Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Game
Game2017
Black The Fall
Developer Sand Sailor Studio
Black the Fall (stylized as BLAƆK THE FALL) is a puzzle-platform video game developed by Sand Sailor Studio and published by Square Enix for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. The player controls a machinist in a dystopic world inspired by the Romanian Revolution, solving environmental puzzles and avoiding death. From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
185 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon) · newest Oct 7, 2026 · last updated Oct 8, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
69
Fresh
125 positive · 56 negative
95% range 62–75%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 125 | 56 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
4 newer reactions are still waiting for a label.
Steam's own rating
Mostly Positive
1,433 of 1,836 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What people are saying
Summary pending — the reactions are listed below.
Reactions
60 of 185 · most liked firstA brave escape from the cold grip of communism. Freedom and peace are never simply granted. The road to freedom is, indeed, always a hard one. 프리덤 이즈 낫 프리.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's like the devs read the black book of communism and decided to make an Inside rip off about it
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Sand Sailors Studios' esoteric, interpretive visual-narrative about escaping an oppressive Communist government. The story is too obscure to be impactful and about 40% of the puzzles require the use of a mechanic that was not (clearly) demonstrated prior to its encounter. Unless one is desperate for an experience similar to Limbo/Inside, I recommend spending one's time and money on something else (or watch a video of someone playing the game).
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Some of the most frustrating mechanics and unintuitive objectives/solutions I have ever experienced.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Nostalgic ... capture the fear of comunism in Romania pretty well
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An accurate interpretation of the worst ideology in the world. Other than that its a simple puzzle game, a non-communist wont be intellectually challenged by this game. It is an "INSIDE" clone but it is still well made and worth it when it goes on sale
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Black The Fall is a good, not great 2.5D side-scroller puzzle game that is decent, competent, but yet, probably not worth your time. Starting with the pros -- the game has an incredible art direction and very frequently looks great. It is also short enough that it feels respectful of your time, and the puzzles frequently are quite good (not always thou), with gimmicks evolving as you move further into the game (from standalone laser pointer to controlling the robot, for instance). Most of the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game is just kind of boring, you don't move as fluidly as you want and the puzzles while not screwing you over entirely checkpoint wise (per room), can be a bit annoying cuz a lot of them just require you wait for an enemy to go through it's patterns. It wants to be Inside, but it's not even as good as Limbo by any stretch. Also it's got some weirdo extremist version of a totalitarian Communist society, like it's message is just "Communism bad". But yeah, I could have played through that…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Similar vibe to INSIDE but definitely stands on it's own, simple gameplay with great environmental storytelling
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Not as great as Limbo, but still enjoyable. Although, there were a couple sections where I don't know how you're supposed to intuit how to progress.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Black The Fall is a dark, side-scrolling puzzle-platformer set in a bleak, oppressive world inspired by life under totalitarian regimes. You play as an old machinist trying to escape a system that treats people as expendable parts, using light, shadows, and simple interactions to move forward. What really stands out are the themes it explores: control, dehumanization, surveillance, and quiet resistance. The story is told almost entirely without words, through environments and visual cues,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A Haunting Journey Through Oppression and Resistance Black The Fall is more than a puzzle-platformer — it's a quiet, chilling reflection on life under totalitarian rule, brought to life through striking visuals, intelligent design, and a deeply oppressive atmosphere. For those who appreciate games that use minimal dialogue to tell powerful stories, this is an experience that lingers long after the screen goes dark. Set in a dystopian world inspired by Romania's communist past, Black The Fall…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Some frankly bad game filled with black fiction on communism. It would be better if the developers spent more time on gameplay. The authors should be sent back to school to learn history lessons.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →100% - 5 hrs Achievements - 14 Review - 8/10 - A puzzle game about the Romanian Revolution and a journey through oppression and resistance done in an "INSIDE" style of game play. Difficulty - 2/10 Hardest Achievement - Unexpected Journey
