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Fallback is a new 2.5D action-platformer which explores the threat of climate collapse in a way few video games do. It's the first game from studio Endroad, but you probably know some of the people who worked on it, as Endroad is primarily staffed by former Ubisoft and Amplitude developers, including The Division, Endless Space, and Ghost Recon creators.
"After hundreds of years underground as a result of a catastrophic ecological disaster, brave volunteers must face down their mechanical caretakers-turned-captors, rescue allies, and revive the Earth’s surface," Endroad says. "Equipped with your sword and trusty jet pack, you'll be thrown into battle against brutal robotic enemies who will do their best to prevent you from returning humanity to its rightful home on the Earth’s surface."
The gray goo-style kicker is slipped in right at the end: humans retreated underground due to total climate collapse, and after centuries of toiling, they finally found a way to revitalize the surface. The trouble is, the robot assistants that humans created to help colonize the underground don't want the humans to leave.
That's where you come in. Your goal is to fend off the robots and reach the surface, and from the looks of things, you play as a new survivor every run. Fallback is a self-described rogue-like, after all, so death is as permanent as it is inevitable. It's a pretty cool setup, and I'm digging the 2.5D perspective. It feels like The Dishwasher: The Vampire Smile meets Fez, and oh boy, this is becoming a good article for indie references.
More than anything, it's encouraging to see Fallback engage with climate change and climate collapse. As we said in March, video games are starting to take notice of the Earth's health, but there's still tons of room for games about climate change. With Sony, Microsoft, Google, and other gaming companies enacting eco-friendly principles designed with climate change in mind, it's cool to see games like Fallback approaching the topic in specific, creative ways.
If your interest has been piqued, you can get Fallback on Steam.
Just last month, we argued that it's time for video games to have their say on the climate crisis - before it's too late.
