Fallen EP-1 [rating: 4/5]
Youoco.com have already launched a couple of games in the App Store but none with the expectations that Fallen Episode 1 has had. For those of you that haven’t heard about it Fallen EP-1 is the first in what promises to be a series of survival horror style games in the style of Silent Hill or Resident Evil in a 2.5D, (2.5D graphics are 2D graphics with the look of 3D).
The game starts with a dramatic opening sequence where a group of unidentified soldiers enter a facility only to find one of them getting slashed to death by a blood-thirsty mysterious creature. This cut scene includes the necessary haunting sound and music that makes you sit on the edge of your seat. These beautiful cut scenes and atmospheric music are continued throughout the game and it is one of its strongest assets. As we know though a game needs more than beauty to succeed so does Fallen-EP 1 have brains to match its beauty?
Moving around is via the standard virtual d-pad with an action button on the right side of the screen for all your interactions with people, objects and anything else you come into contact with. The d-pad works quite well but you will find yourself struggling to position yourself correctly at times which can be quite frustrating.
The game also makes use of the accelerometer at times but I found this to be more of a gimmick and didn’t particularly fit in with the rest of the control system. What is nice though is how when combining items that you’ve picked up on your travels with other items they don’t simply work or not work together but you actually have to make them work together. For example when attempting to pick a lock with a hair pin and a screw driver that you find you actually have to manipulate them together before the lock will open.
As mentioned early the sound is very atmospheric too and I would highly recommend that you play the game using headphones to get the full effect of the haunting sounds that had me on edge throughout the game.
From the start you will find yourself having to fight for your life against a variety of beasts including rabid dogs and alien like creatures. Fighting is a relatively basic task, your character will automatically lock on to the closest attacker and a quick press of the action button will strike them. As the beasts get bigger, better and stronger you will need good timing and fast movement to not only get your strikes in but also to avoid their attacks.
The games moves along pretty fast and most of the puzzles are pretty straight forward and for those players that are looking to use their brain more than brawn puzzles definitely outweigh the moments of combat which for me was a good thing. Most of the puzzles will be solved either within the same room but main puzzle of Episode 1 which see’s you attempting to repair a fuse will see you travelling around the whole location and as the game doesn’t include a map you can find yourself getting lost at times.
In all the game took me a couple of hours to complete and quite a lot of that was due to me being lost and finding myself having to back track on myself. That being said a couple of hours game-play for $1.99, (be quick, $1.99 is a promtional offer and may return to $4.99 at anytime), is not bad value for money and Falled Episode 1 is a good introduction to what could be a very good franchise in the survival horror genre. What is also not clear is how many future episodes there will be and what they will cost, if anything!
Price: $1.99 as of Dec 28, 2009 (iTunes Link)
Version reviewed 1.0
The Good
- Wonderfully eerie atmosphere
- Great looking
- Simple controls
The Bad
- Frustrating camera angles
- No map
Reviewed by: @CraigWillis
Fallen Ep-1 iPhone: Gameplay Video
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