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The atmosphere of this game is its greatest strength. The puzzles are tinker toys and the story is cohesively abstract. The surface of it being a dude overthrowing but the deep would suggest certain tools and logic leaps to get there. But really it is the atmosphere where this game shines. If you are deaf, there is one part inaccessible to you (Unless they provide haptic feedback for controller users. I don't know off hand.) that I'll try to describe. It is completely dark. You are led only…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →+++ Atmosphere + OK graphics - Sometimes can't tell what is a platform or not -- 2D sidescroller but the camera often makes 80% of the screen being behind the character... --- The (many) parts with low luminosity are a chore to go through, it's almost pitch black --- A few puzzles just don't make sense
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Solid experience overall. It was short and easy to complete, which made it approachable and never frustrating. The atmosphere and concept were interesting, but nothing about it truly stayed with me after finishing. It felt competent rather than impactful. I would place it comfortably in the middle range since it was good while it lasted, just not especially memorable.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An Inside clone that was surpringly good and addictive. While it doesnt have the same level of polish as Inside had, the game felt way harder to me, reminiscent of Limbo's difficulty. Be prepared to die a LOT before figuring out how to progress to the next area. Having good observation skills is essential. I personally really liked the game despite the frustration. I found the mechanics involved in solving each area quite innovative. And halfway through the game, we are joined by a robot dog…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Not really much to say about it. It's a neat little platformer/puzzle game. Frustrating at times, but a good game overall.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →gameplay isnt terrible but its just capitalist propoganda
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Not worth it at full price and will probably frustrate a lot of people. Visually appealing game that is ruined by clunky, inconsistent controls and unintuitive puzzles. Expect to die many times due to timing or camera placement. You'll make wrong moves when trying to explore the enviroment in this 2.5D platformer. Expect to guess what to do to proceed more often than not. Controls are not consistent. It's often not apparent what you can and cannot interact with and the window for error…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Puzzles are okay but the controls for too many from mid game on need to be so precise you think you're doing something wrong and its frustrating. At the same time they're also somewhat wonky. To me these games need to be smooth and i just wasn't a fan of this one. The narrative is based on actual events and the possibility of dystopian future and is very heavy handed showing you this. I don't personally like things so on the nose. Also was very short. Just wasn't for me.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'd put a neutral if possible but otherwise a No from me. This game has wonky controls for some reason and the animations (the robot movement in the end is comical) and artstyle is nothing to write home about since it is a dollar store Inside. That game did everything better. This game suffers from trying to be a propaganda/political piece about oppression and dystopia but comes off as blunt as it can be - it is not subtle nor is it engaging. It targets a political system by showing the dark…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It is ok, but hard to recommend. Dystopian world is shown well, puzzles are ok, some are not hard, but very confusing, worst is quirky controls. I'm wondering why there is no 1000 accidental deaths achievement which is not that hard to achieve with the controls reliability.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A decent puzzle-platformer. It reminded me of the FREE game "Burning Daylight" that followed a similar bleak story. I have not played "LIMBO" or "INSIDE" yet, but a lot of people compare them to this game. Limbo and Inside do not own the entire puzzle-platformer genre and are not the default standard! Curb your expectations. Black The Fall was made by an indie developer, so naturally it can't compete with big names. The game delivers a bleak atmosphere, easy to challenging puzzles and a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I am a 52 yo father, probably one of the oldest people playing Black The Fall. I am a single father to my Son, who is 14 now. My son found this game at Christmas, so we installed it on his computer and he started playing. By the end of the week