The Fall Part 2: Unbound officially announced for Switch, no longer planned for Wii U
The Fall Part 2: Unbound was one of a few titles pictured in Nintendo’s big Nindies infographic from its February showcase. Today, developer Over The Moon followed up on that with an official announcement.
The Fall Part 2: Unbound will be on Nintendo’s new console, but plans for Wii U have been scrapped. Over The Moon said the following regarding the decision:
“We’re coming to the Nintendo Switch! This is great news obviously, but it also appears that Nintendo is switching (hah) focus to promoting that platform over the Wii U. For that reason we’ve decided to focus on resources on supporting the Switch instead of the Wii U. As indies, we simply don’t have the luxury of supporting a platform that’s clearly being sunsetted. I was confident that we’d make it in time, but everyone’s moving on to greener pastures and we’d be fools to stay behind.”
We’ve posted today’s lengthy announcement about the game after the break. A new story trailer for The Fall Part 2: Unbound can also be viewed below.
Over The Moon’s The Fall Part 2: Unbound aims to bring the tradition of the mind-bending sci-fi classics to the Nintendo Switch
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.
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.
Source: Over The Moon PR, Source
