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Babylon's Fall
DeveloperPlatinumGames
PublisherSquare Enix
Directors
  • Kenji Saito
  • Takahisa Sugiyama
Producers
  • Junichi Ehara
  • Yosuke Saito
Designers
  • Isao Negishi
  • Kazuma Fujii
ArtistKouji Tajima
WriterKenichi Iwao
ComposerHiroshi Yamaguchi[1]
Platforms
ReleaseMarch 3, 2022
GenresAction role-playing, hack and slash
ModesSingle-player, multiplayer

Babylon's Fall[a] was an action role-playing game developed by PlatinumGames and published by Square Enix. The game was released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Windows on March 3, 2022.

It received generally negative reviews from critics, and was a significant commercial failure for Square Enix, with the game only reaching a concurrent player count of less than 1,200 just after release day on the Steam platform and declining sharply afterwards. Six months after the game's release, Square Enix announced that they would be ceasing support of the game's servers, which later shut down less than a year following its release, on February 27, 2023.

Gameplay

[edit]

Babylon's Fall was an action role-playing hack and slash video game played from a third-person perspective. The player assumed control of a Sentinel, who must scale a massive tower known as the Ziggurat.[2] Players started at a hub area known as Sentinel Force HQ where they could interact with other players, visit shops or blacksmiths to purchase gear and upgrades, and access quests. Each quest could be played solo, though the game also supported four-player cooperative multiplayer. Players ascended three to four floors in each quest until they reached the summit of the tower. Along the way, players would unlock loot which could be used to enhance the strength of the characters.[3]

Each sentinel was equipped with two weapons. However, the player was also equipped with a device known as Gideon's Coffin. The coffin allowed players to carry two more spectral weapons. These weapons could no longer be used once the spectral energy bar is depleted, though it would gradually refill over time. The game featured several types of melee and ranged weapons.[4][5][6] At the end of each level, players would be awarded with loot and gear. The quality of the gear depended on the player's performance in a level. Players could achieve better performance by varying their attack style, eliminating enemies quickly, and dodging attacks.[3]

Plot

[edit]

Set in a fantasy world,[2] the story of Babylon's Fall was split into three quests.

Liberator

[edit]

Prisoners are taken on board from a ship, where following a guard, become tested for the Gideon Coffin. Out of the many prisoners, only three of them managed to survive its installation and are then promoted as Sentinels. On their first battle, they fight blue forces known as Gallu, where upon facing their first large force, a character named Arwia appears and unlocks their Gideon Coffin, allowing them to fight. Their main goal is to stop the plague which is being caused by the Blue Sun (which is an alien deity named Nergal). Bosses such as Zenon, Lord Bemus, Moira and Galenos with his giant dragon Antares stand in the way. At the end of the Liberator quest, the player and Arwia defeat Nergal.

Resurgence

[edit]

Released on March 22, 2022,[7] Resurgence focused on three factions struggling to win the Sentinel civil war: Sophia's Sentinels (the player, Sylvie, Sophia and Eleon), Gallagher's The Creatures (alongside Elpis, Zogh, Lawi-Ghor and various dragons) and Urom-Baggel's Molzamites (alongside Ogo-Tallwa, and some unnamed Molzamites). It ended with most of The Creatures and Molzamites being murdered by the player as Urom-Baggel and Gallagher escape.

Tale of Two Ziggurats

[edit]

The final quest released on May 31, 2022, as part of the update titled "The Light of Auru",[8] the Tale of Two Ziggurats, served as the conclusion to the Bablylon's Fall story. The final fates of several characters were revealed as Gallagher kills Eleon, the player kills Gallagher out of revenge, and Urom-Baggel is defeated. While the plot focused on the new Kuftaali faction who is seeking help from the player to stop the new plague, the ending showed a Kuftaali character named Shamilka being revealed to be the true final boss of the game known as Ereshkigal (who is of the same alien deity race as Nergal). The game ended with the player killing Ereshkigal, permanently ending the plague.

