Fallen Leaf

I love Mega Man 2. It’s one of my favorite action/platformers on the Nintendo Entertainment System. But would I like Mega Man 2 as much if it was ten times longer and full of filler stage where you earned a bunch of junk? That’s the question I’ve been asking myself since playing Fallen Leaf, a game that takes inspiration from Capcom’s long-running action series. It looks good, plays great and is full of exciting boss fights. It’s exactly what you want from a throwback game. But is there such thing as getting too much of a good thing? That’s what we’re about to find out in this review of Fallen Leaf.

Let me ask you a question: When you see a big sign in front of a dark, scary cave that says “DO NOT ENTER,” what do you do? I would probably run the other way, but the kids in the new game Fallen Leaf make a completely different (and way more irresponsible) choice. Leaf and his sister Petal interpret the sign with the ominous bear claw as an invitation, convinced that what lies inside the cave is adventure and valuable treasures.

As it turns out, they are half right. Leaf ultimately does find a hidden treasure chest, but when he opens it, he unleashes a great evil into the world – Lord Xankulos, the supreme judge of all mortals. And that’s not all, an elderly wizard name Willow also pops out. He’s a bit of a character. He’s scatterbrained and all over the place, constantly hording useless crap and manipulating people to help solve his problems. In this case, he gives Leaf a magical gauntlet in hopes that the siblings will hunt down the Stone of Power, which will allow the wizard to capture Lord Xankulos and once again seal him away in a treasure chest.

This sets up a surprisingly epic adventure that sees Leaf and Petal retrace Willow’s steps in hopes of opening up all of his treasure chests. But all is not what it appears, and the siblings will discover that there may be others that are seemingly on the same exact mission. Could it be that Willow is not being 100% truthful? Is there more to this story than meets the eye? And why are all of his treasure chests filled with useless crap? I mean, this one is literally just a bag of garbage. What’s going on here?

At its core, Fallen Leaf is a side-scrolling action/platformer that was heavily influenced by Capcom’s long-running Mega Man series. You run, jump, slide and shoot at enemies with your magical gauntlet, which can be upgraded to shoot both fireballs and a powerful double shot. While the action is very much Mega Man, the secondary items feel like they were pulled straight out of Castlevania. There’s no holy water, but you get hammers, boomerangs, spears and the like. Using these items will deplete your blue magic bar, similar to the hearts the Belmont’s used to throw a dagger. And in true 8-bit fashion, you’ll earn back life and magic by killing random enemies.

What sets Fallen Leaf apart from many of those classic games from the 1980s is that we can freely swap between the characters in your party at the push of a button. Leaf is a good all-around hero, while his sister, Petal, is definitely a better jumper. There’s also a third character that is added to the party mid-way through that is great with close-ranged attacks and opening up areas the other two couldn’t go. The three definitely have their pros and cons, but I found myself playing as Leaf throughout most of the game. He has the best moves, is easy to upgrade and doesn’t slip around the level like his sister, which meant that there was very little incentive for me to use either of the other characters.

Fallen Leaf is the type of throwback game that doesn’t just look like it came out on the Nintendo Entertainment System, but also controls like those classic platformers. In that sense, I had no problem immediately feeling at home while playing through the lengthy campaign. The jumping control is tight and responsive, and the speed and movement just feels right. This is, without a doubt, a difficult game, but the challenge is never due to the gameplay or unfair level designs. If I die, it’s because I didn’t get the timing right or screwed up in some other way, not because the game is out to get me. The difficulty is fair, not frustrating.

A lot of this comes from the wonderfully-crafted level designs. Although there are only six worlds to explore, each one comes with around twenty different levels. That’s more than enough stages for the developers to throw in literally every single platforming obstacle they could think of. It not only plays the greatest hits, but there are also some fresh and clever obstacles thrown into the mix. And with every world introducing new enemies, puzzles and themes, you’ll never know what to expect next. Both the story and the level designs will keep you guessing right up to the end.

I will admit, at first I was a bit put-off by having so many stages in each world. It honestly felt like the first world would never end. Not that I wasn’t enjoying the forest background and trees that had us climbing high above the clouds, but it takes a while for the game to really get going. The good news is that the worlds eventually do become more intriguing, with the different levels fully exploring every side of the theme. A good example of that is a world that resembles New York City. It’s here where you’ll not only dodge cars when crossing the bridge, but also platform through skyscrapers and even a grocery store. Sometimes the theme can change, too. At one point we’re treated to a hellish factory world filled with dinosaurs. However, as we continue to play through the levels, it gradually turns into a horror-themed thrill ride straight out of Ghosts ‘N Goblins. It’s clear that a lot of time went into not only making each of these stages, but also giving them their own personality.

Fallen Leaf was clearly made by people who know and love action/platformers, because this game is filled with smart ideas and fresh takes on ideas you’ve seen a thousand times before. Take the double jump ability you earn mid-way through the game. Yes, this helps you reach platforms that were previously off limits, but the double jump does more than that. It also acts as an attack. If you can master the timing, you can take out tough enemies by double jumping right above them, something that comes in handy late in the game.

There’s also a shocking amount of extra levels and puzzles scattered both inside each stage and also on the world map. This is the kind of game where you can get to the end and have only seen a third of what it has to offer. Thorough explorers will spend hours tracking down all of the bonus items and life upgrades, most of which is not immediately obvious as you’re going from level to level. This is the kind of game that Nintendo Power would have devoted a full issue to back in the 1980s.

That said, I do wish the pacing was tightened up a bit. While it’s true that each stage is different enough to warrant inclusion, there were times when I wanted the different obstacles and ideas to be mashed together in a single stage instead of multiple. You spend a long time in each world, especially early on. That first world ends up being a bit of a slog and sets the wrong tone early on, forcing you to wait hours before you get to the truly great stages. It’s not like we’re earning new abilities or getting anything interesting out of finding the treasure chests in each level, so a lot of the stages feel like they are there to act as filler to prolong the already lengthy adventure. Between all of the levels and hidden extras, you’re definitely going to get your money’s worth. Too bad it comes at the expense of the pacing.

The good news is that Fallen Leaf gets a lot more right than wrong. The game is filled with exciting boss fights that start simple before eventually going way over-the-top. These are a lot of fun and, in true 8-bit fashion, you’re going to have to memorize a bunch of patterns if you’re going to stay alive. I also like the amount of world building that has gone into both the action stages and the various towns. There are a lot of colorful characters that you’ll meet along the way. And then there’s the story, which kept me laughing and wondering where it would go next. It’s full of fun twists and turns, and I loved the way it wrapped up. It may take a little too long to get there, but the ending is worth the lengthy journey. And that alone makes Fallen Leaf an easy game to recommend.