[h1][b]An Unexpected Fall[/b][/h1]
[b]This review is spoiler free.[/b]
[h2][b]Brief Overview[/b][/h2]
[i]fEarth.128 An Unexpected Walk[/i] ([i]fEarth[/i]) is a 2D platformer made extra difficult by a myriad of bugs littered across every aspect of the game. You play as [i]Copper Spider[/i] ([i]CS[/i]), who has to navigate puzzles and platforming sections to reach his friends. I could see the challenging platforming giving [i]fEarth[/i] a certain appeal, but when progression is made nearly impossible by unresponsive controls and bugs, it is just not worth the frustration of even trying.
[quote]🖱[i]Can only be played using a keyboard and mouse. The controls can be rebound.[/i] 🖱[/quote]
[h2][b]Gameplay[/b][/h2]
[h2]General:[/h2]
[i]fEarth[/i] somehow manages to contrive what should be a simple control scheme. You move using WASD and spacebar, but have to use the mouse to navigate a cryptic inventory system which is never explained. To make matters worse, the controls are often unresponsive, with the delay between key presses and movement regularly leading [i]CS[/i] to slide to his death. Whether this will happen is unpredictable and you can sometimes launch yourself into the abyss by overcorrecting for the delay. [i]fEarth[/i] is riddled with bugs, which the developer is well aware of, and labels as ‘features’ in the game trailer.
The game starts with the character on a black screen, where you are eventually given information once you realise that it’s not a loading screen and attempt to interact. After that, the gameplay here is pretty standard 2D platforming: you do jumping puzzles, avoid obstacles, collect coins and defeat enemies. Combat is as simple as jumping on enemies to kill them and getting damaged if you run into them, except for when it isn't… There is an unpredictable bug that causes you to sometimes take damage when you jump on an enemy instead. There appears to be only one checkpoint per level which contributes to the difficulty of the game. You battle a boss every three levels, each with their own mechanics.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2499736010
[h2]Story[/h2]
[i]CS[/i] loves his daily jumping exercise around his garden on his home planet, fEarth.128. It is on one typical morning of jumping that he finds something amiss, which leads to his journey across six different biomes in search of answers. [i]CS[/i] is a rather peculiar character who has a red beard (since birth) and blue blood due to a mining accident where he saw a spider and “copper bit [him]”. Yes, apparently copper [b]bit[/b] him? I feel like the storytelling in [i]fEarth[/i] was lost in translation and a lot is implied rather than told. I had to make use of the Wiki (Russian only) to understand what was going on most of the time.
The story is told through occasional speech bubbles representing our characters' inner monologue. I often found them misleading and sometimes struggled to tie his random babbling into the story.
[h2]Game mechanics:[/h2]
[i]fEarth[/i] has some mechanics that were implemented in a way that was challenging to grasp without any form of tutorial.
[list][*][b]Inventory:[/b] A small inventory system described as a ‘mini game’ is hidden in the bottom right. It is barely noticeable at first and, even once located, you can’t discern how many items you have due to the small font. I first thought that the healing items (hearts scattered across the map) were bugged, since you aren't healed when picking them up. It took many deaths to realise that I was supposed to use these items from the secret inventory system.[*][b]Dying:[/b] Dying in [i]fEarth[/i] is a confusing experience. You have three hearts and lose one each time you are injured. Once all three are lost you just unexpectedly fall through the map, where you are greeted by a small “You Lose” and an even smaller retry button.[*][b]Checkpoints:[/b] I found the checkpoint system strange and confusing at first – there is only one checkpoint per level which requires a key to unlock a door linked to the start of the level. If you die, you can teleport from the beginning of the level to that door. Most inventory items are retained on death, except for coins and golden keys (often required to finish the level), which usually leads to backtracking from a checkpoint to be able to complete the level.[*][b]The store:[/b] Between each level you can spend coins to buy consumables for the next levels. The problem with the store is that there is no way of tracking how much money you have, how much you spend and how many items you have bought. Even leaving the store is more complicated than it needs to be, since the exit button is tiny and well hidden. [/list]
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2499738632
[h2][b]Technical[/b][/h2]
[quote][h3]PC Specifications:[/h3][list][*]AMD Ryzen 5 3600X (3.80GHz)[*]16GB DDR4 RAM[*]Radeon RX 570 8GB (OC)[*]1920x1080 Resolution[*]Windows 10[/list][/quote]
[h2]Visuals and Audio:[/h2]
There is not much to write home about in the visual department – it looks like it was drawn in [i]MS Paint[/i], which could add a lot of personality to a 2D platformer, but was used to the bare minimum effectiveness here. Unfortunately, all of the tiny in-game text was also written in paint, making it difficult to read. Resolution options are rather strange; to play [i]fEarth[/i] in 1080p you must play the game fullscreen, with windowed mode limited to 1050p.
The audio is nothing special either, although it has a simple style that fits with the graphics. Each level has its own soundtrack, which plays on repeat and can quickly become annoying, especially since you will be forced to redo the level often. There are sounds every time you jump, pick up items or get injured as well as an irritating tune each time you die. The best I can say about this game's audio is that it provides a slider to turn it down.
[h2]Performance:[/h2]
[i]fEarth[/i] is not intensive at all and ran at a constant 60fps throughout the whole playthrough.
[h2]They are features, not bugs:[/h2]
[i]fEarth[/i] is so riddled with bugs that one of the game trailers is dedicated solely to trying to fit these ‘features’ into the game's lore. This should immediately bring up some red flags.
[list][*]Sometimes you fall through the floor for no reason.[*]Attacking enemies sometimes leads to you taking damage instead.[*]My character has died more often from drowning on land than in water.[*]Some platforms will change their movement patterns from calm to erratic after dying, just to revert back to normal on the next attempt.[*]Sometimes when you fall, you just float in the air, forced to rethink your life choices. [/list]
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2499745536
[h2][b]Summary[/b][/h2]
[i]fEarth[/i] could have been an enjoyable game for those who like challenging platformers. The platforming has an interesting aspect to it, however, between the unresponsive controls, the lost story and the uncountable bugs, I cannot recommend this game to anyone even at its low price.
🌟 [b]I would not recommend [i]fEarth.128 An Unexpected Walk[/i] to anyone despite its low price. I am an entomologist but [i]fEarth[/i] has too many bugs even for me.[/b] 🌟
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