Fall Guys

Every so often a game stands out from the crowd. Not because it's got superior graphics, not because it's got the longest story line in history and not because it's got some massive price tag. Sometimes it's the beautifully simple that takes center stage and that's absolutely the case with Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout.

Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout is a bright, cheery, game show-inspired battle royale title that sees you bounce through obstacle courses and take on other challenges, while competing against 59 online contestants.

Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout takes the tried and tested, Battle Royale formula, then completely turns it on its head. Unique, wholesome, chaotic and a hell of a lot of fun.

After several hours with Fall Guys over the course of a few evenings, we’ve already seen everything the game has to offer. The desire to jump back in is already waning. It’s a fun little game while it lasts – but the question is, just how long will it last? There’s no denying it’s one of the most accessible battle royale games out there; even if you’re not a fan of competitive multiplayer, Fall Guys is easy to jump into and get a kick out of. But it’s a kick that is more than likely short-lived.

It’s here that the game feels like it might have a point, however accidental, because losing at Fall Guys feels like democracy in action: You can see exactly where you need to go, but you’re trapped in place by the dozens of obstinate others who maddeningly insist on doing things their own way.

In the meantime, what's here is a refreshing breather from the onslaught of battle royale shooters that currently dominate the market, with its adorably colorful visuals, peppy soundtrack, and easy to pick up gameplay making it a splash of life in an increasingly mundane and repetitive genre. Much like the game shows it's based off, Fall Guys isn't meant to be taken seriously, and there are few multiplayer experiences out there that so wholeheartedly put approachable, inclusive fun at the forefront.

Fall Guys is an absolute delight. It feels like a natural evolution of the battle royale genre that abandons the expectation of violence and exchanges it for a bright, colourful multiplayer experience that sinks its hooks in and refuses to let go.

Full of cute and cuddly jelly beans bumbling into each other in a race for the crown, Fall Guys is just about the most wholesome battle royale imaginable, and a whole lot of fun.

Fall Guys doesn’t take itself too seriously, and it’s hard not to grin after a few rounds of delightful diversion. Whether by yourself or with friends, this refreshing and ridiculous game makes every triumph and failure into a celebration.

A collection of exciting minigames and a burst of every colour under the rainbow makes Fall Guys a consistent delight.

In a genre overstuffed with guns and grenades, this cute and cuddly battle royale stands out.

And even though you can’t play against your family, you can all gather around the TV and enjoy the hilarity of 60 bean-shaped critters trying to simultaneously cram themselves through a narrow doorway, or across a rotating platform. It is lovely to see a game like this – so aware of its own silliness and so aware that it is exactly what we need right now.