There’s a thin line some games like to play between actual gameplay, being artsy, and telling a strong narrative story. Not all do it particularly well, but usually, if you can nail at least two of these elements, it makes for a decent overall game, while the “masterpieces” we all think of hit all three. One game I was excited to check out, but unsure what the outcome would be, was Faye Falling, a top-down narrative adventure-puzzle game. Even what was shown didn’t fully prepare me for a story of mortality, a vibrant world, and much more.

As mentioned, Faye Falling is an adventure-puzzle game filled with a lot more than you would expect. So, where better to start than the actual gameplay? Wandering around the world, there will be various obstacles to manoeuvre around, figure out puzzles for, and, in some cases, find upgrades for. Some are in the world, and some are hidden behind almost Mario Party-style minigames of collecting as many coins as you can without collecting any of the bad projectiles. The other side of the gameplay is the actual battles.

At the start of Faye Falling, you’ll pick a class to traverse the game with; these mostly just have an effect on what stats go up as you level. For the actual battles, it’s very akin to that of Undertale; it’s a turn based RPG combat with minigames to avoid attacks. One big part of this I enjoy is that you can easily make some attacks stronger, because you’re always giving the player a chance to avoid them entirely.

The best thing about Faye Falling is the visuals, though. The world is absolutely beautiful, and there is a whole “believable” reason for the semi-simplicity of most characters looking the same, just being hooded figures. How bright and vibrant the overworld is, while there are dimly lit tunnels, cold-feeling buildings, and so much more. It shows this is where a ton of the detail went into, alongside the actual story writing, and giving the player the option to express how much they are or aren’t grasping in the story with dialogue options.

The other big part of the music because it’s great. Again, I will relate it back to Undertale, because the music in this is peaceful, calming, all those adjectives that mean the same thing, but then you come up against a boss, and it goes off the rails. Honestly, it might be a hot take to some people, but this is probably a better soundtrack than Undertale offers.

The main letdown that I have found with Faye Falling is the fact that there doesn’t feel like there’s much reason to replay the story, outside of it being great. Playing as a different class might offer a small bit of deviation from what you know, but the story is very linear without any side tales. That is one place a game like this would thrive, having options and feeling some level of control over your decisions, instead of being railroaded into some characters possibly not making it to the end.

To bring it around, Faye Falling talks the line of artsy, narrative, and gameplay really well. Much like anything, it won’t be for everyone. That said, if you like Undertale or Deltarune even a little bit, this game is more than worth checking out. If you like JRPGs, this could be a fun breather for you without having to go play an FPS or anything. It’s a beautiful game with thoughtfully written characters that doesn’t overstay its welcome. That’s what Faye Falling is in a nutshell.

 

Graphics: 8.5 Faye Falling is such a pretty-looking game. The graphics are clear, bright, and vibrant where it needs to be , and dark where it wants to be.	Gameplay: 8.0 Undertale combat mixed with a story about mortality. It’s really hard to ask for more than that!
Sound: 7.0 Faye Falling has a predominantly amazing soundtrack. There are some areas that are quite relaxing, boss battle themes are such high energy and fitting to the intensity.	Fun Factor: 9.0 Faye Falling might not be the longest game, but it’s quite quick, concise, and thankfully, doesn’t overstay its welcome.
Final Verdict: 8.5

Faye Falling is available now on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PC, and Xbox One.

Reviewed on Nintendo Switch 2.

A copy of Faye Falling was provided by the publisher.