Human: Fall Flat

Human: Fall Flat is a puzzle-platform game developed by Tomas Sakalauskas, founder of the Lithuanian studio No Brakes Games, and published by Curve Digital. It was initially released for Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Linux in July 2016, and received ports for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Google Stadia, and iOS and Android over the next several years.

Human: Fall Flat
Developer(s)No Brakes Games
Publisher(s)Curve Digital
Director(s)Tomas Sakalauskas
Producer(s)Tomas Sakalauskas[1]
Writer(s)Tomas Sakalauskas
EngineUnity
Platform(s)Windows
macOS
Linux
PlayStation 4
Xbox One
Nintendo Switch
iOS
Android
Stadia
Xbox Series X/S
PlayStation 5
Release
22 July 2016
    • Windows, macOS, Linux
    • 22 July 2016
    • PlayStation 4
    • 9 May 2017
    • Xbox One
    • 12 May 2017
    • Nintendo Switch
    • 7 December 2017
    • iOS, Android
    • 26 June 2019
    • Stadia
    • 1 October 2020
    • Xbox Series X/S
    • 28 May 2021
    • PlayStation 5
    • 24 June 2021
Genre(s)Puzzle-platform
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

The game received mixed reviews. Reviewers praised the replayability of the puzzles and comedic animations. The game has sold more than 40 million copies as of March 2023, making it one of the best selling video games of all-time. A sequel, Human: Fall Flat 2, was announced in June 2023 at Devolver Direct 2023.[2][3][4][5]

Gameplay

Human: Fall Flat is a physics puzzle game where players play a customizable human, referred to in-game as Bob. Bob is stated to have no superhuman abilities; he is purely human.[6] Players can make him grab objects and climb up ledges using both his arms and looking with his head.[7][8]

Bob interacting with a physics object

Although Bob's standard appearance is a featureless, minimalist all-white human with a baseball cap, players are able to customize him to their liking, painting his body in a different array of colors and dressing him in a variety of costumes.[6]

The game is open-ended. Each level is themed differently, each containing multiple solutions to their unique puzzles.[6] Various remotes hidden in the game cause instructional videos to appear, helping players learn the gameplay and ultimately solve the puzzles.[9]

Development

Human: Fall Flat was developed by Tomas Sakalauskas. In 2012, Sakalauskas abandoned his work in IT to try video game development.[1] Initially Sakalauskas concentrated on making mobile games although he ran out of money partway through; this, combined with him questioning the ethics of the freemium model of most mobile games, led him instead to turn development towards a PC game. Sakalauskas has stated that Human: Fall Flat was his "last shot at gaming".[10]

The game began life as a prototype for Intel's RealSense motion sensing camera. Although Sakalauskas eventually realized that the game would work better with traditional control and transitioned away from the device.[10] Sakalauskas set out to make the game in the vein of a puzzle game similar to Limbo or Portal, however, when playtesting the game with his son Sakalauskas noted that "he did everything possible not to solve puzzles", instead just having fun with the physics engine. This caused Sakalauskas to change his approach and make the puzzles "not really watertight".[11] Initially the game was only single player. Although Sakalauskas received several requests for a multiplayer mode, he felt the physics involved would make online play impossible; however, he eventually formed a solution using technology from Nvidia, and in October 2017, an online multiplayer feature was added, allowing up to eight people to play online or by LAN.[12][13]

The game was released as a prototype on Itch.io after which many prominent streamers began promoting it, prompting Sakalauskas to release a Steam version nine months later.[11] PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions followed in May 2017 with a Nintendo Switch version that December.[14] A port to mobile platforms by Codeglue and 505 Games supporting iOS and Android was released on 26 June 2019.[15][16] A Stadia port by Lab42[17] released on 1 October 2020,[18] followed by Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 versions the following year.[19]

Reception

Critical reception

Human: Fall Flat received "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[20][21][22][23] Dan Stapleton of IGN recommended the game for watching rather than actually playing, praising the slapstick controls, humorous animations, and character customization.[8] Zack Furniss of Destructoid enjoyed the replayability of the puzzles and praised the multiple solutions each puzzle provided.[7]

Sales

By February 2018, more than 2 million copies of the game had been sold across all platforms.[1] According to Curve, the sales of the game were boosted with the addition of online multiplayer in late 2017; by early January 2018, the game had broken over 1 million units sold on the Windows version, but within a month, had seen an additional 700,000 sales.[29][30][31] By June 2018, the game achieved over 4 million sales across all platforms.[32]

Human: Fall Flat was the first video game released by Super Rare Games, which is a limited-print company that physically publishes Nintendo Switch games. 5,000 copies were made available to order in March 2018.[33] In Japan, the Nintendo Switch version of Human Fall Flat released by Teyon Japan, a subsidiary of Teyon, was the fourteenth bestselling game during its first week of release, with 5,241 copies sold.[34]

As of February 2021, the game had sold more than 25 million copies; part of these sales included the popularity of the game in China over 2020 after being released there through XD Inc and 505 Games, in part due to the game's popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic.[35]

As of March 2023, Human: Fall Flat had sold more than 40 million copies.[36]

