It was a Monday like any other, filled with coffee, a screaming child and the sounds of Yo Gabba Gabba in the background. I took a sip of my coffee and promptly sat down at my desk. Occasionally I’d peak over my monitor to ensure my infant that DJ Lance Rock was about to drop some phat beats for her to groove to as I began to scour the internet for trending gaming news. Autonomously, I checked my email and was surprised to see that my Beta Access for Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout had been granted! It seemed the gaming Gods smiled upon me as I emitted a high pitched squeal, enough to silence the wee lamb of a child and catch the glance of my husband who’s reaction (to this day) remains an enigma.

I promptly made the announcement to which my spouse replied with “Heck yeah! Sweet!” in a jovial tone and wasted no breath following it with “You’re gonna give me one, right?”
He was correct. I would give him one.

Many hours passed before I distributed the keys among friends and cohorts and readied myself for the bright bean glory that is Fall Guys. As the game launched I was hit with upbeat tunes, well developed characters and colors that instantly made me happy. I was able to sort through the look of my character and choose from a few different colors, patterns and outfits to my liking. The game felt friendly and oddly familiar as my spouse, myself and our comrades readied up and awaited our turn to start battling obstacles to the top.

The levels were equally bright as sixty oblong characters dressed as pirates, wolves and unicorns awaited the countdown; then it was off to the races. The levels were challenging as other little jellybeans grabbed hold of you, pushing and pulling to slow you down. Platforming onto spinning surfaces proved to be challenging and see-saws leaned to and fro (mostly to) as each player quickly and anxiously jumped onto the same side. I laughed into tears as I elbowed my way through the crowd just to get a head start and fall through the crack. The best part? I didn’t care. I was having entirely too much fun!

Each level brought a certain element of surprise and hilarity. One of my favorite levels involved having to grab tails off the opposing team and run around for as long as you could with the tail you stole. If someone stole your tail… well… you took it back! The team at the end of the match with the most tails won, and the team with the least amount was eliminated. There’s something special about hearing grown folks scream “give me back my tail, you uncultured swine!”

The more I played, the more I unlocked through the battle pass by gaining XP through the levels. I was able to get a new coloring pattern that really made the sprinkle pattern I chose shine under my unicorn outfit. My one friend decided to go for full pirate garb, the other a cute pink wolf. Naturally my spouse decided on the Gordon Freeman variant, equipped with a head crab. It was a nice homage to Half-Life, and to be honest, watching the little Gordon dodge, dive and dance through moving pedestals brought forth an array of ugly giggle snorts. (I’m not sorry)

Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout brought me back to a place where anything that clouded my head wasn’t present. It genuinely does bring forth the inner child you’ve possibly forgotten you had. Playing solo or with friends brought me the same satisfaction. In a world where so many things are over complicated it genuinely felt good to just play something that simply involved platforming in a cute, digital world of obstacles and mayhem.

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Have you been able to access the Beta test? What are your thoughts and first impressions of the game? Sound off in the comments below! As always don’t forget to follow the Don’t Feed The Gamers twitter for the latest updates on gaming news and more!