Fallen Angel – Review

Our Score: 7/10

In Fallen Angel, pixel graphics and demon-fueled action harmonise to create a visually stunning and thrilling experience. Strategic fast-paced combat, lore-driven gear and weaponry, and entertaining character advancement to suit your preferred battle style—these are just some of the features that make Fallen Angel a top-down, 2D action role-playing game.

Bizarro World

Heaven is a bizarre and varied place, with many different worlds, all of which draw inspiration from biblical texts as well as modern aesthetics. Not only will Lucifer be slashing his way through heavenly choirs and pearly gates, but also bizarre technological marvels, paradisical earth-like plains, flying islands, and more. Thematically, each Archangel will have a significant impact on the realm’s ecology and the animals the player will face there.

There are several aspects to combat. You have a basic three hit combination, sophisticated melee commands such as launchers and AoE ground pounds earned through your skill tree, a dodge, and a heal that has a large windup to it and drains a precious resource. While most of the fundamental fighting plays like previous games, the dodge roll and more importantly the ability to cancel any other move into a dodge feels very current, and personally I really enjoy it. It preserves the facade of being a classic game while having fast-paced action that encourages being aggressive and in the monster’s face.

Hell in Heaven

There are three ways to make headway. You can find a variety of guns strewn about the globe that will provide you new ranged options, and you can find monoliths strewn about the environment that will award you new talents, all of which provide passive bonuses.

It’s a great place to go adventuring in. Beating up protohumans in the first region won’t net you anything more than rudimentary equipment. If you want new ways to hit things from a distance and spicy melee alternatives you need to get out there and find them.

While your first four selections are fixed, beyond that you have more possibilities to pick than you have slots, requiring you to make a choice and commit to a build. Usually this can be a painful task, but by the time you’re unlocking your fifth ability you’ve likely worked out what sort of combat style you enjoy and can pick skills accordingly. I personally used ranged weapons primarily when closing the distance or as a last resort for a bit of burst damage, thus I largely ignored the ranged buffs and went with abilities to enhance melee damage and durability.

Pixel art can be stunningly intricate, as Fallen Angel demonstrates. The setting plays a significant role in the narrative. War machines in disrepair, ruins of once-great buildings, and other traces of time and degradation provide a glimpse into the past, and while the aesthetics of each region are distinct, the game’s fundamental themes remain consistent and easy to follow.

Final Verdict

Fallen Angel is a gorgeous pixel-based game that has some great combat and a really interesting cast of enemies.