The transformation to VR hasn't just improved Human: Fall Flat - it's revealed what the game was always meant to be
Having dabbled in the original Human: Fall Flat, I found it entertaining but ultimately grew tired of its puzzle mechanics after a few hours. The VR version, however, completely transformed my experience with the game, turning what was once a merely amusing physics puzzler into an engrossing virtual playground.
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The most immediate difference is how you interact with your blob-like character. In the flat version, manipulating objects felt distant and sometimes frustrating - clicking buttons to grab and move things never quite gave you the precision you wanted. In VR, your hands directly control your character's arms like a puppet master, creating an immediate and intuitive connection.
Want to climb? Just reach up and pull yourself forward. Need to swing across a gap? Physically grab the rope and use your actual arm movement to build momentum. This direct manipulation transforms previously tedious tasks into engaging physical challenges.
Take, for example, one of the early puzzles where you need to stack boxes to reach a higher platform. In the flat version, this was often an exercise in frustration, trying to align boxes perfectly with a controller. In VR, you physically grab, lift, and place each box, making the whole process feel natural and satisfying. Even when things go wrong - and they will - it's hilarious rather than annoying because you're physically involved in the chaos.
I found myself actually enjoying levels I remembered finding tedious in the original. Don't get me wrong, I still found some of the levels tedious, but the VR version made them more enjoyable. The construction site level, which I previously abandoned out of frustration, became sort of like a highlight in VR. Operating the wrecking ball or manipulating the crane's controls with your own hands, creates a sense of presence that makes even simple tasks entertaining.
The game also features a multiplayer mode where you can team up with friends to complete tasks. This is a great addition and adds a lot of replayability to the game. Unfortunately, and this is happening to a lot of VR games that feature multiplayer, the online playerbase is non-existent, at least for me. Like I couldn't find anyone onliine to play with, no one was a hosting game and no one joined when I did.
On the Quest 3, the game maintains its minimalist style, which works better in VR than you might expect. The simple environments and clear visual language help you focus on the physics interactions without distraction. Performance is generally smooth, though physics-heavy moments (like when there are multiple physics objects laying around) will cause some occasional hiccups, but nothing game-breaking.
Not everything translates perfectly. The controls, while intuitive, have a learning curve. For the first hour, I frequently dropped items at crucial moments or missed grabs I thought I had lined up perfectly. Climbing is also something that takes a bit of getting used to. However, once you adjust to the physics system's quirks, learn where to place your hands and when to release the grab button, these mishaps become part of the charm rather than a source of frustration. The game's checkpoint system also helps in preventing these moments from becoming too frustrating.
At $12.99, Human: Fall Flat VR offers excellent value, especially if you enjoy physics-based gameplay or have friends to play with. While my interest in the flat version waned quickly, the VR version's physical interaction and immersive nature keep drawing me back. Whether it's trying to perfect a tricky jump or just messing around with the physics engine, the game finally realizes its full potential as a playground for experimentation and fun. Thanks for reading!
The game was previewed on a Quest 3 via a promo copy provided by the publisher. Human: Fall Flat VR is available on Meta Quest and PCVR.
