Light Fall is an upcoming 2D platformer with the intention of changing up the genre a little.
Your typical platformer consists of obstacles to jump over, walls to jump up, and… well… a lot more jumping. Light Fall is no stranger to these tropes, in fact, it even embraces them – just not in the way you might expect.
Early on in the game, your character is given a power known as the Shadow Core. The Shadow Core is a block that can be summoned at any time, and it serves as another platform for you to jump or wall hop off of. Say you took a jump early. In any other platformer, you would be out of luck. Dead. In Light Fall, you can simply summon the Shadow Core and save yourself.
While it sounds like a bit of a cop-out, the levels in Light Fall are actually designed around using the Core. Jumps are twice as long as you would usually find them, and walls twice as high. During my short demo of the game, I found that the Core didn’t make obstacles easier per say – it can only be used 3 times before needing a short cool down – but rather that I would be more risky with my play style. I would blow through the level at top speed using the Core to boost myself above obstacles without breaking my flow. Incorporating the Shadow Core into your gameplay takes a bit of getting used to. But once you’ve got it down, you’ll question how you ever played platformers without it.
The Shadow Core is also used for puzzle solving. Controllable with the right stick, I use it to block laser wires and defend myself from projectiles. The puzzles I encountered during my demo were basic, but I look forward to seeing what sort of contraptions are in place later on in the game.
Light Fall shines with personality. A sarcastic owl by the name of Stryx narrates your time with the game and introduces the story of a world taken over by darkness. Did I mention the game is beautiful? Its expressive art style is best described as a dark blend between Limbo and Ori and the Blind Forest. The pallette consists of blues, and bright pinks; in addition to the main black and white palette.
If you’re getting tired of the typical 2D platformer, Light Fall has your back. So far, it seems to deliver on all fronts and is definitely worth keeping an eye on. It is being developed by Bishop Games and has a planned release for Mac and PC later this year.
