Do Not Fall drops onto PS3 this week

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Have you ever thought “what if the floor disappeared after you step on it?” Perhaps you have seen that idea in a game before. What if a whole level was built around that? Well, that is the starting point for our game Do Not Fall, which releases on PlayStation 3 via PSN this Wednesday, priced £7.99/€9.99.

During the middle of production of Skylanders, which we helped develop for Activision, my team and I were assigned to create a new project, a title that would solely be for XPEC Entertainment.

To start a title from scratch, creating new gameplay mechanics, story, art direction and brand new IP was definitely not an easy task. It was very challenging, but exciting at the same time. We came up with about 10 different types of game, before finally choosing Do Not Fall as our first project.

Originally we wanted to create a game that would allow four players to play together. Crumbling floors are probably one of the more common gameplay designs in the action platform genre, but what would it be like if you have four people playing together at the same time? We could imagine the fun and laughter already when picturing friends try to push each other into the abyss.

Besides this core idea, we thought about adding different objectives, which later on became different modes for the game’s multiplayer, component. Take Football Mode, for example. Players have to compete for a shot on goal,  block opponent’s kicks, step on the floor to let the ball drop, or any other tactic to distract opponents and prevent them scoring points.

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Later on, we expanded the core idea into a single player campaign, adding different types of traps and obstacles in each level. In addition, we added new abilities, such as allowing players to dash and jump. With all these elements in place, we created an entertaining game to challenge players’ skills, reflex and strategy.

Since the game originated from the core gameplay design first, we didn’t have a clear story at first. We tried an Indiana Jones-like setting, where the character navigated through various ruins, and fought off monsters. Then we tried something more sci-fi, a virtual world similar to The Matrix. We even tried something more comical – the players would play as a bunny that’s looking for the bathroom in a hurry, and imagine the whole world is trying to stop them.

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However, after lots of discussion, we came up with the idea of a vending machine. The character would be in a strange world inside the vending machine. His objective is to search and collect ingredients needed to make a drink from the machine. Each drink would have its unique theme world. The cut scenes are actually quite entertaining and comical, and I bet you will get a kick out of them.

After months of work, Do Not Fall is finally ready for everyone on PSN. We suggest you hold on tightly to your controller, just in case you get frustrated from all the falling! Please, please do not throw your controller – our game doesn’t include an insurance policy!

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