Home > Fall in Love with the World of Light Fall
On my flight to LA for E3 2017, I sat next to a nice fellow in the back of the plane. I didn’t really think much of it, but I assumed he was likely going to E3 as well. The flight was quiet and we didn’t really talk much at all. Let’s fast forward to Wednesday night after the show floor had closed; there was an event called The Mix going on at a rooftop in downtown Los Angeles. The Mix is a yearly indie showcase where promising new games are shown off to E3 media and other developers. To give an idea of some games there, Shovel Knight and A Hat in Time have made appearances.
Once the elevator doors had opened on the roof, the Concealed Gaming trio, not knowing where to go, tried to follow a developer to the back corner, but had lost where that developer went. We stood around, confused, and then suddenly I heard a voice say, “Hey, didn’t we sit next to each other on the airplane?”
Bishop Games have been working on their brain child aptly named Light Fall since 2014. In the time since, the game has been improved heavily, from starting with mostly grey-scale backgrounds to having a lush well detailed environment, as well as key additions to the gameplay. At its foundation, Bishop Games started with just three friends, but has since expanded to include six members. All of these members have had integral parts of forming Light Fall, from narration to programming.
When I was trying out the demo, I went through the first level. The platforming mechanics were absolutely spot on. I can honestly say I’ve never played anything that had such precise and tight controls. After the first level, not wanting to take up too much time, I stood up and figured I had seen enough. Boy was I wrong.
David Dion-Paquet, the technical director, programmer, and most importantly the guy who sat next to me on the plane, pointed out I had yet to actually see the game itself, which revolves around a special cube. While the platformer itself was good, Bishop Games realized early on it felt too empty and generic. This is when the idea for the cube or Shadow Core came around, and the entire game was then centered around it.
In the world of Numbra, the Shadow Core is almost like a companion. When summoned, it gives you a boost to help you jump, plus you control it to get by obstacles such as lasers, and it can even power a boat to help you progress. I was already impressed by how solid the platforming was in general, but once the cube was introduced the entire game changed. It’s incredibly hard to describe just how dynamic the cube is, but it’s much easier to see it in action:
To sum up E3, there were a lot of good games. A lot of them were very generic shooting games, but Light Fall was like a breath of fresh air. Addressing the elephant in the room, yes, it does look like Limbo, and yes, there are already a lot of platformers out there. This, however, felt incredibly unique. It isn’t Limbo, and it hasn’t been done before. Light Fall is a great platformer, with beautiful art, and I strongly urge fans of the genre to check it out. You will not be disappointed.
Currently Greenlit on Steam, Light Fall is set to launch in November 2017, and later see a release on the PS4 and Xbox One in early 2018.
About the Author:
Christopher Weil
The 2006 Time Magazine person of the year, born in Toronto, Canada, Christopher developed a passion for gaming at a young age. His favorite franchise has always been The Legend of Zelda, but he can also usually be found playing SimRacing games such as iRacing. He's in university studying mechanical engineering and looking to start his own 3D printing business.
