PC Critic Reviews

In general, Black the Fall has conquered us, above all by the harshness of its setting and its denunciation of the total regimes and the control of modern citizens / consumers. An excellent recreation of the futuristic myth of Orwell and a wake-up call so that we do not let ourselves be controlled by the Big Brother. Deep, entertaining and technically very surprising.

Black The Fall is a rarity, something unexpected for its ability of mixing a setting inspired by the true history of Romania before the fall of the communist regime and the mechanics of a traditional puzzle-platform. The result is crippled by some flaws, but Sand Sailor Studio has created a nice alternative to the Limbo/Inside subgenre.

Black The Fall isn’t exactly revolutionary when it comes to the world of atmospheric platformers, but it still excels in what it sets out to do. It paints a frightening image of a land deep in the grip of Communism back in the day, but never sacrifices enjoyment in order to get its message out. The visual style is striking and eye-catching, the puzzles are well-crafted and put up a perfect challenge, and everything controls almost perfectly. It’s an impressive piece of work with a lot of heart put into it, and the end result is a brutal but beautiful bit of platforming that comes highly recommended. Indeed, it did end up having the same quality as its peers after all, and can proudly stand beside them.

Black the Fall is a good Limbo-like game, but with less personality than his muse.

A unique premise and heavy interplay of gameplay and narrative elevates Black The Fall above its rather stock standard game mechanics.

Black The Fall bought me with its brilliant atmosphere of hopelessness that even Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four would not be ashamed of. [10/2017, p.57]

Impressive treatment of the Romanian revolution in 1989, with minor weaknesses in the field of game mechanics.

Tense and inventive, Black the Fall is great until the late-game difficulty erodes its atmosphere. [Sept 2017, p.75]

While most players will likely see where its influences lay, the dystopian world of Black The Fall succeeds on many occasions in creating a distinctly disquieting atmosphere, while a trial-and-error-based puzzle design offers just enough interactivity to keep its spooky narrative kicking.

If you like Limbo and Inside, do not miss Black the Fall. It does feel like a budget clone of Inside sometimes, but then again, there are not many games in this vein. Plus, you get to learn a little bit of history.