Faye Falling

a fun short rpg. even tho it's not perfect, it does have alot of soul put into it.

I'll give Faye Falling a decent review so far. (Just beat the first boss around 2+ hours in.) It's on the unique end, compared to most RPGs. Some scattered thoughts at midnight: Combat is pretty good. Lots of various QTE mini-games for enemies and skills. Pretty straightforward most of the time, but can still trip me up occasionally. ...Too many enemies use a damage over time skill though! So be sure to stock up on healing items and not be afraid to use them. Music and SFX are pretty fitting. (Better than the overly loud SFX heard in the trailer.) Art style and animations. I approve. Expect optional secrets galore. And with apparently multiple endings, I've been second guessing my choices. Did I miss something? Gotta check every square inch... [spoiler]Not sure I approve how rejecting a certain boon seemed to decide my path.[/spoiler] Main character is a mostly silent protagonist. And there is a very small group of important recurring characters. So don't expect a ton of dialogue. Most is optional. A bit lonely although there are a fair amount of random NPCs. Cost wise, I'll say with that with the discount the game is priced decently for the amount of playtime. Hm. At times the game feels a bit random, but it's fitting with the setting. Think afterlife. Anyway, I just wanted to post some thoughts. (Always a shame when there are hardly any reviews.) It's a decent indie game and worth checking out if you're on the fence, after seeing the trailer.

A great solo developed project that definitely deserves more attention. The dark tone of the story and your decisions during can really make an impact. I love the nature of the combat, the mini game/trials, and the art style. Something very unique to me, but I am somewhat unfamiliar with this genre admittedly. This dude even did the music on his own I believe, and it is a strong addition that added a lot in this journey. I got a little stuck at some points due to me not trying some stuff that apparently was pretty obvious to some. Funny enough, the developer, Jack Astral, gave me some tips and saw me play parts of the game. This guy is so dedicated to this title that he tackled my little issues I came across the same day I was able to find them! A great dev that truly cares for his product, and it shows every step of the way. [i] Hope he isn't stressing himself and overworking too much![/i] Overall, it's a short journey that tackles a depressing topic, emotionally strong for sure. A fun take on a variety of gameplay mechanics that melds together into a very enjoyable title. Absolutely worth the asking price!

this game is so unbelievably underrated. I know the phrase "hidden gem" is kind of a meme, but if any game were unironically deserving of that title, it'd be faye falling. this is a game that undeniably has so, so much heart put into it. I found myself tearing up at some points; no spoilers, but there's a certain point that genuinely shocked me (/pos). not to mention the cross... faye falling knows how to make you feel a certain way. plus the art style is really pretty, and the gameplay & battle system are so good, especially for an indie game made by one guy. it's pretty simple, but I never found it to be boring in the slightest !!!! it's a fun take on minigame-based battle systems. learning every enemy attack is really genuinely engaging and makes me feel like I'm actually getting better over time. and the boss fights are so emotional - especially the last few ([spoiler]gabriel, the parasite, and faye[/spoiler]) just make me feel so many things. (the "quest complete" sound effect playing after them does take me out of it a little, but it's funny so it's fine LMAO) + the story in general is great, too - the game is so atmospheric and auauuugghh it's SO GOOD . it even has a bunch of extra side content that's really fun and works super well. the secret boss is so cool when you consider the symbolism behind [spoiler]it being called Time, and its attacks being undodgeable, reflecting the unavoidable nature of the passage of time itself. so unbelievably sick[/spoiler] the game does have its problems - mine are mostly with the writing. it likes to over-explain things that are pretty obvious and it's pretty explicit with the "you're stronger than you think you are" message. I think (minor thematic spoilers ahead) [spoiler]the game's portrayal of suicide and depression is genuinely very good at times, but other times it seems to be implying you will eventually get over it. in reality, for most people struggling with it, it will be with you for your entire life, and all you can do is learn to work around it. I think the story should have leaned a lot more into that; given that faye literally killed herself ... until the ending when it's revealed she didn't. the way the suicide note was worded felt like a punch in the gut. I feel like it would have worked better if she did die; it would have shown the permanence of such a decision, and - depending on how it's written - could imply gabriel is dead too, which has a lot of story implications. if faye just wakes up at the end, it comes across as kind of ignoring the genuine consequences of depression and especially suicide. HOWEVER I recognise the point is probably that she wakes up to give the game an optimistic message and imply that you'll make it out eventually,,, that's just my personal opinion on it .[/spoiler] of course I could have misread something but that's how it felt to me but regardless of those things, like... faye falling is a game that (I think, at least) is a lot more than the sum of its parts. I realise my bad points were long compared to the good points but I swear there are SO many more good points than bad ones :3 it's such an incredible little game by a developer who is obviously very talented and I hope it gets more recognition in the future !!!!!!!!!!!!!! please play it !!!!!!!!! solid like 9/10 (also it runs perfectly on the steam deck. that's very important to me so I'm glad it does :33)

I love this game

One boss in and I can say this game is completely worth it. Music is great. Story is great. Game play is like Undertale but with a nice twist. You can tell the amount of love the devs and everyone put into this. I'm gonna play the game more and finish some or all of the achievements/endings but after that I'll update this review and put up a Curator review as well. I will say this to anyone who ends up reading this though. Definitely get this game if you like games like Undertale, this definitely feels like it's gonna be one of those hidden gems RPG games that no many people have played, but is amazing.

