CEO of No Brakes Games expressed his gratitude by stating that the game originally shipped by 8 levels on a single platform, and now it will soon have 18 levels across a multitude of supported platforms. Of course, the 18th level is the recently unveiled Laboratory – which was built by Buler and won a $10,000 award for his efforts in a level making competition.

Human: Fall Flat is a physics-based puzzle platformers, where players must control their wobbly avatars to clear a multitude of increasingly difficult challenge courses. The game skyrocketed in popularity last year, and is available across PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Google Stadia, and mobile.

If you’ve been paying attention to the look back of 2020, at this point it’s become pretty obvious that one title has seemed to stick out the most. While very few things really surprised at the top of the charts, Nintendo’s Animal Crossing: New Horizons went far and beyond. The franchise had always been a popular one, but New Horizons blasted off in a way few expected. Whether we’re talking about Europe or the US, the game has topped all the 2020 charts on a consistent basis. Now it seems the story is much the same in Nintendo’s homeland.

Nintendo released the top 30 downloaded Switch titles and, surprise, the top download was Animal Crossing: New Horizons. No numbers are given here, and it’s worth keeping in mind that Japan is still largely physical-driven, but it’s never bad to be number 1.

The rest of the list is largely unsurprising with the like of Super Mario 3D All-Stars, Super Mario Party, Minecraft, Among Us, etc. filling out the list. You may be a tad surprised to see Clubhouse Games so high, getting in at number 2, and then Human: Fall Flat really sticks out as somewhat random. The original Final Fantasy 7 also made it on near the end, just to show how much staying power it has had in over 20 years, and Pikmin 3 Deluxe just missed the top 10, though we do know it’s the best selling entry in the region. You can check out the full list below.

1. Animal Crossing: New Horizons
2. Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics
3. Momotaro Dentetsu: Showa, Heisei, Reiwa mo Teiban!
4. Human: Fall Flat
5. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
6. Splatoon 2
7. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
8. Super Mario 3D All-Stars
9. Minecraft
10. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
11. Pikmin 3 Deluxe
12. Overcooked 2
13. Among Us
14. Pokemon Sword
15. Together! The Battle Cats
16. Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate
17. Minecraft Dungeons
18. Ni no Kuni
19. Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin
20. NBA 2K20
21. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX
22. eBaseball Powerful Pro Yakyuu 2020
23. Super Mario Party
24. Undertale
25. Layton’s Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires’ Conspiracy – Deluxe Edition
26. Paper Mario: The Origami King
27. Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition
28. Final Fantasy 7
29. Pokemon Shield
30. Fitness Boxing

Goat Simulator

Explaining the sheer insanity that is Goat Simulator and it’s various add-ons would take too long. Playing fast and loose with physics is a given here, either due to numerous bugs or from the inanity of, say, a goat headbutting a gas station. There’s also that part where you do sick flips on a trampoline and lick a car to slingshot your goatly hide across the map. Need we say more?

GamingBolt spoke to Tomas Sakalauskas, the one man developer of No Brakes Games, to learn more about Human: Fall Flat and the response it’s received so far.

"The multiple dreamscapes came about through a wish to have a diverse range of tools and a context for them."

What inspired the premise for Human: Fall Flat and how did that expand to encompass an entire game?

Human: Fall Flat was born out of an experiment using Intel’s Real Sense tools. They had a camera that could track hand movements so I made a prototype where players used their hands to solve puzzles. When I started considering Human: Fall Flat as a game with a character and one that would go on PCs and consoles I worked out how to adjust these hand controls to become L2 and R2 or mouse buttons.

The multiple dreamscapes came about through a wish to have a diverse range of tools and a context for them. The Castle sees you playing about with medieval tools like carts, mill wheels and catapults. The Demolition level has wrecking balls, cement bags and giant wheelie bins for you to play around with.

How has the response been so far to the game?

Overwhelmingly positive. I got the community involved during an ‘early-access’ stage on itch.io so I was able to actively respond to feedback and extensive community playtesting. A lot of streamers and YouTubers were interested in the game and created multiple videos of their antics, updating them as I added new levels. I’ve since lost count of how many videos have been made, but I love watching them.

Can you tell us about the fully interactive environments and the gameplay possibilities this presents?

The environments are very different and each have their own challenges. You can’t swim so getting across the Water level will require some ingenuity (and an understanding of how things float). In the Power Plant it’s all about connecting wires, firing up furnaces and operating machinery. In terms of gameplay possibilities that’ll come down to your imagination, but we do tempt the player with some fun possibilities like turning a chain into a zip-line or surfing on a mattress.

"Co-op in Human: Fall Flat is for better and for worse an entirely shared experience."

How many possible solutions are there to puzzles?

Countless. Your only goal is to get to the exit at the other end of the level. So it’s all about finding different routes to it. As mentioned earlier different paths are hinted to the player but they’re also encouraged to use their imagination. The extent of this went far beyond what I expected. Folks who speed-run the game have some very clever tricks they’ve discovered to fling themselves across levels and slip around obstacles. With this open design it’s entirely possible that a fun distraction (like firing yourself out of a catapult or riding the sails of a windmill) will result in you finding a new area or solution.

Are there side-activities and the like that players can complete for different rewards (sort of like Goat Simulator’s “challenges”)?

The Steam, Xbox One and PS4 versions all have achievements for players seeking an extra challenge. These include reaching the highest points of levels, collecting hidden items and messing around in particular ways – like throwing a speaker through a window.

The co-op mode intrigues us. Does it significantly open up more possibilities with regards to puzzle solving?

That depends on your friends. Co-op in Human: Fall Flat is for better and for worse an entirely shared experience. You’ll be able to help each other out with moving items or driving vehicles but there’s nothing stopping one of you from bundling the other into a wheelie bin and driving it off a cliff.

What we’ve found so far is that when players do work together they can reach new places and find new solutions. For instance, larger objects might be hard to manipulate on your own, with two pairs of hands you’ll have greater control.

"We have another Steam Workshop update coming for PC soon, after that you’ll have to wait and see!"

How is progress on the game’s console versions? When can we expect to see it release?

The game is out very soon! You can pre-order now on Xbox One and PS4 and get a free copy of Manual Samuel which is a fun ‘dexterity adventure’ game. We’re releasing on May 9^th on PS4 and May 12^th on Xbox One.

Will updates and bug fixes arrive on consoles at the same time as the PC version? How difficult will it be to maintain development on three different platforms?

The PC Version is being updated alongside the console version and will release in the same week.

What can you tell us about the free content update that’s coming up?

For PC players the content update includes the new Aztec level and character creation options.

What are your plans for future content? Will there be any new modes or options for players to tinker?

We have another Steam Workshop update coming for PC soon, after that you’ll have to wait and see!