Accolades
YearAwardCategoryResultRef
2017 Develop Awards New Games IP Nominated [37][38]
The Independent Game Developers' Association Awards Casual/Social Game Nominated [39]
2018 The Independent Game Developers' Association Awards Best Audio Design Nominated [40][41]
Best Casual Game Won

Sequel
Main article: Human: Fall Flat 2

In June 2023, Human: Fall Flat 2 was announced at Devolver Direct 2023.[2][3][4][5]

References
  1. "Why 2m sales means the Human: Fall Flat developer never has to work in IT again". GamesIndustry.biz. 15 February 2018. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  2. Human: Fall Flat (8 June 2023). "Human Fall Flat FAQ". Human: Fall Flat. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  3. Game Press (8 June 2023). "Human Fall Flat 2 Is Under Construction!". Game Press. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  4. IGN (8 June 2023). "Human Fall Flat 2 - Official Reveal Teaser Trailer Devolver Digital Showcase 2023". IGN. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  5. Dompier, Miles (8 June 2023). "Human Fall Flat 2 is real, and we're here for it". Windows Central. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  6. Donnelly, Joe (26 July 2016). "Seven ways Human Fall Flat will make you smile". PC Gamer. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  7. Furniss, Zack (6 August 2016). "Review: Human: Fall Flat". Destructoid. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  8. Stapleton, Dan (28 July 2016). "Human: Fall Flat Review". IGN. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  9. Minguez, Cindy. "Human Fall Flat Review". TrueAchievements. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
  10. Robinson, Martin (27 February 2018). "How Human: Fall Flat rose up to become a smash hit". Eurogamer. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  11. Aubrey, Dave (11 February 2021). "Human Fall Flat Interview With Tomas Sakalauskas, CEO Of No Brakes Games". TheGamer. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  12. Walker, John (2 February 2018). "How Human: Fall Flat has kept its head held high". Rock Paper Shotgun. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  13. Donnelly, Joe (31 October 2017). "Human Fall Flat adds 8-person online multiplayer". PC Gamer. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  14. Phillips, Tom (11 August 2017). "The Flame in the Flood, Human: Fall Flat headed to Nintendo Switch". Eurogamer. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  15. Holt, Kris (20 June 2019). "'Human Fall Flat' lands on iOS and Android June 26th". Engadget. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
  16. Sholtz, Matthew (20 June 2019). "Human: Fall Flat is coming to Android thanks to a partnership between 505 Games and Curve Digital". Android Police. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
  17. "Games". lab42.games. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  18. "This Week on Stadia: Six new free games plus Risk of Rain 2". Stadia Community Blog. 29 September 2020.
  19. Peppiatt, Dom (24 June 2021). "Human: Fall Flat lands on PS5 today, supports Haptic Feedback". VG247. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  20. "Human: Fall Flat for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  21. "Human: Fall Flat for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  22. "Human: Fall Flat for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
  23. "Human: Fall Flat for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
  24. Whittaker, Matt (31 July 2016). "Review: Human: Fall Flat". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  25. McMahon, Conor (17 December 2017). "Human: Fall Flat Review (Switch eShop)". Nintendo Life. Nlife Media. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
  26. Koopman, Daan (11 December 2017). "Human: Fall Flat Review". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
  27. Sowden, Emily (2 January 2018). "Human: Fall Flat review - Toddler simulator 2017?". Pocket Gamer. Steel Media Ltd. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  28. Fitzgerald, Simon (9 May 2017). "Human: Fall Flat Review (PS4)". Push Square. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  29. Calvin, Alex (8 January 2018). "Curve Digital's Human: Fall Flat surpasses 1m sales on Steam". PC Games Insider. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
  30. Calvin, Alex (15 February 2018). "Human: Fall Flat hits 1.7m sales on PC". PC Games Insider. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
  31. Bensen, Julian (20 February 2018). "Why Human: Fall Flat's success is "f***ing crazy"". PCGamesN. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  32. "Physics-based puzzle platformer Human: Fall Flat smashes sales charts with four million units sold". Plan of Attack. 19 June 2018. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  33. "Super Rare Games". Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  34. Romano, Sal (2 July 2020). "Famitsu Sales: 6/22/20 – 6/28/20 [Update]". Gematsu. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  35. Peppiatt, Dom (11 February 2021). "Human: Fall Flat tops 25 million sales, gets Chinese New Year event to celebrate". VG247. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  36. Stanton, Rich (9 March 2023). "Remember Human: Fall Flat? Turns out over 40 million humans paid up". PC Gamer. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  37. Cleaver, Sean (12 May 2017). "Develop Awards 2017: The Finalists". MCV. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
  38. Cleaver, Sean (12 July 2017). "Guerrilla Games win Studio of the Year at the Develop Awards 2017". MCV. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
  39. "2017 Winners". The Independent Game Developers' Association. 2 November 2017. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  40. Stephenson, Suzi (19 September 2018). "TIGA Announces Games Industry Awards 2018 Finalists". The Independent Game Developers' Association. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  41. "2018 Winners". The Independent Game Developers' Association. 1 November 2018. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
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