“Human: Fall Flat” – PC Review

Hello, humans! It is I, a fellow human, here to enjoy human activities with you. I’m fond of all human joys, such as opening doors, pressing buttons, moving blocks, and of course, hurling myself into the great abyss.

Human: Fall Flat is a physics-based puzzle platformer developed by No Brakes Games and published by Curve Digital.  The main objective is simple: Get to the exit door and fall into the next level. The player must go through a number of puzzles in each level before they can proceed. The puzzles start simple enough. Move this block, climb up this wall, hit this button, BOOM, level complete. The real challenge comes from the controls. The character you play is a wobbly human almost incapable of moving both arms in different directions. Instead, the player uses the triggers to reach for and grab objects, and the right analog stick to move their arms and the object they’re carrying up or down.

As the game progresses, the difficulty of the puzzles increase, at times requiring the player to use multiple tools to create a makeshift machine for the level. Most puzzles can be done in multiple different ways, while others can be avoided altogether with some quick timing and disregard for the rules. Human: Fall Flat is built on the frustration of the controls causing all kinds of mishaps, but its cartoony vibe makes every failure a laugh while making every success feel like a true accomplishment

While a puzzle may be as simple as driving a truck of coal down a hill, the funky controls and lever-based car movement turn each mundane task into a feat of strength.  The music compounds on that feeling. Being comprised of mostly piano and guitar, it makes every turn in a level, every jump narrowly succeeded, and every button press just a bit more impactful when the right song is playing. Unfortunately, the soundtrack doesn’t always hit the mark. It’s a bunch of songs played on random which can fit the moment well enough but could also lead to you catapulting into a castle with bluegrass playing in the background.

Graphically, Human: Fall Flat is nothing inspiring, but features a cute minimalist art design, fitting for the silly nature of the game. “Silly” is actually the best way to describe Human: Fall Flat. The game doesn’t take itself seriously and that is made apparent through its character customization. There are quite a few models to choose from including a dog, a mummy, or a skeleton, and even more options with the clothing and color you can add to your selection.

To make things even more hectic, the game also features both local and online co-op. Only 2 players can play locally, but online parties can be made of up to 8 people, which can either make the game a lot easier or a lot more difficult depending on the friends you have. Like many puzzle co-op games, Human: Fall Flat has the ability to build on friendships or tear them apart.

Final Score: 4/5