Faye Falling (PS5) | REVIEW | A Hauntingly Mesmerizing Indie

From indie developer Jack Astral, and indie publisher EastAsiaSoft we find a haunting tale of a nameless lost soul trying to fight the darkness and reclaim their forgotten memories following a fall from what looks like Heaven's gate. It is after a fall much like that of Lucifer's at this heavenly gate that our robed protagonist begins their adventure through a linear labyrinthine spirit realm filled with puzzle elements, spirited inhabitants, and and turn based battles with shadowy threats named after negative personal feelings. Guided by a mysterious light beckoning them to move forward the fallen soul must trek through the spirit world fighting, and surviving in hopes that they can recall the reason they fell. Hopefully correcting course as they do so.

Starting off with an unusual fill-in-the-blank questionnaire that asks you everything from your name to who you love, and who inspires you, you are quickly shot out of what appears to be Heaven's gates by an angelic entity. Your fall is met with confusion, and an ongoing tutorial of sorts that introduces gameplay elements, and mechanics via informational signs and stationed NPCs. 

You learn fairly quickly through a particular guiding light that you know combat and can use melee and magic spells to fight off the shadowy enemies that lurk around. You have at your disposal a limited amount of health and mana for this very reason. Through ongoing battles triggered by enemy avatars you get to level up and learn or earn additional spells meant for combat, specifically. Obtaining skills or environmental mechanics outside of this is done at certain chapter checkpoints along the guided path. A path that is sectioned off by chapter, and area significance. 

As you progress you'll find that through a menu brought up by the triangle button you will be able to equip defensive armor, a weapon, and make use of restorative single use items that can be used in and outside battle. Things like spirit water restore health whereas charms restore mana. There are even ailments to deal with like hexes where the use of cleansers will come in handy. And while battles level up six base stats and provide new spells it isn't the only reward. You will also be earning and collecting gold to spend at vendor NPCs that offer limited supplies, gear, and rarer items for a price.

Within each named chapter in Faye Falling ultimately lies a theme tied to the psychology behind the recollection and coming to terms of who you are and what you have done in life. This includes conversing with key characters of interest, taking on trials, and fighting battles as you solve your way through the linear maze-like interior of the spirit world. 

Battles, themselves, are a simple turn-based affair in this gameplay loop wherein the enemy/s get the first attack and you, the follow-up actions, be it item use, melee attack, or spell casting. During the enemy's attack you will be placed into an interactive door shaped window wherein you must play a brief mini-game dodging projectiles, or shooting them. Each enemy type, named after a negative personal feeling, comes complete with their own evasion mini-game. Successfully evading will sometimes dish out extra damage to the enemy before your turn making quicker work of the enemy or enemies in view.

The end goal in all of this is to see the game through to it's conclusion in order to learn the embedded moral of the story. This is challenging for a few reasons though. The limited health, and limited access to healing/restorative items makes survival, especially in areas with environmental hazards and multiple enemy threats, an undertaking. The only saving grace is the save altars which are supposed to restore health and mana plus save current progress. Outside of that the puzzles can be quite difficult to solve at times, and more on the cryptic side. There will definitely be some trial and error situations on your first playthrough.

The Presentation ...

Visually Faye Falling is an isometric indie done in a simplistic yet provocative 8-16bit art style that uses color and a haunting melancholic soundtrack to evoke a sense of emotions. This is one of those game experiences with a self-reflective message that unfolds at a drip fed pace, chapter by chapter and interaction by interaction. Using visual changes and colors to add to the mood, and atmosphere.

The world in which this effectively happens does seem to be spiritually Christian. The angelic being that booted you out of Heaven, and the shadowy demonic enemies lead credence to that kind of religious affiliation. That being said there are certain elements that point to a made-up mythology/religion. Regardless of what it is it has a moral message about facing the consequences of one's actions, and righting the wrongs. Coming face to face with why you ended up where you did in the grand scheme of things. To this end it is a perfect melding of vague graphic storytelling through symbolism, and the premise of accountability.

The Verdict ...

This is one of those games with "The Feels". Everything from the haunting soundtrack to the visuals, and the colors presented will have you strung along as you discover what exactly it is this poor lost soul did to fall. While it is minimalistic in storytelling, it still offers enough hints through contextual character conversations, and enemy encounters to let you in on the developer's intention. It is a slow burn kind of experience mixed with puzzle solving elements, turn-based battles, and NPC interactions. Something that has a visionary's touch in regards to creativity. I personally enjoyed my time with it, and can recommend it as it is a game that won't break the bank. It is a budget priced EastAsiaSoft release. Be sure to check it out the day this review goes live!!!