The Fall series combines Metroidvania-style exploration and combat with point and click adventure-style puzzles to create a fresh experience that fans of both genres will love. Players control ARID, an AI on-board a futuristic combat suit. In the original game, ARID was lost on an alien planet and struggled to save the life of the severely injured human occupant of the suit.  After the unhinging events of part 1, ARID’s very existence is threatened when she is ejected from her body and projected onto a vast global network. In a desperate attempt to save herself, ARID invades and attempts to control several other robots she finds there, each with wildly different personalities and gameplay styles. Will ARID successfully enlist their help before it’s too late? One thing’s for certain – the process will change her.

With a deep, engaging narrative; fully realized, layered characters; stark, minimalist art direction and sparse, haunting sound design; The Fall Part 2: Unbound is Metroidvania for a new generation.

Originally scheduled for PS4, Xbox, One, PC and Wii U, indie dev. Over the Moon has decided to no longer release the game on Wii U and opt for a Nintendo Switch version instead.

We’ve all heard the adage: the best science fiction stories are the ones that, while simply being great entertainment, also point to something more philosophical, inviting players (or readers, traditionally) to think. Over The Moon aims to join that fine tradition with their highly anticipated upcoming sequel, The Fall Part 2: Unbound, in which players take on the role of A.R.I.D, an abandoned and broken AI who struggles to survive a collapse in her operating parameters. ARID must re-establish her boundaries by attempting to build her own rules before a dark, mysterious, and invasive process snuffs her out for good.

How then, does ARID do this? Over The Moon draws inspiration from contemporary issues, says John Warner, The Fall’s director: “There’s a growing debate about the looming threat of artificial intelligence. Can we build an AI that serves us?  One that we can control?  Or at the very least, one that is psychologically healthy and isn’t a threat to us?  For that matter, what is ‘health’? Can it be defined for the sake of building an AI, and do humans even have a good definition for that? How do you know that you’re healthy?”

The key, of course, is to keep the game exciting and fun, allowing gameplay to carry much of the story-telling. ARID will invade other robots in a desperate attempt to get their help, and will be forced to work within their personal quirks and operating parameters, creating an opportunity for a truly unique set of challenges. Furthermore, as ARID begins understanding her hosts on a deeper level, she will be able to take perceptual mechanics from one robot into another. Players will solve puzzles by perceiving the environment from different perspectives and comparing the information they find in creative ways… served up with a helping of The Fall’s signature dark humour.

“Having a robust way of perceiving the world is a pretty good starting point to talk about psychological health” says Warner, “And by making gameplay around these mechanics, we can explore a lot of fun ideas without being overly cerebral or choking the game with philosophical dialogue.”

But that’s just the start, according to the team at Over The Moon. The Fall Part 2: Unbound aims to put players in perspectives that they’ve never experienced in a video game before. With a host of unusual characters, it explores themes of artificial intelligence, the value of personal boundaries and respecting others. Its gameplay and its story are specifically designed to make players reflect on these ideas, through the lens of a familiar Metroidvania meets Point and Click Adventure framework. The Fall Part 2: Unbound is made for players who have been waiting for the conceptual underpinning of games to catch up with their technological artistry.

The Fall Part 2: Unbound will be available for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac and Linux in 2017.