Until You Fall places you in the role of the last Rune Knight of Aethelgard, a fallen city ravaged by a magical catastrophe known as the Calamity. The narrative premise is streamlined but effective, serving as a powerful justification for continuous combat: you must descend into the corrupted ruins of the city to fight the source of the evil. While the story delivers core fantasy lore through brief interactions and environmental details, it wisely focuses on the emotional motivation which is restoring the city and fighting to the bitter end.
This approach is different as it doesn’t give a complex plot. It only serves as a vehicle to drive the core objective. While I appreciate the simplicity of the storyline, I would have much preferred something a bit more in-depth. I also would have preferred it to be less of a God-like narrator and feature characters appearing alongside you to help move the story forward. This would have made the game feel more like an epic fantasy adventure.
Until You Fall (UYF) is an arcade-style hack-and-slash rogue-lite designed specifically for VR. The core loop is built around intense, 1:1 melee combat that demands physical action from the player. When enemies attack, you have to physically block the incoming attack using the VR controllers. These attacks from the enemy are characterized by glowing neon markers and you must match the incoming attack direction for a parry or dodge and then counter attack.
When you die, you lose your temporary run upgrades but keep permanent unlocks, such as new weapons and Aether (the game’s currency) to boost your base stats. The combat is both rhythmic and highly physical, making the game as much a challenging test of reflexes as it is an excellent upper-body workout. Mastering the different weapon types (from massive great swords to quick dual daggers) is essential for survival.
The way the game plays, one wrong move and you will end up going down rather quickly, especially if you have more than one enemy you’re engaged with. You really don’t want to fall in battle as you will need to start your run all over again. Starting over may be a daunting task depending on how far you’ve gone and how much you’ve fought. If you have fought your way through for an hour, can you really physically deal with going another hour just to get back to where you were?
UYF features some really nice graphics. With its low poly look, deep purples, beautiful blues, and bright reds, the world really comes alive in VR. This not only makes for a striking world to look around in, but also serves as a deliberate design choice. The colors featured in this game work as a means to distinguish enemy attacks from the rest of the world and it does so not in a distracting way, but rather a clear and concise way. What I mean by this is that they make enemy attack indicators crystal clear, even in the chaos of combat.
On the Meta Quest 2, the performance is exceptionally important for a combat title, and the game delivers a smooth and stable frame rate, which is critical for accurate parrying and dodging. This optimization prevents VR-induced motion sickness and ensures the fast-paced action feels responsive. While the Quest 2’s mobile processor can’t render the graphical complexity of a PC VR title, the bold art direction keeps the visual experience sharp and immersive.
The bright colors of the game coupled with the low poly visuals really make for a striking world to be immersed in. There were more than a couple of times where I was just marveling at the game world after an entrance battle. Not only to give myself a break but also to just take everything in. On the performance side of things, I was really surprised at how fast the combat is in this game. I mean it is unapologetically fast and fluid. The performance of the game being what it is, is entirely due to the low poly graphics. While I would have liked to see something along the lines of a hyper realistic world, I don’t think it would have had the same feel if the game had gone with that kind of art direction.
The audio experience is arguably the game’s greatest asset, acting as the driving force behind the intensity. Until You Fall is backed by a pounding synthwave and electronic soundtrack that dynamically changes to match the speed and chaos of the current combat encounter. The music doesn’t just play in the background; it sets the tempo for your slashes and dodges. The sound effects are sharp, tactile, and satisfying: the clang of a successful parry, the crushing sound of a blow landing, and the spatial audio cues all work together to immerse you completely in the role of the Rune Knight. This combination of music and sound design is key to keeping the pace of combat that the game offers.
The music in UYF really is the glue that holds it all together. I mean it flows with the combat and really makes the game a worthwhile and satisfying experience. It can go from being mellow and trance-like to being hard hitting in a matter of seconds. The way the tempo of the music changes on the fly is nothing short of mesmerizing. Music in the game is definitely something that really sticks with you, long after you have come back to the real world.
UYF is a game that is physically engaging and downright demanding in every aspect. Not only is it a physically demanding and engaging game, but also an addictive game to play. The physically demanding combat, bright colors, and fluid music all work together to become this interactive drug; a drug that really just leaves you wanting more. I am saying this conveys just how amazing this game is to play in VR. While I have played the game on the PSVR and now the Quest, I can say that the Quest port really is the definitive way to play this game. So if you have a VR headset and want to experience one of the best rogue lite games this platform has to offer, you definitely want to pick up and play Until You Fall. It is one of the most unforgettable experiences that the world of VR has to offer.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided
In addition to writing articles, Ryan Byers also creates content for his YouTube channel called "Obscure Games and Consoles", collects video games, and dabbles in video game development.