Development

[edit]

Babylon's Fall was developed by PlatinumGames. According to producer Junichi Ehara, the team wanted to expand on the combat system of Nier: Automata and experiment with multiplayer with Babylon's Fall.[9] The game's brushstroke visual art-style was inspired by classic European oil paintings, and the graphics were created using canvas-like texture.[10] The game also borrowed assets from Final Fantasy XIV, a massively multiplayer online video game created by publisher Square Enix.[11] The protagonist of the story was compared to a Roman gladiator by scenario writer Kenichi Iwao.[12] The first closed beta was held in July 2021 in Japan and August 2021 in Europe and North America.[13] The beta received a lukewarm reception, with players complaining about the game's illegible visual style. The development team evaluated players' feedback and adjusted the game's graphics to ensure that they were less blurry and pixelated.[14]

Production on the game began in 2017, around the time of Nier: Automata's release.[15] The game was revealed at E3 2018 during Square Enix's own press conference and was originally slated to release in 2019.[16] The first look at gameplay would be seen at Sony's December 2019 State of Play presentation. It was shown again at E3 2021, now labeled a "game as a service".[17] This means that the game would be supported with free updates, new gameplay modes and content upon release.[18] PlatinumGames opened a new Tokyo studio in 2020 to help the studio make live service games.[19] The developers have stated that the game was always envisioned as a multiplayer, live service title, and expressed regret over some players having the false impression that it was a single player game because of previous footage only showing solo combat.[20] One of the game's directors, Takahisa Sugiyama, stated that the challenge of creating an online, live-service game was "a lot harder to do than we thought". This, along with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the release of new hardware, are cited as reasons for the game's lengthy delay.[20]

The game was released on March 3, 2022, for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Windows, with cross-platform play support. Players who purchased the game's Digital Deluxe version could access the game on February 28, 2022.[21] In September 2022, PlatinumGames and Square Enix announced further development and updates on the game would cease.[22][23] On February 27, 2023, Babylon's Fall was shut down.[23][22]

Reception

[edit]

Babylon's Fall received "generally unfavorable" reviews according to review aggregator website Metacritic.[25][24] Metacritic listed Babylon's Fall as the third-worst game of 2022.[37]

Destructoid liked the combat, praising the "coffin combos" and "slick" dodges, but felt the actual structure of the game was boring; "most of the challenges are the same hallways, remixed, and the same enemies, slightly tweaked".[26] Rock Paper Shotgun disliked the progression of the game, writing that it was needlessly confusing; "You rush through corridors and into progressively harder arenas... Occasionally there are yellow orbs to collect on your way, although I haven't been told what these do. Beat an arena and the game will give you a rank, like Stone or Bronze or Pure Platinum, which also nets you... nothing?"[38]

Sales

[edit]

On Steam, Babylon's Fall had an all-time high of 1,188 concurrent players on March 4, 2022, which fell to just one player in May 2022.[39][40]

In Japan, the PlayStation 4 physical version sold 2,885 units within its first week of release, making it the twenty-fourth best-selling retail game of the week in the country. The PlayStation 5 physical version sold 2,224 units in the country during the same week, making it the twenty-seventh best-selling retail game of the week in the country.[41]

Notes

[edit]

References

[edit]
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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Babylon's Fall

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Babylon's Fall is a multiplayer action role-playing video game developed by PlatinumGames and published by Square Enix.[1][2] Released on March 3, 2022, for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Microsoft Windows via Steam, the game is set in a fantasy world where players control immortal warriors known as Sentinels, bonded to ancient artifacts called Gideon Coffins, as they battle through the massive Tower of Babylon to reclaim a fallen empire.[2][1] Featuring hack-and-slash combat with up to four simultaneous weapons and online co-operative play for up to four players, it employs a distinctive "brushwork filter" visual style resembling medieval oil paintings.[3][1] As a live-service title requiring constant online connectivity, Babylon's Fall was discontinued when its servers were shut down on February 27, 2023, less than a year after launch, rendering it unplayable.[4] The game's narrative follows the Sentinels of the Domitinian Empire, who use their Gideon Coffins—spectral devices granting enhanced abilities and immortality—as they ascend the Tower of Babylon, confronting monstrous foes across diverse environments like volcanic cloisters and ruined citadels.[1] Gameplay emphasizes fluid, combo-based combat inspired by PlatinumGames' signature style, allowing players to switch between standard, power, and technical attack modes while utilizing "Gideon Gut" abilities for ranged attacks such as soul-snatching or catapults.[1] Progression involves looting materials to craft and upgrade gear, with multiplayer sessions enabling cooperative raids on the tower's challenging floors, though the game faced criticism for repetitive missions and technical issues at launch.[5] Development began shortly after PlatinumGames' collaboration with Square Enix on NieR: Automata, aiming to blend live-service elements with the studio's action expertise, but the title received mixed-to-negative reviews, scoring 41 on Metacritic for PlayStation 5 and 46 for PC due to uninspired content and visual artifacts from its unique art filter.[1][6][7] Despite post-launch updates adding new weapons and events, low player engagement led to the early termination of services, with Square Enix refunding purchases and halting sales in September 2022.[4][5] The shutdown highlighted challenges in the live-service model for action RPGs, marking it as a commercial disappointment for both studios.[8]

Gameplay

Combat and Controls

Babylon's Fall features a real-time action combat system crafted by PlatinumGames, emphasizing fast-paced, combo-driven engagements that draw inspiration from the studio's signature style seen in titles like Bayonetta and Nier: Automata. Players control Sentinels equipped with up to four weapons simultaneously: two primary weapons for direct melee—one for light attacks and one for heavy attacks—and two spectral weapons that float behind the character for special maneuvers. Light attacks consist of rapid, chaining strikes ideal for crowd control and building momentum, while heavy attacks unleash slower but more damaging blows, often with area-of-effect potential to stagger groups of foes. Dodging allows players to evade incoming threats with invulnerability frames, executed fluidly to maintain offensive pressure, and parrying rewards precise timing by countering enemy strikes for openings or reduced damage.[5][9][10] Central to combat depth is the Spirit gauge, a resource bar that fills through successful basic attacks and enables advanced techniques such as spectral attacks—powerful, weapon-specific abilities like enhanced strikes or aerial launches—and evasive dodges. When depleted, the gauge regenerates gradually or faster via enemy hits, encouraging aggressive play to sustain special moves; overuse leads to vulnerability, as spectral weapons become unavailable until recovery. These mechanics promote a balance of risk and reward, with spectral attacks often incorporating elemental effects or multi-hit combos for crowd management. On PlayStation 4 and 5, light attacks are mapped to the square button for quick inputs, heavy attacks to triangle for charged swings, dodging to circle for evasion, and spectral activations to L1/R1 triggers by default, though customizable via the menu; PC and Xbox Series X/S use equivalent WASD movement with left/right mouse or A/X buttons for attacks and B/B for dodging. In single-player mode, controls focus on solo navigation and timing, whereas co-op sessions integrate seamless drop-in mechanics where allied players' actions influence gauge recovery through shared enemy defeats.[11][12][13] Enemies populating Babylon's dungeons vary in behavior to demand adaptive strategies, including basic mobs like swarming goblins and undead minions that rely on numbers for overwhelming players, shielded knights requiring heavy attacks to break defenses, and ranged foes such as archers or flying creatures necessitating spectral launches for positioning. Boss encounters feature colossal, multi-phase monstrosities with telegraphed patterns, such as sweeping AoE strikes or summon adds, testing mastery of parries and gauge management. Environmental hazards within the Tower of Babylon's labyrinthine floors add peril, including bottomless pits that punish mistimed dodges, spike traps that activate on approach, and lava flows that inflict damage over time, forcing players to weave combat with spatial awareness. Equipment selections briefly influence these dynamics by modifying attack speed or Spirit efficiency, enhancing overall flow without altering core inputs.[5][14][15]

Multiplayer and Progression

Babylon's Fall emphasizes cooperative multiplayer gameplay, supporting up to four players in online co-op sessions where teams of Sentinels tackle challenging raids within the tiered floors of the Ziggurat, the game's central tower dungeon.[16] These raids require coordinated efforts to navigate linear arenas filled with enemies and bosses, with higher tiers introducing tougher encounters that demand strategic role distribution among players, such as tanks drawing aggression while others focus on damage output.[15] The game's online-only design ensures all progression and content access occurs through these multiplayer-focused activities, fostering replayability as groups ascend the tower's escalating difficulties.[5] The mission structure revolves around a mix of story-driven quests, repeatable skirmishes, and time-limited challenges to maintain engagement in the live-service format. Players undertake over 80 quests, including main story missions and numerous side missions, including daily and weekly Orders—short objectives like defeating specific enemy types or collecting resources—that reward experience points and contribute to Season Rankings for additional incentives such as exclusive gear blueprints.[16] Endgame content centers on high-difficulty raids in upper Ziggurat tiers, where teams face enhanced bosses and environmental hazards, with shared progression allowing all participants to retain loot and experience gains across sessions, enabling seamless drop-in/drop-out play without resetting individual advancements.[17] This system promotes ongoing group play, as completing these missions together accelerates collective power scaling through accumulated resources. Character progression is tied to experience points (EXP) earned from mission completions, enemy defeats, and challenge rewards, which level up the player's Sentinel and unlock access to the Gideon Coffin's skill trees. As Sentinels gain levels, they earn Gideon Points (GP) to invest in four distinct progression paths within the Coffin system, enhancing attributes like attack power, defense, or special abilities tailored to playstyles.[18] Faction choices at character creation—such as the melee-oriented Agavian (tank-like warrior), agile Huysian (balanced fighter), or ranged-focused Geleilion (mage-like caster)—influence optimal skill tree builds, with examples including melee combos for warriors or elemental spells for mages unlocked via GP allocation in trees dedicated to weapon synergies and Dynamis enchantments.[19] These trees allow respeccing at the Forge hub, encouraging experimentation without permanent commitments, while overall leveling integrates with multiplayer by scaling enemy difficulty based on the group's average power level derived from gear and skills.[20] Social features enhance the cooperative experience through robust matchmaking and cross-platform support. Quick-play matchmaking connects players for public raids and challenges, prioritizing balanced groups based on power levels to ensure fair progression, while private invites allow friends to form dedicated parties via the in-game menu.[21] Cross-play is fully enabled between PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC versions, uniting player bases across platforms for shared sessions; players must enable this option in the social settings for interoperability.[22] These elements, combined with persistent world progression, create a interconnected multiplayer ecosystem where individual advancements bolster group success in Babylon's Fall's raid-heavy endgame.[23]

Equipment and Customization

In Babylon's Fall, the looter-shooter mechanics revolve around acquiring and equipping weapons, armor, shields, and accessories that drop as loot from enemies and dungeons, with rarity determining the potency and variety of effects. Equipment is categorized into five tiers—Common, Uncommon, Rare, Legendary, and Divine—where higher tiers provide stronger base stats and more enchantment slots, influencing a player's overall Power Level and enabling progression through increasingly difficult ziggurats.[24] For instance, Common equipment lacks enchantments, while Legendary and Divine pieces feature one fixed enchantment plus up to three random ones, allowing for specialized stat boosts like increased critical damage or elemental affinities.[24] Enchantments serve as modular components that attach to weapons and armor, providing conditional stat enhancements such as boosting attack power upon successful parries or accelerating spirit regeneration during combos. Players can mix these enchantments across gear to create hybrid builds, such as combining debuff-focused effects for crowd control with high-damage output for boss encounters, tailoring loadouts to faction-specific playstyles or elemental weaknesses in dungeons.[25][26] Visual customization extends beyond functionality, with players earning skins and color palettes through gameplay rewards and applying them via the Equipment menu's Costume tab to alter weapon and armor appearances without affecting stats.[27] Inventory management occurs primarily at the Forge, unlocked through story progression, where players sort gear by Power Level, recycle obsolete items for resources, and upgrade equipment to enhance base stats and amplify enchantment effects.[25] Upgrades require materials like oils and shards farmed from missions, scaling equipment viability against higher-tier ziggurats that demand elevated Power Levels for optimal performance.[28] As players advance, progression unlocks additional Gideon Coffin slots for accessories, expanding customization options for refined builds. Customized loadouts directly enhance combat versatility, such as integrating enchantments that trigger on perfect dodges to sustain prolonged engagements.[26][24]

Plot

Setting and Factions

Babylon's Fall is set in Neo-Babylon, a once-great city now fallen into ruin and afflicted by the Blue Death, a plague caused by a mysterious Blue Sun visible through an artificial Veil covering the sky.[16] The Domitinian Empire rules over the remnants, enslaving prisoners as Sentinels—immortal warriors bonded to parasitic Gideon Coffins that grant superhuman abilities but erode their humanity—to climb the massive Ziggurat (Tower of Babylon) and combat the monstrous Gallu emerging from its depths.[16][29] The Ziggurat serves as the central hub, with explorable regions including fog-shrouded ruins, volcanic areas, and ancient outposts accessed via cooperative missions that reveal the city's hidden sci-fi origins beneath its fantasy facade.[30][3] Key factions include the oppressive Domitinian Empire, which exploits the Sentinels to reclaim power, and the players' ragtag squadron of fellow Sentinels, who form a resistance against imperial control and the Gallu threat.[29] Internal imperial conflicts and betrayals among leaders, including Sophia—the emperor's daughter who oversees the Sentinels—add layers of intrigue to the narrative.[30]

