After a successful Kickstarter campaign inbetweengames' All Walls Must Fall appeared in Early Access on Steam last year, but last week this development process came to an end and the full version was released.
It is the year 2089. The Cold War has lasted for almost 150 years and West and East Berlin hold futuristic time-shift technologies to keep each other in check. So if there is a danger of a devastating nuclear attack, both sides send their best agents back in time to stop the evil-doers and switch them off from the shadows. Here we take on the role of Stasis agent Kai who investigates the nightlife of Berlin, especially the gay scene. He talks to DJs and interrogates different contacts, all while looking for hints that might lead to the terrorists. Why we are looking for hints in these clubs is not entirely clear, but the soundtrack and busy dance floor drag us along in the research.
The developer describes All Walls Must Fall as "Xcom meets Braid " and that description gives a good idea of exactly what this game is. Where the tactical battles and trust in shelter reminds us of Xcom: Enemy Unknown, we also use our incredible time-consuming skills to manipulate time and space, as we do in Braid.saw. Kai uses three different skills to change the time course around him: by reversing his own actions or those of enemies. He also takes on enemy guards and drones with different weapons, although this is quite standard with pistols and shotguns. The thing you have to watch the most during the fight is the number of time units, because every action uses this precious resource. Winning a skirmish and discovering a new room will give you more time energy to use Kai's powers. However, this is a balancing act.
In All Walls Must Fall time is proverbial money. The amount of time left on the clock at the end of a mission determines how much money you earn. These can then be invested in unlocking and upgrading new skills, weapons and even augmentations. If you get a decent armor for Kai, for example, he can collect more bullets before he dies, while the use of pheromones increases his chances of security for his charms... How else can he get the information he needs?
The dialogue system is a simple mini-game, but it is a nice little change of the action in which we end up so often. If a guard sees that you are doing something suspicious, you can choose to chase it away, fraternize me or earn their respect to avoid a fight. Making wrong decisions or overblown bone leads to a fight, but with Kai's time-wrenching forces, time can be rewound and you can try a different answer, just like in Life is Strange. Again, this will cost you remaining time units and if you play too recklessly you can easily end up empty handed.
The first time with the time bending mechanism was quite painful and therefore often ended in the middle of a fight without time. It is certainly an element that you have to get used to, but once you master these gameplaysystems, All Walls Must Fall excels and you end up in a 'flow'.
The proper customization options of your character, coupled with the randomly generated layout of the clubs, ensure replayability. If that is not enough to entertain you, you can always use the 'permadeath' option to increase the challenge. Those who desire an even more hectic game can also switch on the timer, which decreases your time with every lost second (if you do not do anything active). This option, however, ensures that you react faster and think.
Apart from that, there is not much to do in All Walls Must Fall. The randomly built up clubs and Kai's interesting time manipulation skills are certainly entertaining, but the story does not manage to achieve this same level.
We also experienced some problems, so the game is far from perfect. Even with the random design, for example, the clubs feel almost the same. Ultimately, the power of All Walls Must Fall lies in its speed and variation. Daily challenges, the permadeath option and the random generated levels will appeal to players who like a tactical challenge. If you can live with a few minor negatives and enjoy challenge and tactical games, All Walls Must Fall is certainly worthwhile to make time for.
Pros and Cons
➕ Re-playability; great scifi soundtrack; time bending is fun; dialogue mini-game can lead to interesting twists
➖ Although this is often obvious; club design becomes too recognizable; story goes into the background.
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