ALL WILL FALL Review – Vertical City-Building Meets Physics-Driven Survival
A post-apocalyptic colony sim that makes structure and gravity part of the challenge. Build towering settlements, juggle factions and resources, and survive ever-changing tides in a physics-based sandbox with robust scenarios and Workshop support.
I jumped into ALL WILL FALL expecting a cozy city builder with a gimmick—what I found was a clever hybrid: a vertical colony sim where every beam and ladder matters. Think Frostpunk’s mood mixed with Waterworld’s oceanic setpiece, but with a more forgiving, creative streak. The game hooks you with a unique 3D construction system that actually simulates weight, tension and collapse, so your architectural sins come back to bite you—sometimes gloriously. If you like planning, occasional chaos and the satisfaction of shoring up a precarious balcony before it caves in, this one scratches a particular itch.
Rising Cities, Sinking Problems
The core of ALL WILL FALL is building up — literally. You start with a handful of survivors and a few scrap resources and the game asks you to stack, span and stitch platforms into a functioning vertical city. Most of my early hours were spent experimenting with cantilevers, supports and stair funnels as the game forces you to think in three dimensions rather than a flat grid. Beyond placing houses and water catchers, you route production chains, build smelters and dynamos, and make sure logistics actually reach the top-most decks. Factions (Workers, Sailors, Engineers) bring variety: sailors mean boats and exploration, engineers mean cranes and stronger supports, and workers form the backbone of anything you plan. The pacing balances calm building stretches with sudden crises — storms, tides revealing new ruins, and moral events where the choice between feeding your people or keeping a moral high ground matters.
When Physics Calls the Shots
What truly sets the game apart is how honest the physics is about your ambitions. Every structure has weight, tension and breaking points: slap too many huts on a rickety walkway and you’ll trigger a satisfying chain-collapse that takes half your water system with it. That can be infuriating the first few times, but it’s also the source of the game’s best stories: the narrow rescue bridge you bolstered at the last second, the entire market that tipped because you forgot a diagonal brace. Research matters: upgrades beef up materials, unlock radio towers, better rain catchers, or even cannibal huts (yes, morally ambiguous shortcuts exist). The construction toolset is robust — painting, decorations and cosmetic options let you make something that looks like a proud megastructure instead of just scaffolding.
Salt, Rust and Soundscapes
Visually the game leans into a gritty, post-ocean palette — rusted metal, patched tarps and neon salvage that makes every deck feel lived-in. Performance was solid in my runs: load times and framerate remained stable on a mid-range PC, and many players in the community reported similar stability, though a few mentioned early crashes that were quickly patched. Sound design is surprisingly charming: gulls, creaking beams and dripping rain add personality, and the music underscores tense moments without overpowering the micromanagement. Accessibility options are sensible — control remapping is available and tutorials are actually helpful, which is a blessing for anyone who has felt lost in other deep sims. Additive features like the scenario editor and Steam Workshop mean what starts as a campaign can turn into a never-ending creative sandbox.
ALL WILL FALL is a smart, stylish take on colony sims that rewards experimentation and careful planning. It’s ideal for players who enjoy building puzzles, emergent stories from collapse, and a sandbox with tools to share creations. Try the demo if you’re unsure, but if you relish vertical design and physics-driven challenges, this is worth your time.
Pros
- Genuinely innovative physics-based 3D construction
- Compelling scenarios plus deep sandbox and Workshop tools
- Accessible tutorials and sensible control remapping
- Strong atmosphere and stable performance for most players
Cons
- Physics can feel punishing and sometimes opaque
- Price feels a bit high for casual players
- Some early bugs/crashes reported, though actively patched
Player Opinion
Players praise ALL WILL FALL for its fresh take on city building — the physics system turns architecture into an actual gameplay loop rather than just decoration. Many reviews call it a more forgiving, creative alternative to Frostpunk, with a mood that some liken to Waterworld. The community highlights excellent tutorials, deep replayability via scenarios and Workshop, and solid performance for most rigs. Criticisms tend to focus on occasional crashes, a learning curve when it comes to structural rules, and the feeling that the price is steep for players who only want a chilled builder. If you like thoughtful planning and creative engineering under pressure, you’ll probably love this; if you want pure, chilled sandbox without structural headaches, check the demo first.