HomeEventsPAX EAST 2020 | "Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout"

PAX EAST 2020 | "Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout"

If there’s one thing I’m a huge sucker for, it’s Japanese game shows. You know, the kind where combatants get hurt loads of times just for the laughter of the audience. Devolver Digital and Mediatonic Games knows their audience well enough that they’ve been craving a video game that brings such an experience to their fingertips. From what I experienced with their demo of Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout, they’ve truly gone above and beyond to create the perfect virtual Japanese game show.

During my play-through myself, seven other humans, and a boatload of AI combatants went head-to-head tackling various challenges pulled straight from the mind of Beat Takeshi himself. From running through fake walls and capturing & keeping tails to egg collecting, the rounds were filled with a madness and chaos that could bring a tear to the eye of every girl & boy witnessing it. As the rounds move up, losers are pushed down, until there are enough combatants for the final round: a race to grab the crown.

Players look like fat blobs, making them the least athletic thing out there. As such, watching as they jump tiny heights, get smacked around by mallets, and even get crushed by massive boulders brings forth plenty of visual hilarity. The comedic elements of Fall Guys is so on-point, that even losing (like I did in the egg level) never feels bitter. Dare I say, this may become one of the most fun multiplayer titles around.

Although we tested out four different levels, the main game may find itself hosting nearly 30 different crazy rounds. But just from these four that we tried, it’s apparent that the spirit of wacky Japanese game shows is alive and kicking within every one of those fat blobby contestants! Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout is set for release this summer on PC and consoles. If Devolver Digital keeps it up, they could have their own e-sports competition just for their own games! (Or should they call it D-Sports™?)

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Contributing Editor at ESH since 2008, and host of the No Borders No Race podcast show, which began as a humble college radio program in 2006. My passion for discovering new bands, developers, and Japanese pop culture is what drives me to give you my all in every article published and every podcast recorded.