If you’ve been looking for a battle royale that fully embraces chaos and silliness, Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout, set to release on August 4th, 2020 may just fit the bill. Developed by Mediatonic and set to be published by Devolver Digital (which has released other quirky, endearing games like Pikuniku), Fall Guys melds classic battle royale elements with obstacle courses and minigames that seem more reminiscent of Mario Party than, say, Fortnite. Since its E3 2019 trailer and gameplay demo, many have been eagerly awaiting the game’s release, and thankfully, it’s almost here.
The gameplay of Fall Guys appears relatively simple, as opposed to other battle royale-type games that tend to have a steep learning curve. You start with 59 other players and go through five different rounds of many games to eliminate competitors and determine the ultimate winner. The minigames range from puzzles to in-game parkour, and each one is as fun to watch as it is to play if you believe the streamers who’ve been participating in beta testing.
Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout also has a wide range of cosmetics for optimized customization of your own character. Whether your tastes lean more towards simple hats or purple shark costumes, this game is set to have you covered. Fall Guys’ colorful, zany aesthetics are endearing, and I could easily see collecting cosmetic items getting very addicting very quickly.
While I wasn’t lucky enough to play the beta version of the game and intend on writing a full review once the full game is released, Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout seems to have real potential to become the next big battle royale on the market. Its mechanics just might appeal to a larger range of gamers than traditional battle royales which have focused primarily on combat, and its fast-paced gameplay means you don’t have to set aside a huge chunk of your day to have fun. That is unless you want to.
Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout will be available on PC and PS4. You can currently pre-purchase a Steam key for $19.99, and the game will also be included with Playstation Plus come August.