Liberator Arc

The Liberator Arc follows the protagonist, a Sentinel newly bonded to a Gideon Coffin after capture by the Domitinian Empire, who awakens in a rebel outpost following a failed transport.[16] Intended to serve the Empire by ascending the Ziggurat, the protagonist instead allies with a group of defected Sentinels, grappling with fragmented memories and the device's corrupting effects.[29] Early events involve escaping imperial forces during a raid and engaging in skirmishes against Gallu minions spawned from the Ziggurat's lower tiers, marking initial efforts to reclaim territory and uncover the tower's secrets tied to the Blue Death.[16] The arc highlights imperial corruption, with leaders like Sophia manipulating Sentinels to harvest relics from the tower for the Empire's benefit, revealed through dialogues and intercepted messages.[30] Themes of redemption and resistance permeate the story, as the protagonist confronts their coerced role in the Empire's schemes and joins the collective fight against subjugation and the encroaching plague.[29] This builds toward escalating conflicts within the Ziggurat, culminating in revelations about Neo-Babylon's true nature.

Resurgence and Ziggurats Arc

The Resurgence substory follows the Liberator Arc, delving into internal schisms within the Domitinian Empire amid wars between imperial factions and threats from the Blue Sun's plague.[30] Key Sentinel Gallagher undergoes a tragic transformation into a Gallu due to Gideon Coffin overuse, emphasizing the dangers of their power and leading to his role as a conflicted antagonist.[30] The Tale of Two Ziggurats expands the narrative to a second Ziggurat in the afflicted city of Waseto, introducing time travel and failed teleportation attempts that force overland traversal and confrontations with Veil-amplified entities.[30] Allies within the Sentinel group uncover connections between the Ziggurats, revealing how they exacerbate the plague and deepen factional betrayals. Climactic events include boss battles against transformed Gallu, such as Gallagher, who retains sentience for a poignant duel yielding an artifact to combat Waseto's sickness.[30] Imperial fractures lead to further betrayals, culminating in Sophia's intervention to disband the Sentinels, highlighting themes of sacrifice and the heavy toll of power.[30] The arc concludes ambiguously for Neo-Babylon's future, with partial triumphs over the Gallu and plague but lingering doubts about long-term survival, underscoring the pyrrhic struggles of the characters.[30]

Development

Conception and Announcement

The development of Babylon's Fall originated from Square Enix's search for a development partner to create a live service action game, during which PlatinumGames CEO Atsushi Inaba proposed a collaboration that aligned with the publisher's vision for long-term online engagement.[31] This partnership built on the success of their prior project, NieR: Automata, and marked PlatinumGames' first major foray into live service titles, blending their expertise in fast-paced hack-and-slash combat with looter-shooter elements for multiplayer replayability.[32] The project was led by producers Yosuke Saito and Junichi Ehara from Square Enix, alongside co-directors Kenji Saito and Takahisa Sugiyama from PlatinumGames, who focused on integrating seamless co-op mechanics into the studio's signature action gameplay.[31][16] Square Enix handled publishing duties, providing support for the online infrastructure essential to the game's design.[33] Babylon's Fall was publicly announced at Square Enix's E3 2018 showcase on June 11, where a cinematic teaser trailer introduced the high-fantasy world inspired by the Tower of Babel, featuring warriors known as Sentinels battling ethereal enemies in a ruined cityscape.[34] The reveal generated initial hype for its mysterious atmosphere and co-op potential, positioning it as an ambitious online action RPG slated for release in 2019 on PlayStation 4 and PC via Steam.[33] From the outset, the design emphasized sustained player retention through multiplayer raids on the ever-scaling Tower of Babylon, customizable Gideon Coffin gear for ability enhancement, and a distinctive painterly art style evoking European oil paintings to differentiate it from typical dark fantasy tropes.[32] This approach prioritized cooperative progression and seasonal updates over a linear single-player narrative, aiming to foster community-driven exploration and combat depth.[31]

Production and Challenges

Development of Babylon's Fall began shortly after PlatinumGames' collaboration with Square Enix on NieR:Automata in 2017, with the project entering prototyping phases leading up to its announcement at E3 2018.[34] The game was formally revealed on June 11, 2018, as a collaborative effort between PlatinumGames and Square Enix, directed by Kenji Saito at PlatinumGames and produced by Yosuke Saito and Junichi Ehara at Square Enix.[35] Further details emerged during a PlayStation State of Play presentation in December 2019, showcasing initial gameplay footage, before the title progressed to closed beta testing across multiple phases starting in July 2021 and continuing into late 2021, reaching completion for its March 2022 launch across PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC platforms.[1] The game's distinctive visual style incorporates an original "Brushwork Filter" to achieve a medieval oil painting aesthetic, utilizing layered textures that evoke hand-painted artwork throughout Neo Babylon's environments and character designs.[1] This approach aimed to blend high-fantasy elements with a unique artistic filter, enhancing the immersive quality of the game's dungeons and world. For audio, lead composer Hiroshi Yamaguchi crafted an orchestral soundtrack recorded in Bulgaria, emphasizing a heavy and solemn tone to complement the narrative's themes of downfall and resurgence, spanning over five hours across 86 tracks in the official release.[36][37] Production faced several hurdles, including the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, which directors noted significantly affected workflows and contributed to delays in updates and iterations.[38] Remote work became more prevalent during this period, influencing development efficiency and prompting adaptations in team collaboration.[39] As a live-service title, the team grappled with balancing ongoing content updates—planned roughly every three months—with core action RPG mechanics, while iterating on multiplayer stability to support up to four-player co-op sessions.[16] These efforts involved refining matchmaking systems and server performance to handle dynamic group play in procedurally generated dungeons.[1] Closed beta tests, including phases in September and November 2021, provided critical player feedback, particularly on combat pacing, which developers incorporated to accelerate action responsiveness and improve overall flow.[40] Additional adjustments addressed visibility issues in the art style, enhancing texture clarity and graphical fidelity without compromising the oil painting effect, ensuring better multiplayer coordination during intense battles.[41] These iterations helped stabilize the four-weapon combat system and progression loops ahead of launch.[42]

Release

Platforms and Launch

Babylon's Fall was released simultaneously on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Microsoft Windows via Steam on March 3, 2022.[43][44][1] The game launched without free-to-play elements, positioning it as a premium title in the action RPG genre.[45] The standard edition retailed for $59.99, while the digital deluxe edition, priced at $99.99, offered early access starting March 1, 2022, along with additional cosmetic items such as weapon skins and emotes.[1][2][45] Marketing efforts included trailers showcased at major industry events, such as E3 2021 and The Game Awards 2021, highlighting the game's co-op combat and unique art style.[46] These promotions were handled by publisher Square Enix, emphasizing PlatinumGames' signature action mechanics to build anticipation ahead of launch.[47] At launch, the game encountered technical issues, including graphical glitches and poor textures that affected visual clarity on all platforms.[5] A day-one patch (version 1.01) was deployed, implementing various combat balance changes and adding features like private HQs, with subsequent updates in the following weeks focusing on stability improvements and minor balancing adjustments.[48][49]

Shutdown and Delisting

On September 13, 2022, Square Enix announced the termination of service for Babylon's Fall, with servers scheduled to shut down on February 27, 2023, at 11:00 p.m. PT, less than a year after the game's launch on March 3, 2022.[4] The decision came amid the cancellation of planned large-scale updates and events, as the game failed to sustain player engagement in its live-service model.[50] Square Enix cited the project's inability to meet expectations for ongoing support, attributing the closure to persistently low player counts following a poorly received launch.[51] Concurrently, sales of the game—both digital and physical—and its premium currency, Garaz, were halted across platforms, effectively delisting Babylon's Fall from the PlayStation Store and Steam as of that date.[52] The absence of an offline mode meant that, upon server shutdown, the game became entirely unplayable, with all gameplay data and associated websites, such as the "Hanging Garden" hub, also ceasing operation. As of November 2025, the game remains entirely unplayable, with no official offline mode or service revival announced.[4] In response, community members initiated a petition on Change.org in October 2022, urging Square Enix and PlatinumGames to release an offline patch to preserve access to the single-player elements.[53] Discussions on forums like Steam highlighted attempts to explore fan-made modifications for offline play, but no official patch was provided, and such efforts did not result in viable solutions.[54]

