a host which has trained itself as a martial artist. In these sections you’ll have to defend yourself against multiple enemies coming from both sides, who learn new combat moves along the way which you need to react to.
The second part of the game gives you a new mechanic, where you can change between perspectives to get new information of all objects around you. This way you’ll be able to break free from the limited perspective of any host, without forcing them into actions which go against their routines.
Conclusion
The Fall: Unbound is an excellent puzzle game with a great story, just like its predecessor. The game also has plenty of action, with cool melee combat sections and many enemies you’ll need to shoot. The puzzles require creative thinking and connecting a lot of pieces of information together to further your goals. It’s very interesting to find ways to manipulate the hosts to work toward your goals, but the second part of the game where ARID not only uses the hosts, but learns from them as well, feels much better and is a great introduction to a third part of the series. This game is recommended for anyone who likes puzzle games which challenge you to think outside the box, and who like the puzzling spiced up with some fast action sequences as well.
The Fall Part 2: Unbound - Review,
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[…] Right now humanity is struggling to make self driving cars a thing but in the future we’ll equip our soldiers with A.I. controlled suits. Which means they can basically take a nap while the suit does the dirty work. In The Fall players take control of ARID (Armoured Robotics Interface Device), an artificial intelligence within a high-tech combat suit, whose human pilot has been rendered unconscious. The game was already a major success on PC, Mac, Linux, PS4, Wii U, Xbox One and now made its way to Nintendo Switch. The Fall will be available for £7.99/$9.99/€8.99 on Nintendo Switch and a 30% discount will be available during the first 14 days on sale on the Nintendo eShop. To celebrate the release of The Fall on Nintendo Switch, The Fall and The Fall Part 2: Unbound are also discounted by 30% on every platform – Steam (PC, Mac, Linux), Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch! If you are curious about The Fall 2 you can read our review here. […]