Fez: An artistic masterpiece (PS4)
Fez is a game I saw in a magazine some time before it released in 2013 and I was immediately interested.
I also saw it in Indie Game The Movie a little while back (which is a fantastic documentary by the way - well worth a watch!) and knew I just had to play it for myself.
Since then I have bought it on Steam, Xbox 360 and most recently PS4 because I like it a lot.
Anyone who is familiar with the game will no doubt be aware of its creator, Phil Fish.
Many people seem to have taken a dislike to him due to some of the things he has said online and in interviews.
I've even seen some of these people posting that they won't play his games, which is a great shame - I think he came across rather well in the documentary and imagine a project of this scale must take a huge toll on a person, so he has my respect for that.
If you've never played Fez I strongly recommend you put aside whether or not you like Mr Fish, try this wonderful game and judge it on its own merits. In my opinion it is quite simply a work of art.
Fez (developed by Mr Fish and Renaud Bédard / Polytron Corporation), is a platform platform game with a beautiful graphical style and an unbelievable score.
The game's soundtrack was created by Disasterpeace (Rich Vreeland) and is one of the best I have ever heard.
Rarely if ever have I heard music which fits the feel and style of the game so perfectly - having played it quite a few times, the audio and visual elements of Fez are completely inseprable in my mind.
I've said before I am not good at categorizing genres of music etc, so give it a listen for yourself.
Visually, Fez looks stunning. In Indie Game The Movie, Phil Fish explained he had revamped the graphics several times during the development - his hard work and care really shows in every screen.
Retro-esque the graphics may be, but the worlds of Fez are rich and absolutely bursting with detail.
Gameplay-wise, there are no enemies or threats (apart from falling from too high a height - but you'll respawn within a second) so it really is a refreshingly chilled out game that you can enjoy at your own pace.
Your mission is to guide the protagonist Gomez in restoring stability to his world by retrieving several mystical cubes which are broken and scattered during the game's opening.
Sometimes you'll come across whole cubes and sometimes you'll find cube bits (8 of which make a cube). There are also anti-cubes to find, which can be trickier and can require you to solve puzzles.
These cubes are spread out right across several sprawling worlds, each of which have their own unique feel and design, not to mention mechanics in some cases.
What this game does differently to other platformers is give the player the ability to turn the camera 90 degrees at a time around Gomez and the 2D environment we see, which offers a new perspective on the landscape.
This often reveals new platforms and paths, doors, cubes and other things which were previously unseen.
And traversing the lands of Fez with this mechanic is an absolute joy.
It may be tricky when you first set out, because what seems like a small alluring optional detour could see you stumble upon a branching path to another world altogether.
But there are ways to return quickly to that world's hub (for want of a better word) once you reach the end of a long path, as well as moving between these hubs once you have the means to do so.
The map can be slightly confusing to read when you first open it, but with time and practice I'm sure you'll be able to navigate just fine.
For those who wish to really get immersed, