(Image credit: Mediatonic)

4041: Year of the Bean

Bust out the sweatbands, there is an imposter in the latest version of Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout. The retro-futuristic style of Season 4 is out now for PlayStation 4 and PC. The fresh obstacles, skins, and seven original rounds of the multiplayer party game are reviewed by The Load Screen. Aliens, neon-laced discos, and robots add to the revamping done in the current season called FG 4041, along with adding an entirely new play mode to this indie battle royale.

Just when I thought the action of Fall Guys was dialed up to the max, Mediatonic adds some crazy physics destroying obstacles. The new pinball paddles launch players skyward, which can shorten the track or frustrate the gamer. The gravity variable zones in levels are the most unique addition and only take a couple of flops to figure out. It has two modes, one makes gravity lower allowing beans to leap small buildings. The other makes gravity higher giving the player lead-weighted boots instead.

Although the added forcefields and lasers are close in uniqueness to the gravity zones. The lasers are either swung as pendulums or move up and down on a tight track. I loved jumping on top of the laser because it usually sent me flying forward shocking the competition as I passed. The forcefields are mostly used with a new ground button for swapping location or used as disappearing platforms. Those switches are not used with forcefields alone, some blast enemies off the map with inflatables while others reverse gravity zones.

(Image credit: Mediatonic)

The new season also adds two grabbable objects: batteries and basketballs. The batteries are used to switch dance floor colors in a huge club and they represent a change in how a collectible level counts the winner. I enjoyed snatching an opponent's battery and playing keep-away while stealing points. The other addition is the basketballs, they are oversized but manageable for a single player to control, unlike group-guided soccer balls and snowballs. Both grabbable items are used in team levels, but they are not the biggest group add-on for season 4.

There is finally a reason to crew up with friends in Fall Guys, other than to enjoy the bean-on-bean carnage. Normally when I play with my friends, we dropped out as soon as any of us lost to stay together. Now we can compete in a Squad Show, where teams of 4 battle to win together. However, the player is not rewarded with Crowns for victory, instead they are awarded 20 Crown Shards. The shards are a newly added currency that takes 60 for crown conversion. This makes three Squad wins for one full Crown, despite having to complete at least four rounds. For those only wanting to win the golden headdress, the individual competition takes fewer victories to earn them.

The Squads Show is not limited to just the new levels of FG 4041. It can play across all seasons, but the newest rounds bring some of the most interesting overall changes, including 3 original concepts. I was expecting all the added competitions to resemble reworked ideas from prior iterations with a new obstacle. It surprised me that Mediatonic introduced a two-lap sprint with Short Circuit, which may not seem new to some. However, it is the first Fall Guys race that is completed multiple times, allowing for interesting player changes to the course. Basketball is an ode to a sport similar to Season 1’s Fall Ball but contestants must score basketballs in one of three opponent hoops that are in a low gravity zone. Hoverboard Heroes is the first round in Fall Guys on a giant moving flotilla that goes through a maze of lasers and a low-gravity dance club.

(Image credit: Mediatonic)

The other four levels are reinventions of obstacles from prior rounds that I enjoy. For instance, Roll On takes the rotating barrels to a 60-player dash that appears to blend beans furiously. I was finally able to bravely test the physics by diving off the sides towards an upcoming obstacle. In the older levels with spinning barrels, I could only battle with everyone in the middle for pure survival. Skyline Stumble adds gravity zones and pinball paddles to conquer the mountain-style levels. While Power Trip changes up the team point games by adding floor painting for scoring. Finally, Big Shots takes the seesaw into a survival mode while canons launch inflatables at the contestants.

Over every new level, dance club songs narrate the action. The futuristic theme even shows up in a slight change to the theme song and throughout the added skins. There are some cute and funny costumes, but most are solid additions that add more individuality between players. This season brings Innersloth’s Among Us into the game with the Crewmate skin. The costume is available on the season pass with the lower part unlocked at tier 21, and the upper section at 26.

Mediatonic imagines the year 4041 as a neon dance utopia. It brings with it by far the best season of Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout. The interesting combinations of obstacles that play with the physics, new level concepts, and reworking of existing mechanics will keep me coming back to see what crazy idea they implement. By next season, The Load Screen team hopes that Fall Guys releases on Xbox and Nintendo Switch since they are both due this summer. Crossplay, please?

Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout - Season 4

• Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4

• Developer: Mediatonic

• Publisher: Mediatonic

• Release Date: March 22, 2021