Reception

Critical Reviews

Babylon's Fall received generally unfavorable reviews from professional critics. The PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 versions received Metacritic scores of 41/100 based on 43 reviews each, while the PC version scored 46/100 based on 10 reviews.[55] The game was faulted for its technical shortcomings and lack of innovation, though some outlets acknowledged strengths in its core action elements. Critics frequently praised the fluid combat system, a hallmark of developer PlatinumGames, for its responsive light/heavy attack mechanics and fast-paced "coffin combos" that provided satisfying engagement during battles.[56] The atmospheric world design, rendered in a unique oil painting aesthetic, was also noted for adding visual intrigue and depth to exploration, with elements like tavern interactions enhancing the sense of immersion.[56] Major criticisms centered on the repetitive mission structure, where linear dungeons recycled enemies and layouts, leading to a grinding progression that quickly became monotonous.[55] The live-service features were widely panned as lackluster and poorly integrated, with mandatory online connectivity, seasonal updates, and freemium mechanics undermining the single-player potential and alienating solo players.[56] Microtransactions drew particular concern, including a premium battle pass and in-game shop offering cosmetics and minor boosts atop the $60 base price, which many viewed as exploitative for a title already struggling with content depth.[56] The plot was dismissed as uninspired and generic, with a dark fantasy narrative that failed to captivate despite occasional intriguing lore hints.[5] IGN's review scored the game 4/10, highlighting how its co-op mode squandered promising multiplayer potential through bland level design and outdated visuals that made the experience feel obsolete.[5] Destructoid awarded 5/10, describing it as an "exercise in apathy" where repetitive gameplay loops and awkward live-service implementation neutralized any enjoyment from the combat polish.[56] These critiques underscored broader sentiments that the game's execution fell short of its ambitious concept.

Commercial Performance and Legacy

Babylon's Fall experienced underwhelming commercial performance, marked by low player engagement and limited sales. On Steam, the game achieved a peak concurrent player count of 1,188 shortly after its March 2022 launch, but this number declined rapidly, dropping to a single player by May 2022 and stabilizing at 20-50 players before the servers shut down in February 2023.[57][58] Launch-day concurrent players were even lower at around 650, placing it outside Steam's top 4,000 games by active users.[59] In Japan, the PlayStation 4 physical version sold 2,885 units in its first week, ranking 24th on retail charts. Overall revenue on Steam was estimated at $580,000, suggesting modest PC adoption amid the game's full-price release and live-service model.[60] The game's brief lifespan highlighted challenges in sustaining player interest for live-service titles from studios traditionally focused on single-player experiences. Square Enix discontinued all digital and physical sales within six months of launch, further curtailing potential revenue.[60] Despite the failure, Babylon's Fall did not deter PlatinumGames from pursuing live-service projects. The studio's CEO expressed regret over the shutdown but affirmed that the experience would not alter plans for future online games, with job listings in 2025 indicating development of another multiplayer action title.[61][62] In the broader industry, the game's rapid decline served as a cautionary example of the risks associated with live-service models, particularly for developers inexperienced in ongoing content support and monetization. Analyses pointed to Babylon's Fall alongside titles like CrossFire X as cases where servers were terminated after mere months, underscoring high failure rates and financial losses in the genre.[63][64] This contributed to growing scrutiny of the model's sustainability, with publishers facing pressure to balance ambitious ongoing revenue goals against player retention challenges.[65]

