Does a wobbly human in a surreal world make for a fun physics game?
Price: $5/£5
Version: 1.0.2
Size: 961.4 MB
Seller: 505 Games
Platform: iPhone & iPad
Human Fall Flat, a game that’s enjoyed a lot of success on other platforms, has made the jump to iOS. But in the age of Apple Arcade (and everything the service has to offer), is this $5 title worth your cash or does it indeed fall flat?
In Human Fall Flat, players take control of a wobbly humanoid who lands face-down in a surreal world in the sky. The aim is to get from the start of the level to the end – but doing so isn’t simple. There are items to interact with, including objects to push, pull, and jump over. To reach the next area in Human Fall Flat, you’ll need to think carefully and make smart moves to reveal a path to your exit.
Interact with your surroundings.
The physics spin in Human Fall Flat comes from the fact that these objects are movable, and one object will interact with another. It also comes from your ability to control both hands of your small, faceless humanoid – something which is really satisfying (if a little difficult) to do. Controls in the bottom-right of the screen let you grab onto objects, push buttons, and drag items. A virtual joy stick on the left lets you move your character, and there’s also a jump button thrown in for good measure.
These controls are difficult to master – you’ll more often than not find your faceless character stumble off the edge of the map, or miss its target and land somewhere else. All of this is complicated further by the character’s unstable gait: it staggers instead of walks, and hurls itself forward instead of jumps. Some players might find this entertaining, while others may become frustrated at the seeming lack of precision – but make no mistake, the physics and controls are shonky on purpose. It’s a whole thing.
Even grabbing a lever can be challenging.
What’s nice is that you don’t need to unlock the game’s different areas one at a time. Instead, you can choose to explore regions like Aztec, Castle, or Power Plant, and your character will hurtle down from the sky at the start of that area’s first level.
A multiplayer mode also lets gamers join forces in teams of up to four people. You can either work together on challenging areas or engage in all-out carnage, although the experience can be spoiled slightly by lag which seems to crop up even with a strong Internet connection.
Online multiplayer.
Finally, there’s the option to customize your character – something you may indeed want to do, since the default appearance is a little creepy. There are presets like skeletons and animals, or you can work through and change the appearance of each part of your character one area at a time.
Character customization.
The question of whether this game is right for you is difficult to answer. Unfortunately, there’s no option to try Human Fall Flat before you buy, and the cost of $5/£5 is a relatively big outlay – the same as a whole month’s Arcade subscription. If you enjoy puzzles and have a thing for wacky physics games, Human Fall Flat could be perfect. On the other hand, some players will find this title just a little too quirky.