In Falsus Review

In Falsus brings together an ambitious narrative, an outstanding musical lineup, inventive rhythm gameplay, and an engaging card integration system to create an experience that stands out from other music games.

Lowiro is a name that should come up when talking about creators who have built a reputation in the rhythm game genre. The company is best known for Arcaea, and it has built a reputation for creating difficult musical experiences with unique mechanics and unforgettable soundtracks. In Falsus, however, the developers took a decidedly different approach, mixing many elements not often found in the same game.

So there was a lot of hype around In Falsus, considering that the devs had been hyping the game for about a year and a half before it came out. Expectations were naturally high, especially from those who had seen Lowiro’s earlier work. After playing through the experience for almost 52 hours, it’s clear that In Falsus is far more ambitious than your average rhythm game.

With a huge musical roster, story advancement, and more gameplay features, it all adds up to something that feels different than many other products in the genre.

One of the biggest surprises with In Falsus is how much attention it pays to storytelling. You might think a rhythm game focuses mostly on its music and gameplay, but Lowiro has clearly put a lot of effort into crafting a narrative that holds its own with both. What is really striking is the speed of the storytelling. Instead of continually dumping big events on you, In Falsus takes its time establishing the many people and settings before slowly extending its story.

The storyline twists are also a big plus. Several times, you think you know where the narrative is going, and then the game throws in something that absolutely demolishes your assumptions. Another major strength is that the narrative doesn’t feel unduly rushed or overwhelmed with continual disclosures. Some stories don't find a good balance between fresh material and breathing room for current developments.

The characters benefit from this too, as it gives you time to get used to them before you pull their distinct situations together. The steady build makes the later chapters really gratifying, especially when the novel begins to tie several themes together and answer some of the earlier problems. Another good point to highlight is the English translation.

In the roughly 52 hours I spent playing, I didn’t run into translation issues that were so bad that they stopped the game or made the plot hard to understand. Well, perhaps the most interesting thing about the climax is that it doesn't really feel like the end of everything. They’re planning more content, so the experience seems to have room to grow beyond the current narrative.

Overall, the story is likely one of In Falsus's strongest achievements.

You don't have to be very into rhythm games for the plot to be a compelling reason to give the experience a shot. Fundamentally, Falsus is a rhythm game, but the musical gameplay is part of what makes it feel so unique. Lowiro has taken a different approach to the control scheme, using a combination of keyboard inputs and mouse movements. This adds a fresh challenge, as you have to coordinate several movements with the rhythm of each song.

The controls are really intuitive once you get the hang of it. The numerous movements blend nicely, and it feels extremely fulfilling when you start to see how it all comes together. One of the most impressive things is that the developers have worked out a way to make this control method feel fun rather than overly difficult.

One problem with rhythm games is that it might be difficult to innovate without making the experience tiresome. In Falsus, however, the diverse inputs start to feel more comfortable the more time you spend playing. Interestingly enough, expertise with other rhythm games doesn’t necessarily translate into being really strong at In Falsus. You will probably have to master the mechanics all over again even if you have played Arcaea.

It has a rewarding learning curve; as you keep playing, you'll feel yourself getting more familiar with the controls. At first, some movements might feel strange, but with repeated practice you learn how the varied inputs combine. There’s something so fulfilling about finally getting over a difficult section after struggling with it multiple times.

The difficulty levels also factor into this process, letting you tackle musical obstacles at a more comfortable pace before trying harder charts.

The experience does a great job of making growth feel like a personal triumph, not just more notes popping up on screen. The controls are also accessible enough that even those not necessarily accustomed to rhythm games may enjoy them.

Even if you’re not naturally inclined to the genre, once you get the hang of the basics, you’ll realize how smoothly the system flows. The charts, however, have their issues. While the overall design is appealing, some visual features can make certain parts harder to understand than they need to be. Similarly, the intermediate lanes might use more visual cues to show the unoccupied portions.

This would be especially useful for lower-level players, where knowing the correct input positions is vital for building good habits. The mouse-controlled bits also suffer from intermittent vision issues. Some large notes sometimes conceal other visual elements, so it's hard to see exactly where the mouse has to go. Experienced players may learn these scenarios with enough time, but better signals would make the gameplay more accessible.

Another thing that really annoys me is the health bar. The lesson mentions a health bar, but its location isn't immediately obvious. It takes a lot of effort to find it because other UI elements draw more attention. This would be fixed with a bigger indicator or a better tutorial explanation. Quality-of-life enhancements could also make repeated attempts more convenient.

For example, it would be beneficial to show when you achieve a Perfect Dive or a Full Combo. The game might also include an option to turn off some of the information displayed at the start of a song. Repeating a difficult chart means you have to listen to the same introduction material over and over again, adding extra seconds to an activity you may already be repeating dozens of times.

Beyond the rhythm gameplay, In Falsus adds another major mechanic with its card integration system. This is one of the stranger add-ons since it adds a puzzle element that affects how you approach the musical difficulties.

The card system adds another layer of progression, rather than making the experience entirely about hitting notes precisely.

You collect materials, develop your cards, and try to optimize their stats for better benefits. This adds an extra goal beyond the usual rhythm gameplay. The integration mechanism is particularly interesting, as it feels like a blend of collection, personalization, and puzzle-solving. You’re not just buying cards and then forgetting about them. This motivates you to improve overall, try out the alternatives, and slowly build a stronger collection.