he had 24 hours on this game. This was horrible for me, as it was already hard for me to find ways to spend time with my son, as he is always out with his friends or just watching YouTube. So i decided to make a Steam account and get this game to see if…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Some cool visuals and a great vibe, but ultimately a lackluster gaming experience. This game is filled with puzzles that are pretty easy to figure out but then a fiddly mess to execute. Many respawn points are just far enough away to be annoying, requiring you to play longer than you want before re-encountering the part you're having a problem with. I also encountered way too many 'stand still for 5-10 seconds until the guard looks the other way' moments in my short playthrough than I'd like.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Currently I enjoy playing 2.5 D puzzle platformers a lot and this is another one. Though I can recommend Black The Fall in general, there are some quite frustrating parts. I don't know through how many deaths my character had to go until I finally figured out how to solve some of the puzzles. Yet eventually it's possible (with trial and error) to find the solution. The atmosphere and graphics hit a certain tone which I enjoyed experiencing and the cute little robot dog became a nice company. I…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's short but pretty decent. Anti-communist is a plus.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game is relatively simple. A simple formula where you walk to the right most of the time. There are some puzzles on the way. Most of them are quite simple, but there are some that can actually make you scratch your head for a while. The game is very simple yet entertaining. As other games I have seen in the past, this game is a clear critique on a "bad goverment", which can clearly be identified by its color and logo. The story it presents is simple, not so deep, yet interesting. I…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a great puzzle platformer, in the same vibe as INSIDE. The mixed reviews made me hesitate to get it, but I'm glad I did. I didn't have any issues with the puzzles or gameplay. Really good game, very nice visuals, with a very dark theme, and a bit of history lesson too. Highly recommend.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This would be a truly great game and I would definitely leave a positive review and recommend it, if I could actually FINISH the game. Unfortunately, due to a bug in the coffin area, where I can't actually make the character sit in a coffin to bypass the sentry, I can't finish it. Every time I try to enter the coffin, the character immediately exits, thus being killed on the spot . Personally, I find it unacceptable to buy I game that I can't finish due to bugs. It's like buying a sandwich…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Clocking in at only 5 hours with no guides this game is - OK. It's not as polished as Limbo or Inside but it still holds it's own in the atmosphere as narrative sidescroller genre. My largest complaint would be that a lot of the puzzles are rather opaque, and with small rooms for error you end up getting instantly killed for being a couple pixels away from where they wanted you to be, sometimes you give up on the correct solution simply because it wasn't correct enough.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Black The Fall is an atmospheric puzzle-platformer with a unique history-inspired theme, loosely based on Romania’s uprising against communism, though it's set in a dystopian future. The moody visuals and immersive world really stand out, especially for a Unity game. However, some puzzles were a bit unclear and could have used better direction. It’s great to see this small Romanian studio continuing to thrive, with their new game Aska now in early access—exciting times ahead!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pretty good, but not nearly as good as INSIDE or LIMBO. Get it at a good discount.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This dog water game doesn't even have a windowed mode.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is how games should be, tell an outrageous story that it could never possibly ever happen in real life. Haters would say this is not 'real communism'.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Intriguing 2.5D puzzle-platformer set in a dystopian society - 8/10 Black the Fall is an awesome puzzle-platformer with a really nice atmopshere. You play a machinist, who is tired of working till exhaustion in a factory, so he decides to escape. You solve puzzles, overcome platforming-passages, control a little robot dog and hide from guards. It's a 2.5D game so you only walk right and left combined with jumping, though you often times forget that, as the game and surroundings are very well…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's more annoying than interesting.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Seems to be a rather serious bug which deletes the save file after the first cutscene? Game is jank but okay, just leaving this so people can be aware. Possibly related to Linux?
