“Fall Guys,” created by the video game developer Devolver Digital, is a fresh take on the “Battle Royale” genre that has gripped the competitive and casual gaming communities in recent years. While most games in the genre have players drop onto a large map, scramble for weapons and battle to the last man standing, “Fall Guys’’ takes on a much more cartoonish aesthetic and puts groups of up to 60 players through classic, game show-inspired elimination rounds in various obstacle courses. 

Your player’s character is a customizable bean-shaped person in a jumpsuit. Cosmetic items are continually cycled through and refreshed daily in the game’s marketplace, where players can spend currency earned in the game (“Crowns” and “Kudos”) or they can buy additional in-game currency if they just can’t wait to earn it while playing. Additionally, cosmetics are unlockable through regular play via the season pass. The game presents a reasonable challenge while still maintaining an engaging level of fun, but it feels somewhat hollow. 

Oftentimes, you’re not punished for your own mistakes, but for the mistakes of the players around you. This isn’t necessarily bad, but it can become frustrating when you’re eliminated based on where you spawned and how many people are tripping over obstacles in front of you. Not too long into playing, one might feel like they’ve already played through every level available, and that’s simply because there aren’t many to play. Hopefully, there are more levels and mechanics to come in the future. 

As it stands, “Fall Guys” costs $19.99 to play on Windows, Steam and PlayStation 4, although it was free to download for PlayStation Plus members upon release. It’s not the price or quality of a AAA game, but video game competitors such as “Fortnite” and “Call of Duty: Warzone” are free to play and arguably, offer more content. 

It is a refreshing change of pace in a tired genre, but hopefully Devolver Digital will soon realize their mistake and either make their game free for all or add a significantly higher amount of content. But don’t get me wrong, I’m still going to play until I unlock every cosmetic item possible.