Survive the Fall review: It’s not all fun and games at the end of the world

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In many video games, a post-apocalyptic scenario – be it fantasy or sci-fi based – is often the backdrop. But among them all, I find the contemporary apocalypse setting particularly captivating. This is where everyday life has taken a drastic turn for the worse, and ordinary people are left to navigate the chaos. In this world, you might find yourself using an assault rifle or shotgun to protect yourself while also trying to repair a dam to restore power to your settlement. Yet, you’ll also encounter simpler tasks such as finding a can of tuna or feeling elated at discovering painkillers hidden in an abandoned house’s medicine cabinet. The intrigue lies in the stark contrast between the ordinary and the dangerous, and it’s one of the key elements that makes contemporary apocalyptic entertainment so engaging.

I found Survive the Fall intriguing right away when I initially encountered it. A massive meteor struck our planet, carrying an unusual substance from outer space along with it. This catastrophic event led to civilization’s downfall and the appearance of dangers that could only be conceived in a delirious state, as a pollutant called Stasis began spreading across vast areas of the earth.

In the game developed by Angry Bulls Studios, players are thrust into a bleak post-apocalyptic world where things appear to be improving on a global scale. However, despite the potential optimism for humanity as a whole, the situation remains dire for your character and companions. The world is grappling with severe climate problems, resource depletion, widespread violence, and an imminent threat of extinction. Yet, there’s a glimmer of hope on the horizon that mankind might begin to envision a brighter future.

You have the responsibility to establish a community, gather necessities like food, medicine, and other survivors, and guide them towards a more prosperous and vibrant tomorrow. However, it’s important to keep in mind that optimism may fade when confronted with harsh realities.

Tools at your disposal 

In Fall’s gameplay, there are two primary modes: daytime construction and nighttime exploration. During the day, it’s crucial to construct and manage your base – buildings, living spaces, and resources are all essential for your survivors. At night, you venture out into the world to gather resources and complete missions. The safety of your settlement is not eternal; you must be willing to take risks if you aim to endure.

The core of these two approaches revolves around your survivors. Each one has unique abilities, and they’ll each bring something distinct, such as exceptional foraging skills or proficiency in concealing evidence. One may excel at constructing buildings, while another might have a knack for healing. It falls upon you to identify their talents and assign them tasks that capitalize on their strengths.

In Survive the Fall, the fundamental gameplay is enjoyable and captivating, and it keeps you hooked without feeling like work instead of leisure. The continuous decision-making maintains your interest without overburdening you. As you progress in the game, you’ll unveil fresh branches in skill trees, offering more construction possibilities for expansion.

As a gamer, I’ve learned the hard way that my base isn’t immune to attacks even during the cover of night. Constant vigilance is key because you never know when danger might lurk. My home base isn’t this perfect haven where I can always be there to protect it. Instead, it adds an exciting challenge to my strategy, making me ponder wisely about how best to allocate my resources.

It’s a dog-eat-dog world

In the game, the action switches to nighttime, triggering the phase for exploring. Given the ominous environment outside the base, not everyone is allowed to step out, and it’s a select few who handle exploration, combat, and resource collection. Similar to the base-building segment, each character has unique strengths in this mode.

While sorting through mounds of supplies like cans, food, ammunition, and various treasures, you might find something intriguing: there seems to be an abundance of loot compared to the space available to carry it. It seems that the creators intentionally incorporated brief, intense moments of inventory management into the gameplay mechanics, so if you’re not mindful, you’ll end up juggling a lot of items.

Before setting off from your base, it’s wise to have a clear objective about what you aim to retrieve and keep that goal in mind during your exploration. Given that you can’t return with everything you discover, you’ll need to exercise judgment and make many choices while out in the field.

In simpler terms, this game section operates in real-time, similar to an action Role Playing Game (RPG) where you can pause the game to plan and queue actions for characters not currently under your control. It’s entertaining yet challenging, but I encountered several bugs during gameplay. For instance, character orientations would sometimes freeze without reason, which was frustrating as it affected my ability to fight effectively since I needed to face my opponents.

In the game Survive the Fall, I sometimes encountered issues where my characters would get stuck on terrain or stop moving without any apparent reason. Additionally, there was a problem with the enemy’s vision cone not rendering properly, although it wasn’t a major issue as players could usually figure out a workaround. However, this part of the game does feel a bit rigid at times. Despite the flaws, the stealthy/action RPG combat is enjoyable and offers a unique charm that sets it apart from others in its genre, even though it may not be the best of the best. It’s still an entertaining experience for those who enjoy this type of gameplay.

The bad side of the apocalypse

Regrettably, the game experiences performance issues once you delve deeper into play. The expansive open-world settings are engaging to traverse, but they tend to lag when filled with items, loot, and adversaries. Moreover, I found the camera system less appealing. It grants a 360-degree perspective, yet fails to provide the option to adjust elevation or angle. If it offered such flexibility, navigating environments would be more enjoyable, and it would aid in locating landmarks or enhancing stealth tactics as well.

As a gamer, I’ve often found myself baffled by the unpredictable behavior of AI opponents. At times, they seem disoriented, clumping together without any apparent reason, and their pathing can be erratic after I distract them. They’d just stop in their tracks, seemingly unable to resume their patrol, fixated on whatever had caught their attention initially.

The most frustrating aspect, however, is when they completely ignore gunfire, explosions, or other sounds, leaving me wondering if they have any hearing abilities at all. This is a pity because the concept of real-time world exploration for resource gathering and combat encounters is thrilling, but it could use some polishing to make it more immersive.

The game’s atmosphere often lost some tension because actions like opening a box while an enemy was nearby didn’t seem to matter much. For instance, if you were to open a crate with an enemy on the opposite side of a wall, they would hear it and likely investigate. However, this element of fear is diminished when explosions occur close to enemies but they appear unbothered.

Discussing the storyline, it was somewhat uneven in quality and the English translation seemed subpar, resulting in stiff and peculiar dialogue that failed to deliver a strong emotional impact. On the bright side, your choices do have an effect on the final outcome, although I’m not sure if I’d play through again just to see how these choices vary the ending.

The end times

Title Game: Survive the Fall – An Engaging Experience That Falls Short

In essence, Survive the Fall is an exciting game with numerous commendable aspects. However, its shortcomings in terms of rough edges, glitches, and optimization flaws prevent it from reaching its full potential. This game has a multitude of intriguing ideas that are appealing to enthusiasts of base management and survival games. Yet, the affection for

Looking forward to discovering if this game might have a follow-up in the future and observing the enhancements the creators will introduce to refine their initial concept. It’s worth noting that often, sequels surpass the original.

The game “Survive the Fall” can be played on PC through platforms like Steam, the Epic Games Store, and GOG. For this review, a code was graciously supplied by the publisher.

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2025-06-20 20:58