Fallen Leaf provides a fascinating look into what could have been. See, there are retro games that take from their inspirations and fit them into titles fully befitting the expectations of a modern audience. Then, some feel like a look into an alternate universe, one of uninterrupted progress for any one design philosophy. Here we see a 2D title that (with a few, likely major iterations on the hardware) would not only fit right into the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) library but also rocket to the top of many a favorite list.
At first glance, the obvious comparison would be Mega Man. The main character’s sprite has the same straight face, moveset, and animations after all, yet it quickly becomes apparent that the gameplay leans much more towards other NES platformers. Fallen Leaf takes from all the greats: the way it hides secrets, the overworld map, the hubs filled with NPCs and shops, the pacing, and brand new movement options of unlockable characters. There is something for a Little Samson fan, a Duck Tales aficionado, and even a Rygar enjoyer.
At the start, the whole package feels a bit incomplete. Leaf (the protagonist and first character you get to play as) provides the most balanced, but arguably least exciting way to play. He moves slowly and shoots even slower. The game picks up a few levels in, when the player unlocks his sister Petal. She rocks a higher jump and a bee minion who locks onto the nearest enemy and shoots alongside her. To balance it out, she also slips a little while moving.
This is only the first of many options that blow Fallen Leaf wide open. Characters can be switched at any time. Some may jump higher, others may run faster, but the most interesting are the ones with brand-new movement options. The short levels become a controlled playground, where dealing with obstacles in seemingly unintended ways feels as encouraged as weaving through the attacks and bullets with Leaf’s basic moveset.
A character like Petal may feel like easy mode, with her not having to actually aim at the enemy or even stand in harm’s way to hit something, plus her high jump makes it easier to dodge, but thanks to more options her gameplay feels more involved. Balancing the siblings are the other playable characters, each with a unique risk-reward movement system and attacks.
Throughout each stage, one can find not just secrets, but also plainly laid out chests containing currency, health refillables, or attack upgrades. The last ones, split into two tiers—the more powerful one appearing only if you collected the other—feel a bit difficult to retain at first but add some much needed tension. Dying is of little consequence, sending you back a minute at worst, but at higher levels of play, you want to preserve those upgrades, as they allow you to remove regular enemies and bosses much faster.
I soon found myself flowing through the short levels, almost taking for granted their sheer quality. Fallen Leaf took me a surprisingly hefty 17 hours, and while I kept thinking that the next stage would surely tire me out on the formula, they thankfully never did. There is an impressive variety of obstacles that appear in each three to six minute-long stage, twists on previous enemy types or different kinds of platforms, all appearing for merely a few levels before being replaced by something brand new.
Though it is just as packed and paced like an NES game, it manages to keep up the excitement for three times as long as its inspirations. Part of it is the hubs, filled with NPCs requesting items found at the end of each level, providing currency or upgrades in return, and short side-activities, such as a charity speedrunning event where one of the participants can give you tips for time-saving techniques for the currently ran game so that you can beat the world record.
Here, however, you will also find the weakest part of the whole package—the writing. Occasionally sincere, there is an overwhelming sense of repetition and sleaziness. Its humor works best in short messages like the ones found upon receiving a useless item from a chest. Finding a half-eaten scone inside one is silly. Seeing the meme “Chad” archetype for the third time, not as much.
Much as the offputting proportions of character portraits may make you believe, abstraction is far from its strongest suit. Referential and mean-spirited humor feels increasingly out of place throughout the story, but unfortunately it doubles down on it more and more with each story beat. A few clever jokes aside, I found the ending really unsatisfying. It’s not a total disaster, yet remains extremely unconvincing during key story beats.
Consistency and variety are qualities that otherwise define the majority of Fallen Leaf. Even among its retro-inspired contemporaries, it feels like a more complete and coherent experience. Sprinkled between the admittedly unimpressive references are bits of excellent worldbuilding, with NPCs teasing or calling back to other locations. Some even have unique interactions depending on the character you pick to talk to them.
Even something like currency management gets the same, carefully thought-out treatment. Jewels are earned throughout the levels, there are bonuses for speed and deathless runs, but you can find several side activities that will reward you after a quick activity. The late-game provides plenty of different investments, be that different magical attacks (each with three unique variants depending on the attack upgrade tier), crystals allowing for more of these to be used, as well as passive upgrades for each character.
Despite redoing certain levels in search of secrets, I could not obtain every upgrade in one playthrough, which allowed for more involved decision-making. Should I empower the character I enjoy playing most, or should I invest in one that intrigues me more but lacks a bit of a punch right now? Save up for a new attack or get the magic meter upgrade to help me with the next boss? Plus, keeping the different vendors in mind was another way of making the world more memorable.
Another word that comes to mind when reminiscing about my time with Fallen Leaf is “rich.” There are gameplay elements that I only really began to grasp deep into the final level, a playfulness to its presentation, a thoughtfulness to the world design, and incredible layers to its music. Rarely do I feel like repeating a soundtrack in a level-based game works, you need some really special tunes for them to be worth the monotony, but here with each listen I was discovering a new angle through which to appreciate the soaring, bit-crushed highs piercing through the sounds of action.
My appreciation for the whole package can only grow in time. It’s hard for me to imagine that many 2D, level-based releases will be able to match it at its best, yet it still has plenty of room for improvement when it comes to developing its personality through the narrative. An incredible debut title from Delta Shore Games, almost making me wish that that alternate NES universe was my own.
Mateusz played Fallen Leaf on PC with a review code.