I haven't had a chance to finish this game yet, but so far I'm greatly enjoying it. (I will not be able to finish it anytime soon due to life responsibilities.) The developers were very thoughtful and gave you a way to grind exp and full-heal yourself pretty early in the game.

If I had a nickel for every time Jack Astral made me tremendously sad over a girl in red color palette during a game, I'd have two nickels. Gameplay was clean and smooth, the worldbuilding was tight and very focused. Tonally a dark game, but optimistic and bright in theme (according to my actions on the first play-through, at least). And the writing, my gosh-- so evocative of the tone and the world being set in the game. This is definitely up there with his previous game, View From Below, for me, as another indie RPG gem. I've only finished the first playthrough so far (woo ending 1!), but hoping to go for the True Ending in my Challenge Mode run. And given that it's only $8, I definitely recommend it as a pick up. Short and sweet and knows what it wants to say, but with enough side content (and secret hunting) that it'll keep you preoccupied.

A delightful, emotional, story-driven game with light JRPG and shoot 'em up elements. The presentation is simply superb, boasting beautiful pixel-art graphics, sombre music, and a fair smattering of evocative, poetic prose. On this basis, the game is an easy recommendation, and the developer, easily praised! Great work! The gameplay, on the other hand, excites less enthusiasm. The RPG mechanics are quite shallow, and the balance of combat... the tools given to the player and the enemies... feels all over the place. For example, enemies capable of inflicting status effects are infinitely more bothersome than those who are not, and pickpocketing is an infuriating dice roll unless one happens to pick the class that can [i]simply ignore it.[/i] Actually, granting the player the ability to dodge every direct attack may be at the root of these issues — the mix of avoidable and unavoidable damage in the game as it currently is simply feels awkward, at least to me. At any rate, though, combat is so easy that this is all easily overlooked. Though, on the subject of difficulty... (As the section below covers NEW GAME PLUS, it is of little concern to prospective buyers; however, I hope Jack Astral himself stumbles upon this!) [b]Challenge Mode[/b] is unlocked upon the game's completion, and serves to increase the difficulty and add some additional lore items to find. Splendid idea! Alas, its implementation pleases me very little, indeed. To address the elephant in the room, it's... not challenging whatosever. In fact, the differences between it, and Normal Mode are not clear to me at all. Or was it that I picked a different, stronger class? Secondly, despite being a dedicated NG+ mode, Challenge Mode does nothing to alleviate that the bulk of the game involves easy puzzles, separated by cutscenes. [i]Lots[/i] of cutscenes, with underwhelming functionality around skipping through them! Between that and the low difficulty, I found my second playthrough to be an unfortunate drag. One final topic, and my greatest pet peeve with the game: Backtracking! While backtracking in a game like this is perfectly fine, and the game's design facilitates it well, the [i]interactivity[/i] of the world serves to undermine its immersion! There are so many characters whose dialogue ceases to make sense past a certain point in the protagonist's journey, and it's jarring to see them remain while certain other NPCs move on. [spoiler] Why does the protagonist ignore the fading spirits found earlier on in the game, when they interact with those in the Sky? [/spoiler] [spoiler] Why does that one Dark Spirit reply to Vesper, long after their departure? [/spoiler] While this is a most petty complaint, it is exactly what I would expected a game like this to excel at, not to mention being something that I hope could be addressed with a relatively small effort in an update :) In conclusion: I salute thee, Jack Astral, stranger though thou art, and thank thee for thy work. [b]I recommend this video game.[/b]

[h2]Story[/h2] The overall story and MC's thoughts resonate with me fairly well. It even made me shed a few tears on some moments ([spoiler]when the Numinas doesn't forsake Faye despite having rejected all 3 blessings and the true ending[/spoiler]). Your choices not only affect the ending, but also change some actions automatically done by MC's. At the same time, I have a few issues with the story presentation. [spoiler]The message/encouragement not to give up is rather explicit, whereas the foreshadowing feels moderately implicit. I also wish we could get to know more Faye's past. For example, why Faye's mother decided to leave her and her father[/spoiler]. Some side quests expect you to re-explore earlier areas, but many characters don't behave differently towards choices you've made, and it reduced my immersion with the story. [h2]Gameplay[/h2] I enjoyed both the combat mechanics and dodge mini-games, despite agreeing with the issues stated by other reviewers. There are fair variations of dodge mini-games, although class/specialization doesn't feel that different across my playthroughs. The game also lets you earn more XP/Gold through optional mini-game trials and grinds if you struggle to keep up. The challenge mode is a different beast though. I find it's too brutal during the early game, since I could die after receiving 2 attacks and few dodge mini-games require reaction time beyond my capability. I had to cheat HP/MP a few times during the early game. [h2]Visual/Audio[/h2] Both the visual and audio are quite great. Those emphasize the atmosphere of declining afterlife and MC's thoughts well enough. I also like the fact that it uses integer scaling and a border frame. It's worth the praise since some 2D pixel games I've played use either non-perfect or somewhat blurry scaling algorithm. [h2]Other[/h2] This game runs well on my Linux device. I also appreciate that the developer lend a hand by providing a guide and answering questions on Steam discussion. [hr][/hr] I didn't expect I would come to like this game so much that I saw all 5 endings and unlocked all achievements. Despite some issues I mentioned, the overall quality is quite better than I expected from a solo-developed game. If you're a fan of RPGMaker games, RPGMaker-esque games or Undertale and don't mind some rough edges, consider Faye Falling on your next purchase.