Review: Until You Fall

Knight in shining roguelike

It’s a shame that VR has not gained momentum: it really is.

Although I fully understand that the demo doesn’t work well, and that the membership, especially at the beginning, was ridiculous; we’ve reached a point where the PSVR and Oculus Quest have allowed for great accessibility to the once restrictive platform.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have tested every major device since the original consumer version of the Oculus Rift was released, and so many games have redefined support that it’s even hard to keep up with at this point. The recently published Until you fall is one of those projects.

Until you fall (PC, Oculus Quest [reviewed], PS4)
Developer: Schell Games
Publisher: Schell Games
Released: October 27, 2020
MSRP: $ 24.99

Games like Robo recall and Superhot VR have absolutely turned this hobby upside down for me. Having to relearn almost every facet of my training since the ’80s is a bit crazy, as the more intense VR experiences have challenged me in a way that no game in decades has ever done. For the aforementioned duo, a certain degree of 360-degree situational awareness is essential. Until you fall toys with this same concept, but also adds a certain degree of fitness and endurance.

In short: Until you fall is a roguelike built around medieval weapons, in which you have to progress through the stages (filled with enemies) until you finally reach the final boss. It’s also filled to the brim with roguelite elements, like permanent upgrades that will eventually help you overcome obstacles by sheer force of will. Of course, you can also play really well and get around a lot of that subtlety.

While there is a story (you save the kingdom), it’s mostly in the outskirts with the emphasis on frenzied hand-to-hand combat. As a Knight, you’ll start with a sword in your dominant hand and a dagger in the other, as you block, strike, and fight your way to victory (with as few or as many VR Vision training wheels). that you like, depending on your tolerance to motion sickness). Dashing (which doubles as an evasion or dive attack) is governed by a counter, which fills up over time.

Other than that, your job is to slice and block to remove enemy guard counters: which in turn will open them up for large slices (the wider the better, in terms of damage). This creates an interesting dance where you can’t blindly swing like you’re cutting dinner, as you’ll have to stop and carefully position your blades in the block lines to parry. This in turn rattles their meter and creates a nice little rumble feedback effect.

It’s fun from the tutorial, but once I really started digging and stumbling across some of the minibosses (which required a quick block or actual dodge) I was mesmerized. Playing this on a captive headset is fun, but the freedom of the wireless Oculus Quest is just unreal and adds so much. You can walk or gaze unhindered, which is extremely useful when there are multiple enemies at the gates of your visor.

Pretty much anything I could think of, added developer Schell Games. “What if I don’t want to block or attack with both weapons?” Well, right off the bat you can buy a glove that doesn’t block with the hand you equip it in, but does offer other bonuses like extra health. “What if I want to swap which weapon is in which hand?” You can do this from the hub between races. “What if I am very tired and need a break?” Saving and exiting will bring you back to the same level halfway through. Almost every improvement in quality of life is present in Until you fall, which just shows you how far VR studios have come since the medium’s beginnings.

He needs all of this too, as it can be very difficult at first. As I have said many times, learning this game is a far cry from almost every other traditional project that I have been playing for ages. You need to be in tune with the game’s patterns, which require elaborate and quick hand movements. You can’t fake it or cheat it, especially as you start to take on some of the craziest dwellers this world throws at you. Even on normal difficulty (called “hard”, one of the three settings), it’s very taxing, but rewarding.

I didn’t know what to expect when jumping Until you fall, but ended up getting a nice set of workouts besides an exciting VR combat simulator. If you’re looking for the next thing to buy with your shiny new VR device, this is it.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

Until you fall reviewed by Chris Carter