It’s been a while since we’ve seen such a huge flop from such a massive studio. On release date, March 3, Babylon’s Fall only clocked in at 650 concurrent players on Steam, with negative reviews pouring in by the truckload. Square Enix co-developed the game alongside PlatinumGames, making this abject failure even more unforgivable for game fans.
Although the game is scheduled to receive “major updates” every three months as part of the Seasons cycle, it’s hard to believe that much can be done to revive this dead-in-the-water title. Regardless, Square Enix is now actively looking for player feedback on how to improve Babylon’s Fall going forward.
A new survey has been launched to help Square understand how it can deliver “a better game experience.” The survey is focused mainly on the graphics of Babylon’s Fall, which have been a point of contention since the first closed beta test took place in 2021. With a number of multiple-choice questions, players are welcome to weigh in on the game’s characters, its “oil painting style” graphics, equipment design, and maps.
Anyone interested in taking the survey has until March 18 at 10:59 AM PT.
VCG’s review of the game did an excellent job of pointing out the most critical issues with Babylon’s Fall.
“In the future, Babylon’s Fall will almost certainly be frequently used as an example of how not to launch a live service game. Not only does it fail at the most basic elements, such as a visual style that’s incredibly unappealing, or a mission structure that is somehow both dreadfully short and tedious, but the game also tries desperately to establish itself as a live game, filling your screen with as many opportunities to micro-transact as it can, despite the fact it actually costs $60 to purchase,” it reads.
The game’s microtransactions have, perhaps, been more damaging than its poor graphics. Paying full price for a game that seems unplayable without additional purchases has only served to further alienate the playerbase.
Babylon’s Fall was released on March 3, for PC, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5. Players who purchased the game’s Digital Deluxe version were able to access the full game on February 28, 2022.