References

  1. BABYLON'S FALL - PlatinumGames Inc. Official WebSite
  2. BABYLON'S FALL - SQUARE ENIX Support Center
  3. Babylon's Fall - PS4 & PS5 Games | Playstation (US)
  4. Notice Regarding the Termination of the BABYLON'S FALL Service
  5. Babylon's Fall Review - IGN
  6. Square Enix will shut down Babylon's Fall in 2023 - Game Developer
  7. Babylon's Fall combines crispy combat with the Destiny power grind
  8. Babylon's Fall demo hits PS5 & PS4 tomorrow, prepare with combat ...
  9. Babylon's Fall review | PC Gamer
  10. 10 Beginner tips for Babylon's Fall you need to know | TheSixthAxis
  11. https://www.3rd-strike.com/babylons-fall-review/
  12. Babylon's Fall Beta Impressions - GameSpace.com
  13. The RPG Files: Babylon's Fall Review | MMORPG.com
  14. Everything you need to know about BABYLON'S FALL - Square Enix
  15. https://gamerant.com/babylons-fall-how-to-play-with-friends/
  16. BABYLON'S FALL - SQUARE ENIX Support Center
  17. Babylon's Fall: Best Weapon Combinations For Each Class
  18. Gideon Coffins - Babylon's Fall Wiki - Fandom
  19. How To Play With Friends In Babylon's Fall - Gamers Heroes
  20. Babylon's Fall Closed Beta Phase 3 Adds PS5 and Cross-Play
  21. Babylon's Fall Multiplayer Guide: How to Play With Friends
  22. Sentinel Report #2: Character Building Basics - PlatinumGames
  23. 7 Tips and Tricks to get started in BABYLON'S FALL! - Square Enix
  24. Sentinel Report #3: Advanced Character Building - Platinum Games
  25. BABYLON'S FALL - SQUARE ENIX Support Center
  26. Crafting | Babylon's Fall Wiki
  27. https://www.gameinformer.com/2018/06/15/so-what-exactly-is-going-on-in-babylons-fall
  28. I Played Through Babylon's Fall so You Don't Have To
  29. 7 things to know about BABYLON'S FALL - Square Enix
  30. BABYLON'S FALL NEW COMBAT TRAILER, SEASON 1 DETAILS ...
  31. A Retrospective Look: BABYLON'S FALL in 2024 - oprainfall
  32. The Team On 'Babylon's Fall' Break Down The Intricacies ... - Forbes
  33. Babylon's Fall and the trials of live service: PlatinumGames and ...
  34. BABYLON'S FALL" - Square Enix North America Press Hub
  35. Square Enix Announces Babylon's Fall From PlatinumGames - IGN
  36. BABYLON'S FALL ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK | SQUARE ENIX MUSIC
  37. Sentinel Report #5: The Appeal of BABYLON'S FALL'S Music (1/2)
  38. Interview with: Kenji Saito and Takahisa Sugiyama on Babylon's Fall ...
  39. Industry Veteran Takao Yamane Joins PlatinumGames as a new ...
  40. 10 changes to BABYLON'S FALL based on your feedback
  41. Babylon's Fall Graphics Improved Due to Feedback from Closed Beta
  42. The Babylon's Fall beta is promising: why am I still not excited for it?
  43. Babylon's Fall Release Date Announced, Requires Constant ... - IGN
  44. Babylon's Fall launch trailer, screenshots - Gematsu
  45. PlatinumGames' PvE Co-op Hack-and-Slasher Babylon's Fall ...
  46. Babylon's Fall Release Date Trailer - IGN
  47. BABYLON'S FALL – TGA Trailer and Preorder Now on PS4, PS5 ...
  48. Gamestop reportedly Trashing All Copies Of Babylon's Fall After Today
  49. Babylon's Fall – New Update Brings Gameplay Adjustments, Fixes ...
  50. Babylon's Fall update adds brutal endgame boss | TheSixthAxis
  51. Babylon's Fall Will Be Shut Down In February 2023 - IGN
  52. https://www.gameinformer.com/2022/09/13/babylons-fall-will-shut-down-less-than-a-year-after-launch
  53. Babylon's Fall removed from sale after only six months, shutting ...
  54. Petition · Save Babylon's Fall - United Kingdom · Change.org
  55. Can someone explain why its so hard to make it offline or peer2peer?
  56. Babylon's Fall Reviews - Metacritic
  57. Review: Babylon's Fall - Destructoid
  58. Steam charts - babylon's fall - SteamDB
  59. There was only one person in the world playing Babylon's Fall on ...
  60. On its release day, Babylon's Fall has peaked at fewer than ... - VGC
  61. How many copies did Babylon's Fall sell?— 2025 statistics | LEVVVEL
  62. PlatinumGames 'Extremely Sorry' About Closing Babylon's Fall, But ...
  63. PlatinumGames is seemingly hiring for another online action game
  64. The uncertain future of the games-as-a-service model - Sage Journals
  65. Babylon's Fall: The Biggest Live Service Flop by Square Enix
  66. The "live service" model is all played out | Opinion - GamesIndustry.biz
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