Solve / Physics platformer

Human: Fall Flat

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Somebody has to let go first

Lifting a plank ought to be straightforward. Give the job to two soft-bodied climbers, each certain the other is holding the right end, and you have a comedy with excellent timing.

A helicopter hovers above the towers of a walled compound as a figure clings underneath.

Give each hand a job

At the edge of a platform the simple instruction to climb breaks down into smaller decisions. Look up, reach, get a grip, then persuade the weight hanging below those hands to follow. Raise only one arm and the body can swing away from the place you intended to land. The figure looks ridiculous, yet the controls allow a surprisingly precise conversation with the ledge. Learning how to finish an ugly climb feels better than making a tidy jump.

An awkward bit of furniture

A loose plank is a wonderful puzzle piece because its purpose depends on where you leave it. Drag it, turn it, try it across a gap. Spotting a solution takes a moment. Carrying it through a doorway can take rather longer. The loose limbs and unreliable grip make that delay the entertainment. If you prefer platform games in which a button press produces the same clean animation every time, the joke may reach its limit quickly.

Who has the other end?

Online partners can distribute a heavy lifting job or make a tiny one much worse. A player hanging over a drop needs someone to grab an arm. A third person grabbing the rescuer may complete a chain or simply pull everybody down. Solo play gives the rooms a quieter character, with enough space to try another route through a dream level. Company lends each disaster an audience, and often an entirely plausible suspect.

The verdict

A good party puzzle for groups that enjoy the mishap as much as the solution. A more exacting climber lies underneath the slapstick.

Pick it for: Friends who can still laugh when a helping hand grabs the wrong thing.
Think twice if: Knowing the solution leaves all the work of getting the character’s body to cooperate.

Gallery

A closer look

Costumed figures tumble beneath flying debris beside a white guard tower.

An orange-suited figure holds a red-lit object outside an open barred door.

White figures are caught in an orange cone of light on a rooftop.

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