Babylon’s Fall has got to be Platinum Games’ biggest failure. This was to be their biggest project. A Destiny styled action role playing game that fell flat on its face at release. The game did so poorly that Square Enix is pulling the plug on it eleven months after release. I spent a week obsessively playing the game so I can get the platinum trophy before its shuttered. Let’s take a little bit of time to go over what I think was its downfall and why it didn’t click with the market.
What I Liked
So, I spent a week playing this game so of course, in can’t be all bad. The thing that kept me coming back was exactly what I expected it to be: the combat. Platinum Games’ strong suit has always been combat. This game was directed by Kenji Saito who directed the criminally underrated Transformers: Devastation and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. Both of those games have fantastic combat and that is carried over here. There are issues with it but I’ll talk about that later. Just know that the bones of the combat are solid.
You have control over four weapons at the same time just wailing on your enemies. And they can be different types of weapons, like a sword or a bow or even a hammer. It’s such a strange idea but they were able to find a way to make it work. Depending on how you equip the weapon, it can perform different functions.
I also really liked the music in this game. There are some pretty epic moments like the final boss fight that I really loved. This is another area Platinum usually always excels in. I also thought the voice actors did a commendable job bringing the cast to life.
What Didn’t I Like
So what didn’t I like? Pretty much everything else. The live service nature of Babylon’s Fall is really what kills it. Everything in the game is a grind to get through. I said I enjoyed the combat above, but I didn’t start having fun with it until I grinded to be 10 power levels above the suggested level. Since this is a game as service all the enemies are balanced for groups of players. That means each enemy, no matter if its a boss or a grunt, is a damage sponge. This makes each encounter longer than it has to be. It also leads to groups of enemies with projectiles taking cheap shots while your back is turned. I guessing because the other players are suppose to be watching your back.
And speaking of grind, don’t get me started on the boss fights. Usually, in Platinum game, the boss fights are a highlight. You’re learning all these cool skills and now you’re about to be tested. Problem is since no one is playing this game you’ll mostly be taking them on by yourself. Even being 10 power levels above the suggested level doesn’t help with this because it’s meant to be a challenge for a group. When the whole game is already a challenge it just turns these fights into massive slogs. I didn’t even use skill to when these boss fights. I powered my way through.
There’s an epic showdown setup between you and a dragoon, which is something I always wanted in another Square Enix game besides Final Fantasy IV. In a single player game, I’d be ranting and raving about it especially since it was accompanied by great music. Instead, I just powered my way through it because it was meant to be played in a group.
Nitpicks
I don’t like the leveling system. You get experience and level up but that doesn’t really do anything meaningful. Platinum went with the Destiny approach to how you approach stats. Your gear has a bunch of smaller stats and has a power level associated with them. They don’t call it power level but I don’t remember the official nomenclature. It’s essentially Destiny 2’s Light levels. That’s how the game determine’s if you’re strong enough to face the mission you’ve selected. Like I said, I don’t like it. It’s too confusing.
Another thing Babylon’s Fall does that annoys me is the game structure. They went with a Monster Hunter approach where you’re in this small hub and you go to the mission board. There are a few options on the board like quick play or you can select your own missions to queue up. The quick play option rarely worked for me. It would normally crap out on me. If I wasn’t partied up with someone then I would just play alone.
And my biggest nitpick: Babylon’s Fall is just ugly. The paint smear asthetic they were going for just looks absolutely horrendous. The character models look cheap and the hair textures are horrible. How any publisher looked at this game and said let’s put it out the way it looks. Words cannot describe how ugly I think this game looks and I normally like the styles of both companies’ games.
Also, the cast is forgettable. And they don’t tell you what the combos are…
Final Thoughts
I actually liked to Babylon’s Fall but I’m sure I would’ve loved it as a single player experience. This also Square Enix’s second failed attempt at live service games. This is by far a worse failure with the game going away permanently while Marvel’s Avengers had a second campaign added and new characters showing up. However, the disappointing sales of both Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy lead to them shedding most of their western divisions. I’m interested in seeing what the outcome is of this latest debacle.
Recently, the heads of Platinum Games have spoken about the company needing to change in order to survive. I guess that means diving deeper and deeper into multiplayer experiences. This could possibly be why Scalebound got canceled as it may have proved too difficult for them. Platinum is in need of a hit. Not just an acclaimed game but a big hit that’s financially successful as well. They need another NieR Automata. I hope the company figures out what it’s next move is because they make some of my favorite games.
Just for both their sakes, I hope they don’t put out another stinker like this one. Yeesh.
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