REVIEW: ‘One Step After Fall’ Delivers Atmosphere But Little Else (XSX)

Steve was once an accomplished writer. But now, with his literary career in shambles and a wife that has left him, Steve struggles with the idea of fighting on. So as he wanders the small valley he calls home, he will need to find the inspiration and strength to continue on in One Step After Fall from developer TBGS Indie Studio and publisher The Bergson’s Games Studios.

When I first stepped into Steve’s quiet tiny home, I was instantly struck by how heavy the atmosphere was. The lighting combined with the design of the structures scattered across the small valley conveys the despair that the character is struggling with. But as I began to move through the game’s locations, I quickly found the atmospheric sense of despair the game was trying to build getting overwhelmed by a different kind of despair.

The gameplay consists of primarily walking around the small secluded valley Steve calls home in first-person view. Picking up items and climbing the occasional ladder make up the bulk of the gameplay. Beyond that, you simply pick up keys or other quest important items that you come across as you move through the game’s barebones story.

As you move through the game, One Step After Fall sets quest objectives before you that, if you complete, you can get to the end of the game. Well, you’ll get to an end, but not necessarily the true ending. Informed that you have reached the fake ending, the player must go back into the world to divine how to unlock the game’s true ending. But there isn’t much in the game to clue the player into what they actually have to do to complete the game. This leads to a lot of wandering around, trying to spot notes, books, and other collectibles in the game’s twilight lighting. Even though I’ve completed the game, I’m still not entirely sure what was required and what was just there if you wanted to grab it.

Further hampering the game’s appeal is the lackluster voice work of the main character. I want to believe that the protagonist’s line comes out so half-hearted because the actor is trying to deliver the despondence of the character, but it never lands. Even when the on-screen text shows exclamation points, the voice maintains the same flat, uninterested tone.  The only other significant voice presence in One Step After Fall is much better at delivery but struggles in a whole different way.

In one area of the valley, Steve will encounter a firey apparition that follows him around, taunting him. The emphasis on words and the cold, condescending way the apparition calls out Steve’s name or calls him pathetic is remarkably skillful. However, depending on how long it takes you to find the remaining pieces of the puzzle to complete the game after initiating the ghost’s pursuit could cause you to hear its half-dozen lines a lot. By the time I was done with the game, I was sick of hearing him speak, no matter how good the delivery was on the first hearing.

The final element that may drag the game play out for some players is that there is no visual prompt for what can or can’t be interacted with. Between that and the often low lighting in the game, One Step After Fall took me longer than it probably needed to due to my inability to notice what things were where or if I could even interact with them.

When all is said and done, One Step After Fall managed to bring a strong first impression that quickly fizzled under the weight of its many glaring failures. If you are looking for games that deliver deep emotional stories coupled with simplistic gameplay, there are far better options out there than this.

One Step After Fall is available now on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.