In 2020, the two games I played the most while shut inside my apartment were Final Fantasy XIV and the then-recently released Fall Guys. And while I’ve constantly revisited Final Fantasy, I’ll be honest, Fall Guys quickly gathered plenty of proverbial dust on my digital shelf. The battle royale starring cute beans was a fun temporary distraction that I eventually abandoned as I got tired of doing the same minigames over and over. The game has added plenty more overtime, but I had already moved on.
So, imagine my surprise when Final Fantasy XIV announced a collaboration with Fall Guys, effectively recreating the battle royale within the critically acclaimed MMORPG. Even more to my surprise is how much fun I’ve had with Final Fantasy XIV’s newest and most surprising mini-game.
Final Fantasy XIV is no stranger to deceivingly challenging movement-based puzzles. Architecture in many of the game’s cities is secretly grueling jumping puzzles — looking at you, Kugane — and seasonal events like Moonfire Faire have had dedicated jumping puzzles so difficult the community gave them the “Ultimate” descriptor reserved for the game’s toughest end-game content. So, in a way, the initially surprising Fall Guys collaboration fits right at home inside Final Fantasy XIV.
Situated amongst the other delightful minigames in Final Fantasy XIV, the Fall Guys collaboration resides at the Gold Saucer. The minigame itself is called Blunderville and (as is the running theme of this collaboration) is shockingly accurate to the full Fall Guys experience. Just like in the battle royale, Blunderville goes through several rounds of complicated games in order to eliminate contestants until the final round decides the winner. Blunderville streamlines this to a consistent three rounds of games.
The different rounds transfer plenty of the chaos of Fall Guys. There are giant mallets that can hit you off the map, delicate jumping puzzles to navigate, and elimination rounds that task you with surviving longer than your opponents in order to progress. Each game also ingeniously weaves in mechanics from Final Fantasy XIV — such as a frustrating section that utilizes the Temporary Misdirection status effect. The games are all short and sweet, meaning when you inevitably fall off the map (as I have done more often than I care to admit) you can launch into another match or cool down for a second as you watch your party members compete in subsequent rounds.
Over the course of one sitting, I played so many rounds of Blunderville one after another that hours went by before I realized. I may never have reached the final round (but Inverse’s own Robin Bea did multiple times, so good for her, I guess) I still had a great time playing. As an added bonus I also got to partake in the other common thread between Fall Guys and Final Fantasy XIV: fashion.
Every time you play Blunderville, you earn the standard MGP (Manderville Gold Saucer Points) in addition to MGF (Manderville Gold Saucer Fame) which allows you to purchase a number of Fall Guys-themed goodies. With the paltry sum I had collected, I purchased the cozy Gentlebean Parka that has its own sparkly effect and which pairs perfectly with the ever-popular No.2 Type B Boots, if I do say so myself.
The collaboration manages to figure out exactly how to make me play something — just put it inside Final Fantasy XIV. This is a strategy every game should follow because I really don’t have time to play more games so if you put them inside the game, I play most consistently then at least there's a chance I’ll get around to it.
Blunderville won’t last forever, as the collaboration only lasts until December 31. The event may return in the future as a special event.
