Review for Gods will fall. Game for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X and Google Stadia, the video game was released on 29/01/2021
The great father measured the ball of your life a long time ago. Go hide in a hole if you want. But you won't live a single moment longer. Your fate is sealed. Man's fear does not bring anything. Nothing enhances the fighting spirit of the human being more than facing a battle against an enemy that seems invincible: blood boils, fear turns into ardor and man burns all of himself in a fight to the last breath. Gods will fall - indie title by Clever beans published by Deep Silver and launched on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Google Stadia, PC (through Steam), Xbox Series X e Xbox series s - centers its plot and consequently its strength precisely on the ardor of the battle of a small group of men against the gods, represented here as monstrous beings. Let the battle begin.
Run to death, before your place is taken
The bloody dominion of the gods over humanity has lasted for millennia: determined, cruel and fed by human suffering, the gods ask to be served with blind adoration through an oath of fidelity promised by every man, woman and child. Those who do not submit to the will of the gods are entitled to a slow and merciless death.
In Gods Will Fall the player will face brutal trials as he leads an adventurous band of fighters in their desperate war to sever the callous grip of the gods on humanity. All men and women who manage to pick up a blade, having suffered the brutality of the kingdom of the gods for too long, will be called to form your clan of eight Celtic survivors and rise up to face the legions of hideous beast and the servants who dwell in each of the infernal realms of the gods.
If I cannot bend the gods of heaven I will unleash those of Hell
Gods Will Fall looks like a hack 'n slash with a fixed isometric view and a strong roguelite component. The player leads a group of eight randomly generated heroes with different characteristics, personal bonuses or penalties, and different weapons. Our task will be to guide our group in an open space-like map in search of access points to dungeons in which, one warrior at a time, we will be asked to face a path full of obstacles and enemies at the end of which a deity will wait for us.
The loss of a member of the group will take us back to the beginning of the map, where we will be forced to start all over again with another adventurer. If we complete the dungeon, all members will be freed and we can proceed to the next one. If we lose every single member of the team, the fateful game over will come, and we will have to start a new adventure or reload from the last save.
Tongues burning with invisible flame stamp the mark of hell on my exhausted soul
Completing a dungeon means collecting objects and weapons to redistribute in the group and obtaining a level up for the components who participated in the undertaking. Bonus and malus are also randomly generated and increase the physical characteristics of the character in question such as speed, strength and so on. This is unfortunately everything Gods Will Fall offers as an RPG component, and perhaps more could have been done in that direction.
With a fighting style that is easy to learn but difficult to master it results in a huge challenge for all who venture inside the dungeons. Each warrior has a quick attack and a powerful attack, the jump (which can be followed by a powerful attack to create a ground smash) and the ability to use objects. You can also collect and use the weapons of defeated enemies, with the feature of being able to throw them at a distance. Our health bar can be restored with a war cry that builds up for each kill made. Unfortunately, the fighting style is rather meager, since it differs only according to the weapon used and that the concatenations between powerful and fast attack are really very limited.
Wherever death in battle surprises us, let it be welcome
Gods Will Fall has a good technical sector - at times inspired and fascinating - with graphics with a light brushstroke and rich in details that make what flows under our eyes valuable. Unfortunately, however, we must point out some shortcomings also on this aspect: the fixed isometric view does not allow an easy visualization of the playing field, with the backdrops covering the enemies and the players. In addition, the same view prevents you from understanding on the fly which paths are actually practicable and which are not, leaving the player at the mercy of a tempting approach that is frustrating in the long run. Unfortunately, the same is true for the attack patterns, which are repetitive and do not lead to seeking new strategies. We soon realize that we might as well fight, where possible, one enemy at a time with a series of quick attacks, and then finish it off with a powerful jump attack after having knocked it down. For the whole course of the adventure, it is enough to hit an enemy from afar with a weapon taken from a corpse, exhaust him with quick attacks and finish him when he is helpless.
On the other hand, the design of the levels and enemies is good and varied, with particular attention to the final bosses of each dungeon that are a feast for the eyes, and which finally present an ever-changing pattern that forces you to think before acting, rather than throwing yourself against the opponent with his head down. Here we note the care and love of the development team, as we can see it in the construction of the paths of the dungeons, which allow the player of Gods Will Fall to choose alternative ways to achieve the same goal. Finally, among the cons, we point out that we would certainly have preferred more interaction with the elements on the screen, unfortunately all static.
Even when you know you are losing, you still have to fight. Because the important thing is not to win or lose: it is to fight
Gods Will Fall at launch comes in two versions: the classic and the much richer Valliant Edition, which includes The DLC Valley of the Dormant Gods, which enriches the game with three new gods - in addition to the 10 already present - two new weapon classes, new items, new skills, collectibles extras and warrior vestiges for the clan generated randomly
An interesting offer that we have not yet had the opportunity to try and that should, at least in theory, fill some gaps in the standard edition. Whichever version you choose, for any platform, the final result remains the same, allowing the player of Gods Will Fall to choose in serenity on which platform to enjoy the title.
Gods Will Fall is full of hope but with many gaps. Clever Beans' development work is fluctuating and discontinuous, presenting moments of joy to moments of boredom. Overall, the adventure offered is still pleasant and suitable for quick game sessions, thus showing the best of itself on Nintendo Switch, the console we used in the testing phase. Unfortunately, the feeling that Gods Will Fall leaves after a series of games is that perhaps more could (and should) have been done.
► Gods Will Fall is an Action-Hack and Slash type game developed by Clever Beans and published by Deep Silver for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X and Google Stadia, the video game was released on 29/01/2021
