‘Let’s have some fun.’ That was the attitude I had when deciding to play Fall Guys. Other games will have you sweating as you attempt to win, but Fall Guys was just a bundle of joy from the moment it appeared in 2020. The game gained popularity during the COVID-19 lockdown, before suffering a decrease in players when the world started to go back to normality. So, what was it that made the game so fun? And can it regain its popularity again?
Fall Guys is “Just Like Takeshi’s Castle.”
That was what my friend said to me when he introduced me to Fall Guys. I grew up watching Takeshi’s Castle, and I always wanted to be one of the contestants. There is a good chance I wouldn’t have done very well, and I’d probably have ended up flat on my face in the wet mud.
So, the idea of being a contestant without having to endure any physical hardship really appealed to me. I agreed to give the game a try, and I instantly fell in love with it.
As soon as I saw the little beans appear in the loading screen, I knew I was about to have a lot of fun. Then the lively music started playing, and I felt like I had been instantly transported into a game show. The soundtrack really is one of the best things about this game. I wasn’t very good at first, and frequently witnessed my bean being kicked off the contestant wall at the end of rounds. Yet, I soon improved, and I’ve lost track of how many games I’ve now won.
You Never Lose It, Unless You Do
Almost exactly five years after Fall Guys was released, I decided to return to the game show to see if I could find the glory I once enjoyed. When I arrived on the game’s menu page, I noticed that everything had changed. There wasn’t an abundance of content in the early days. Whereas this time I became overwhelmed with a Battle Pass system, and an incalculable number of colours, patterns, costumes and emotes. The shop had even replaced the original currency of Kudos for the much shinier Show Bucks. All of my Kudos were now practically worthless.
Customising your bean is fun, but as I already felt like a king, I decided to just dive headfirst into a game. Ranked Mode didn’t feel like an appropriate option just yet, so I entered the Classic Solos competition.
As I was waiting for other people to join, I noticed that the lobby was only filling up to thirty-two players. It used to be sixty, which could be a sign that the player count has dropped significantly. I even wondered whether it would just be me battling against useless bots for the win. That idea was very quickly demolished when I was eliminated in the first round. My hopes of reliving the glory days came crashing down nearly as fast as my bean, who had been brutally hoisted off the contestant wall. I then forgot to leave the game in time, so I spent another few frustrating minutes waiting for the opportunity to remove myself.
When one door closes, another opens in Fall Guys
Thankfully, I persevered, and I decided to take a look at a different game mode. Ranked mode had me racing through beach areas, and then I found myself back competing in the rounds I used to love.
Door Dash is a forgiving task, so even when you crash into the wrong door, you’re highly likely to have multiple players following closely behind you who make the same mistake.
My favourite rounds are the races like Slime Climb, where you’re eliminated if you fall into the goo. The amount of jeopardy involved makes you feel like you’re under a lot of pressure, and it’s gratifying when you manage to survive. Thankfully, not many other players manage to complete the course, so there are usually only a few opponents for the final round.
I used to be pretty good at Fall Guys, but now I’m awful. Well, there are some rounds I’m good at, and others I’m absolutely terrible at. After watching the world record run on the Lily Leapers course, I tried to replicate it. This led to me falling flat on my face. I then had to hold on to a penguin for dear life, which wasn’t easy. Even with all this adversity, I still made it to the final.
Things were going well until I started to lose control, and bang, I was off. I’d had enough and decided I needed a teammate’s help on Duos.
More Isn’t Always Merrier
I can’t stand the counting game called Sum Fruit. As much as I appreciate some variation, I’m playing Fall Guys to have fun. I don’t want to be forced into unnecessary maths. I don’t enjoy it, but I enjoy it even less when I’m competing as a duo. When my teammate falls into the slime early in the round, I may as well jump into it myself. This is because the points system is based on both players performing well. If one player is eliminated too early, it’s nearly impossible for the other to save them. We both ended up back in the lobby to collect our pointless rewards, and I gave up on Duos immediately.
As I mentioned before, I’ve won this game many times, so I couldn’t fathom the idea of reviewing Fall Guys without having at least one triumph. The pressure was mounting to a tantalising level as I threw myself back into Classic Mode, and my performance definitely improved from this point onwards.
You Can’t Teach an Old Dog New Tricks
This game can be frustrating at times. The way the bean moves is often extremely awkward, but then what do I expect? It’s a bean. You just can’t beat some of the older levels for fun. Unfortunately, around the time Fall Guys became free to play in 2022, there was an influx of levels without much character. They became repetitive and overwhelming, as there were many obstacles which looked similar and required the same movements to beat. The game’s sole purpose is to be fun, so when it lost that, it lost everything.
People also complained about the team games. While they were fun to play in the moment, you would often be at a disadvantage if on a losing team. You could be the best performing player in the game, but it wouldn’t make any difference. If your team lost, then you lost. Scoring a goal in the Fall Ball mode was an electrifying feeling, though, so team rounds certainly weren’t all bad.
The game’s controls are simple. On PlayStation, it’s X to jump, Square to dive, and R2 to grab things. You can also use R2 to grab other players. This is a double-edged sword.
On one side, it is an exhilarating feeling when you push someone off the course to eliminate them. On the other side, it is rage-inducing when you’re trying to survive and someone disrupts your rhythm, causing you to fall into the goo.
There Are Only Winners and Losers in Fall Guys
Grabbing contestants was a tactic I employed when I was in the final game: Jump Showdown. On this occasion, it was only me and one other player left. Unfortunately, I held onto them for a split second too long, and I got caught up in the obstacle before being flung into the slime. Heartbreak.
Yet, I wouldn’t let coming second deter me. I decided to have one last attempt at glory. It seems like there is a demon in every lobby that I’m competing against, but I’m always filled with hope when I’m forced to watch other players finish the round when I’ve qualified. Some of them are hopeless.
The rhinos in Stompin’ Ground fill me with anxiety, but I conquered them. I then climbed The Slimescraper, which eliminated most of the lobby. Only six of us made it to the final game: Lost Temple. The objective is simple: ‘Break through the doors to reach the crown at the end of the maze – some are real, some are fake!’
As I navigated my way through the maze, I was confident that I was ahead. Then I noticed something strange: all the doors in front of me had already been opened. I eagerly ran through them with the hope draining from me. Surely whoever opened them would grab the crown at any moment. They didn’t.
I arrived in the last area ahead of those behind me, and I saw a bean standing in the water. Presumably, they didn’t know that you have to press R2 to grab the crown. We both jumped at the same time, but as they didn’t grab it, I did to win the game.
After all of my struggles, I proved that I can still compete at the highest level.
What Have We Learned Here?
The gaming industry can be a cruel place. Many small and even larger titles have arrived to a rapture of applause and then disappeared over time. World circumstances also play a part in what people consider to be success. During lockdown, Fall Guys shone just as brightly as any other game. Not every new release of content was perfect, but when is it ever? Maybe the best way to summarise what happened to Fall Guys is to say that it had its day in the sun, and then people moved on to other things.
I honestly thought that when Fall Guys became free to play, it would become a staple of the multiplayer gaming industry. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out that way. I don’t know anyone who plays it anymore.
From a personal perspective, though, I do hope people give Fall Guys a second chance, because as party games go, there aren’t many better. I have a multitude of happy memories playing this game, and that’s something that can’t be lost.
Verdict
My overall rating for Fall Guys is: 7/10.
The video for this blog will be uploaded to YouTube at 6 pm BST on the 7th August 2025. Link: https://youtu.be/bQFPzCdA0IM
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