Review: Downfall (2016)

One of the world’s favourite villains of 2012, Vaas Montenegro provided us with one definition. “Insanity is doing the exact same fucking thing over and over again, expecting… shit to change.”

Downfall, developed by the same group of sinister geniuses who brought ‘The Cat Lady’ to the pages of Steam, brings a new definition to insanity. Stepping into the world of Downfall, is akin to waking up inside of a lucid dream, one can never be certain as to whether what you are witnessing is real, or merely an illusion of the sub-conscious.

You follow every-day normal fellow Joe Davis as he and his wife Ivy Davis attempt to rekindle their love at the ‘Quiet Haven Hotel’ albeit not all goes to plan when Ivy disappears and Joe is forced to find her… Before it is too late.

Downfall is overflowing with positive aspects, however much like most things, there are a small number of issues. Fortunately the issues in Downfall pale in comparison to how enthralling the story and gameplay are.

First the negative aspects ought to be brought to light. The voice acting quality is… Harsh to say the very least. Jesse Gunn does a fantastic portrayal of Joe Davis, the sincerity and emotion is definitely present. The YouTube personality Chisaleya  performs Ivy Davis exquisitely, the only qualms I have is the audio quality is poor, screams sound as if they are coming from across the room, when the dialogue reaches decibels too loud, the audio crackles belligerently. Some may say this adds to the ‘homemade’ feeling Downfall strives to achieve, but I find it breaks the spectacular immersion the game creates.

(On the topic of voice acting, The YouTube personality, and personal favourite of mine, Cryaotic makes a very small cameo, albeit I will not say where.)

The only other quarrel I have with this game is that on a certain number of occasions, I have experienced game shattering glitches, whereas I am unable to do anything to progress, it led to having to restart from the last save twice.

Everything else this game has to offer is simply marvellous. If you enjoy a combination of side-scrolling action, a coagulation of digital and handcrafted artwork and a terrific story, I would recommend you drop everything at once and purchase Downfall… Just be sure that you are not faint of heart, mind or stomach. This game certainly is quite brutal.