The Blueprint system adds another layer of depth. You can insert materials into grids to form cards, so how you fill the empty spaces affects the outcome. This makes the system feel more participatory than a simple collection mechanic. The connection between card advancement and the rhythm games is also a big aspect of the experience. 

Better cards also give you extra benefits in encounters, so there’s another reason to engage with the advancement systems beyond just improving your musical scores. But the card integration scheme may not be for everyone. Players who just want to enjoy the music may find the extra mechanics irritating, especially when they'd rather spend their time improving their performance on individual songs.

There’s also a learning curve in terms of how everything fits together, and that totally makes sense. Nevertheless, the concept adds real depth, and its inclusion helps In Falsus carve out an identity beyond just another typical rhythm game.

The wider notes presented in the harder charts are something else. They are meant to make the game more challenging, but they might also make it feel cluttered for no reason. The current mechanics are already complicated enough to create challenging musical tasks, especially when you’re coordinating keyboard inputs and mouse movements at the same time.

So the larger notes don't always feel like a major step forward. Instead, they can provide another visual impediment that makes already challenging charts tougher to understand. With better-planned note arrangements, the game could be just as difficult without relying so much on this additional concept.

This is especially apparent when you look at how much depth the main gameplay already has.

Falsus doesn't need to pile on unneeded intricacy just to make its hardest tracks feel difficult. Progression in In Falsus is more than finishing tracks and going to ever-harder charts. A card integration system gives you another reason to keep playing. You can collect materials to work on your cards and increase their stats.

Instead of a standard experience-point grind, the game focuses on collecting and upgrading the cards offered. The joy comes from the slow evolution of your collection and how those evolutions affect your overall strategy. Another long-term goal is to maximize your card statistics, especially if you want to get the most benefit from the system. This also adds to the game's replayability. Sure, even when you get familiar with some tunes, there are still reasons to go back and keep improving your library.

The only downside is that those who aren’t into card collecting/management might not enjoy this advancement as much. But for those who want more than musical excellence, the system offers a worthwhile motivation to keep playing. Visually, Falsus is an excellent experience. The first things that catch the eye are the general design, the user interface, and the pictures that accompany the story.

The menus are sleek, polished, and thoughtfully created. A strong visual identity runs throughout the experience, and it’s clear a lot of thought went into making the game look good. Another important plus is the pictures. They supplement the text well and add a visual dimension to the characters and the situations surrounding them. Storytelling is so vital to the overall experience that images alongside the prose make a big impact.

The presentation also supports the musical gameplay.

The many graphic aspects combine to offer an experience that is much slicker than a bare-bones rhythm game interface. But the interface is not perfect. The pause menu, however, doesn't feel as spectacular as the rest of the display. The pause screen is a little bland-looking, especially compared to the other menus, and could use a bit more visual flair.

The visibility issues with some notes and interface indications also warrant a mention. Overall presentation is great, but graphic quality is just as crucial as visual clarity in a rhythm game. Music is certainly one of the most significant features of In Falsus, and Lowiro has delivered an amazing set of music that gives the game much of its individuality.

Plenty of familiar names appear on the program, and together they form a soundtrack that feels varied and never boring. Notable picks include tracks by Camellia, Utah Emi, and Craven. Their contributions reflect the diversity of musical styles throughout the experience, with each song being different from the other.

Camellia’s contribution is especially noteworthy, and the pieces from Utah Emi and Craven also give plenty of reasons to revisit the soundtrack. It really feels like the devs put together a cast that can appeal to a wide range of musical tastes. More importantly, the music isn't just background entertainment. It’s intimately tied to the rhythm gameplay, so each track offers a chance to engage with the controls and mechanics in a fresh way.

The sound presentation also contributes to the narrative's mood. The music, visuals, and storyline all help set the mood for particular moments and make for a more memorable overall experience. This department has few obvious shortcomings. The soundtrack is always enjoyable, and its excellence is one of the best reasons to spend dozens of hours with In Falsus.

I noticed some technical audio glitches during my first playthrough, along with occasional performance issues. Falsus is a great achievement by Lowiro, especially since it blends diverse gameplay and story elements without losing sight of what makes rhythm games fun. Perhaps the best thing is how it fuses a good story with an interesting musical experience.

The story is unexpectedly interesting, the soundtrack is strong, and the control scheme is genuinely different from what you might expect from a typical PC rhythm game. 

That doesn’t imply the game is without flaws. Visibility concerns, a somewhat bland pause menu, the absence of gameplay indicators, and the gratuitous wide notes all keep the experience from reaching its full potential. Some of these issues are minor, but they become more evident if you spend long periods playing and trying difficult charts over and over.

But the pros far outweigh the downsides. After around 52 hours, you really feel that In Falsus has given you something special. Its plot never gets monotonous, its music is always fun to listen to, and its gameplay is deep enough to keep you engaged far after you’ve learned the ropes.

The developers have also been willing to explore, rather than repeat the same formula. That willingness to take risks is especially vital in a genre where major mechanical advancements are hard to come by. If you’re a fan of rhythm games, intriguing stories, or just want to try something different, In Falsus is definitely worth a look. Even if you're mostly a fan of one of those things, the other systems are fun enough to make the whole experience worthwhile.