The Truth About Fall Guys' Deaths Revealed

Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout is a game of cartoonish carnage. It's a constant parade of the titular bean-like Fall Guys being smacked around, falling on their faces, and occasionally taking a tumble off the map completely. Fans may be wondering what happens from the perspective of their characters when they fall off the screen and into the unknown. Now there's finally an answer.

According to Fall Guys lead designer, Joe Walsh, there is no death in Fall Guys. The little bean guys simply achieve a state of pure bliss before being respawned. In an interview with The Gamer, Joe Walsh described the experience through the eyes of one of the Fall Guys: "A moment of displacement, serenity, zen-like detachment from all worldly and physical bonds... Then they pop back onto the podium to celebrate their achievements!"

Walsh explained further what the cycle of failure and rebirth is like in the world of Fall Guys. He said, "What you're seeing when you respawn is the same Fall Guy. So the more you play the more you've been through together." 

The next time you play Fall Guys, remember that those guys aren't disposable. You're still technically playing with the same character the whole time you're in a game. As Walsh jokingly mentioned to The Gamer, this means that your little Fall Guy is probably entitled to some presents. "You've put that Fall Guy through a lot, you know. Make sure you thank them by buying them a new outfit once in a while."

Walsh also explained what awaits the Fall Guys far below the various tracks. Apparently, it's a substance that should be pretty familiar to anyone who has played a few Fall Guys courses in their time: slime. In a hilarious touch, Walsh told The Gamer that the slime is not made of dead Fall Guys who have hit the ground and splattered into mush. According to Walsh, the team felt that the Fall Guys had already been through so much in the various courses and mini-games; adding a long fall to that seemed just a bit harsh. That's why the Fall Guys team decided to give the little guys something easier to fall into. As Walsh put it, "we felt like it was only fair we cushioned their fall a bit."

Fall Guys is the latest game to challenge the concept of video game death in a clever way. Just a couple of years ago, it was revealed that Nathan Drake of the Uncharted series isn't actually taking all of those bullets or other types of damage being dealt from enemies and traps. See, in the Uncharted games, when Nathan Drake takes a hit, a red indicator will appear on the screen. This will get progressively more pronounced as Nathan takes more hits, until he finally succumbs to the damage he's taken. According to Naughty Dog animator Jonathan Cooper, Nathan Drake has never taken a bullet. "The red UI that shows 'hits' is to represent his 'luck' running out," explained Cooper. In other words, the other shots are near-misses and the only one that actually connects is the one that kills Drake. This explains how this otherwise regular human being can seemingly take a bullet from a sniper and continue raiding tombs. Unlike in Fall Guys, there's no fun slimefor Nathan Drake to fall into.

It's nice to know that Fall Guys never truly die, particularly with all of the insane obstacles that are thrown at them on a regular basis. In addition to all of the current maps and hazards, it looks as though the Fall Guys will have many more dangers to waddle their way through in the very near future. The second season of Fall Guys is on its way, which is set to introduce a medieval theme to the game. A trailer for the second season was shown during this year's Gamescom Future Games Show, which showed off new knight and dragon costumes, among many others. There are also new maps, new mini-games, and plenty of new hazards that include moving ramps. 

Add in the fact that Fall Guys is rolling out a new feature, powerful mid-air hammer called Big Yeetus, which is designed to knock players across the map with a fierceness, and you have a recipe for many more Fall Guys "achieving serenity" on their way down into the goop below.

So there you have it. It may be comforting to know that the Fall Guys can't actually be killed. However, now you have to decide if it's somehow more relaxing to know that these little dudes are effectively immortal.