Fall Guys has successfully made the transition to free-to-play, and for the most part, fans have responded well to this change. Where there were some issues early on, with Fall Guys’ first free-to-play battle pass being controversial, Mediatonic has quickly found its groove within the new live service model. Regular events keep the game fresh and give players something to strive for, while the in-game store refreshes regularly with exciting cosmetics.
Though Fall Guys has gotten off to a solid start in the realm of free-to-play games, it can still take some notes from some of the other juggernauts that can be played without spending any money. In particular, Fortnite is an excellent example for Fall Guys to follow. With Epic Games owning both IPs, Fall Guys should have no problem implementing two of the most useful features from Fortnite.
Selectable Styles For Fall Guys Beans Would Be Welcome
When players purchase a Fall Guys skin, they usually only get one outfit comprised of a top and bottom piece. While these costumes are a fun way to decorate a player’s character, Fortnite’s skins are usually a cut above because they offer a few different styles for players to switch between. For instance, the skin for the Marvel superhero Daredevil has two different forms, with one variant in the Fortnite art style and another that is cel shaded - looking like it jumped straight off a page from a comic book. Other style options see Spider-Man’s mask able to be removed, two very different takes on Venom, and so on.
Fall Guys has seemingly realized the appeal of this approach, as a bundle that released earlier this month offered three different-colored Imp skins for the price of one. This would be a great trend to see continued going forward, as alternate color schemes and designs for each skin would be a pro-consumer move that makes every cosmetic more valuable. For instance, the Ezio skin in Fortnite’s most recent battle pass could have had an alternate style with black robes, paying homage to Assassin’s Creed Revelations.
Fall Guys could take this a step further by giving players in-game challenges to unlock the second style. This would be a great way to keep the attention of players that have already finished a battle pass and see little reason to keep working on daily challenges, as they could move on to unlocking the variants of skins they already have. Using the aforementioned Ezio skin as an example, Fall Guys players could need to win 5 matches with Ezio to unlock his Revelations attire, giving them a long term goal and a reason to regularly swap between their collection of skins.
Skin Gifting is a Fortnite Feature That Would Suit Fall Guys Well
Fortnite and other free-to-play games like Call of Duty: Warzone encourage skin gifting, and it is something that Fall Guys should strive to do as well. Considering that the game offers support for Epic Games accounts, perhaps the publisher could use the same system to let players buy bundles and items for their friends. Whether it is simply used as a nice surprise or as a way to help a loved one get a skin they cannot afford, being able to gift items would be a great quality-of-life addition. If Mediatonic wanted to go a bit further, it could even let players gift Kudos, Show Bucks, and battle passes.
Ultimately, Fall Guys will continue to thrive on multiple platforms regardless of whether these features are added. Still, even small additions can improve a game, and taking steps to replicate Fortnite’s success would make perfect sense. Though there is only so much that can be pulled from Fortnite and integrated into a game like Fall Guys, Mediatonic should strive to add whatever it can. Fortunately, a gifting system and alternate skin styles are viable options, and both could push players to engage more with the game’s microtransactions.
Fall Guys is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.