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Rather Simple mechanically, which I'd actually prefer in a game that's atmosphere and art based. Minimal at times to the point gimmick-territory, but honest about it's strenghts and leans into them. I'm not Romian personally, however, I could follow along and parse the story nonetheless. Good play and a banger soundtrack.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game is simple but entertaining. You walk most of the time with puzzles on the way. Most of them are easy, but there are some that can actually make you scratch your head. I recommend taking your time walking to see the background, which is the actual story of the game, more than your character
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I liked what I could play of the game, BUT don't buy this if you have an X Box S series, it crashes about half way through and you cant get past it
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Nice 2.5D-side-scroller similar to games like Inside, Sommerville, Little Nightmares etc. If you like these, you will surely enjoy this one too. Only downside for me is that the laser-pointer controlls are a little clumsy, but you get used to it. I suggest to buy when on sale with at least 75% discount.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Extremely bad control of animations and almost impossible to play due to bad camera angles. Have spent 40 mins trying to jump from the platform across the venting pipe in the begining of the game. I'm giving up oon this game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →BtF plays exactly like LIMBO or Inside, but it actually tells a story rather than diving headlong into its own rectal cavern. Game journalists hated it for being unapologetically anti-Communist, so, needless to say, I bought it to own the Commies. It's a pretty solid game, and makes far more tasteful use of bloom and color grading than most major releases of that decade (keep in mind, this game released during the Brown Age), but it has all the same problems every other puzzle-platformer does:…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The communist setting is interesting, and the puzzles are enjoyable to solve, but the story is weak and the ending forgettable. Overall it isn’t groundbreaking, and it clearly shows influence from Inside, though it delivers far less impact.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →this game is genuinely complete garbage. The story, visuals and cut scenes are spectacular however the actual game - the fun part - is actually 1/10 or 2/10. Horrible puzzle designs, constant bugs, clunky controls, extremely finicky puzzle solutions, atrocious camera angles... I could go on. Not worth it even for 75% on sale.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Annoying stop and go principle. You get to an new area, instantly fail it and solve it and move to another and rinse repeat. Game gives zero room for error which just comes as out as real ♥♥♥♥ move from the dev. The game expects always ridiciolous amount of knowledge from you without yet knowing what to do. There is no natural build up of flow and fluidity in here. This is just continous jerkiness from start to finish. So it's just annoying and un-interesting in the end. There are way better…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a good game with a deep story behind. Some riddles may be slightly confusing, but the game is well worth playing. Great job!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm going to beat this since it is short, but I am very bored right now. Here is the game play: trial and error, or waiting. Unless you love environmental story telling, it is likely you will not like this. Also, heads-up if you have trouble hearing, there is a section that uses only sound.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you've played wither Inside or Limbo and are looking for something with the same look and feel then Black the Fall is a must. There's now much to say except its a great game. Not too long, interesting puzzles and a distinctive colour pallet.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Quirky story line, simple game play, got this game on a humble bundle but didn't regret playing it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I own too many games, way too many games, and have so little time to play. That's the reason why Black The Fall (BTF) has slept in my library for about five years. I took it some weeks ago and today, I've finished it. This is a masterpiece of ambiance, storytelling and puzzles. It is impossible not to think about Inside while playing BTF. I would say it's not as abstract but the imagery is so so powerful, and the puzzles are logical yet some of them are quite challenging, and some of them…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is one of the games that I likely received from the bundle. Decided to hunt down the achievements for it and realized that this game does require some thinking (big brain moments). If you are into puzzles and want to experience escape from the communist society that is controlled by robots, you are in the right place. Overall, I would say that this game is not my style but since I had it, I decided to play and complete it. Would I recommend buying it? Unless it is on the discount, I…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Worst puzzles ever. You have to find bugs in order to progress. This is what developers intended. Otherwise, you can't go futher. There is a raft, dog and you. You have to go across but you can't. You will end up checking youtube to see how other people did it. Well, they couldn't. If you wanna keep your sanity, don't buy this game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I realised I have 1100+ games in my Steam library and I was going to die before I played them all. So thought I'd spend a bit of time on each one, a new one every night, and leave a short initial review. I don't know when I got this, looks great, very stylized, but man is it tough! I ain't got the time to think this hard. Sorry! NOT RECOMMENDED!
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Honestly, I like Black: The Fall. It's not particularly original, since it's Abe's Oddysee, except with less contents, secrets, and no Mudokons to save (and thus no alternate endings), but the puzzles are mostly well thought out and can be intuited fairly reliably. There are a couple of obtuse ones, but overall, it was a fun little platform/puzzle game. Shame it has zero replayability, though. The thing that bothers me the most is that it doesn't really use the source material. The game uses…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →basically just heavy handed propaganda vailed as a game. ♥♥♥♥ game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Extremely bad conveyance and it's TOO ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ DARK!
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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