Fall Guys (formerly known as Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout)[1] is a free-to-play platform battle royale game developed by Mediatonic and published by Epic Games. The game involves up to 40 players who control jellybean-like characters and compete against each other in a series of randomly selected mini-games such as obstacle courses or soccer. Players are eliminated as the rounds progress until, eventually, the last remaining player is crowned the winner. The game draws inspiration from game shows like Takeshi’s Castle, It’s a Knockout, Total Wipeout, and playground games like tag and British Bulldog.[2][3]
The game was released by Devolver Digital for PlayStation 4 and Windows on 4 August 2020. Following their acquisition of Mediatonic, the publishing rights were transferred to Epic Games. Subsequently, the game was made free-to-play on 21 June 2022 and released on additional platforms including Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S, with full cross-platform play support among all platforms.[4][5] As part of the transition, the game adapted a seasonal battle pass system for its monetization, offering avatar customizations to players.
Fall Guys received positive reviews from critics for its chaotic gameplay and visual appearance, however fan reception has been more critical in recent times. The game was a commercial success, selling more than 10 million copies and attracting more than 50 million players after the game went free-to-play. Since the game’s launch Mediatonic has released numerous updates for the game. The latest update added new objects to their level editor, vault changes, and the ability to emote in the lobby.[6]
Gameplay
Up to 40 players compete in shows with battle royale-style gameplay.[7][8][9] Players, represented as jellybean-like figures,[10] move around in a three-dimensional playing field, with additional moves such as jumping, grabbing/climbing, or diving to assist gameplay.[11] The aim is to qualify for subsequent rounds by successfully completing each of the randomly selected mini-games with randomly selected variations.[12][13] Certain mini-games include: Race rounds in which players need to make it to the finish line, Survival rounds in which players need to not get knocked off into the slime, Hunt rounds in which players need to collect items to win, Logic rounds in which players need to use their memory, Team rounds in which players are part of a team and need to win against the other teams, Invisibeans rounds in which there are 2 teams, with 1 team being invisible, and final rounds in which the remaining few players compete in a final match with a randomised mini-game designed for a smaller player size.[11] The winner of the match is the last player standing or the first to finish.[14]
Using an in-game currency, “Kudos”, players can purchase single cosmetics, nameplates, nametags, patterns, faceplates, and colours, for their character to show off in-game.[15][16] Players obtain Kudos by doing weekly challenges, completing the fame pass, or in events. Players receive crowns by winning a match.[17] Crowns were a premium currency until June 21, 2022, whereas they now only count towards Crown Rank. Any Crowns that users didn’t spend before the game went free to play were converted into Kudos.[18]