Published by EastAsiaSoft, Faye Falling is an unconventional RPG. Although the maze-heavy puzzle solving and odd set pieces might not be for everyone, this is an adventure fans of Earthbound and Undertale might want to wishlist.
Playing as a recently deceased soul without a memory, you are put in charge of stopping a growing darkness because of course. The meat of the gameplay comes from navigating a top-down Zelda-lite environment but each area is essentially its own puzzle. While it is possible to backtrack, the game mostly wants you to move forward once that spot has been cleared of enemies, trials, and puzzles. In other words, the pacing is consistent with each area being capped with a boss battle.
Combat isn’t your typical press-X to swing your sword or choosing Fight from a menu. Instead, battles are more like WarioWare minigames that only last a few seconds. For example, you might need to dodge incoming attacks from within a Tetris-like well or shoot enemies as if playing a vertical shmup. Personally, the reaction-based combat is appreciated and something different. I guess my only gripe with it is that it takes time to understand. Sometimes, I died within the combat mini game in the first second as I didn’t know what to do. Sure, the growing pains gets easier over time but the initial learning curve most likely will require extra healing items to be always kept in your inventory.
Controlling your cloaked character is also fast but loose. It is appreciated to be able to zip through landscapes your already visited but moving is a little too unwieldly. Blowing past turns or overshooting your target on the overworld map is easily done which can get frustrating over time. I wish the character moved at like 80% speed of the default setting.
Without a mapping system or objective markers, this is one of those games where you can get totally lost if you don’t play it for week. Where I am supposed to go? I guess I will rummage around, wasting time, until I remember what I was doing. So keep this in mind if you are a busy adult like me. I wish more games had a busy adult setting in the options menu. The good news is, since each area is its own little puzzle, it usually don’t take too long to figure out what to do through the process of elimination. Still, not having a guide can be disheartening at times.
Another thing to keep in mind is the difficulty. Since shops have limited inventory and most areas are limited on the amount of level grinding you can perform, players need to pay attention and play smart. This is an RPG where dying is almost as common as winning basic battles, mostly due to the reaction-based combat system that takes time to understand. However, dedicated players will be able to sink their teeth into narrative thanks to the New Game+ mode. I don’t want to spoil anything here but the quest has some memorable moments.
Although there are blemishes of tedium and frustration, Faye Falling deserves a look and recognition for trying to be different. It is an RPG but isn’t afraid to take the road less traveled. It isn’t afraid to not hold your hand. It isn’t afraid to kick you when you are down. It isn’t afraid to force you into making key decision. Like I said, it might not be for everyone but there is something unique here, it isn’t another roguelike, and costs under $10.
Not As Good As: Trash Quest
Also Try: Limbo
Wait For It: a Mother 3 official release
By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com
X/Twitter: @ZackGaz
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RATING
OUR SCORE - 7.5
7.5
SCORE
Faye Falling is a unique RPG that turns combat into WarioWare with compartmentalized top-down Zelda-ish puzzle solving into a mixture that doesn’t always hit high notes, but what is here is something memorable if you manage to see it through to the end.
Editor in Chief - been writing for mygamer,com for 20+ years. Gaming enthusiast. Hater of pants. Publisher of obscure gaming content on my YT channel.
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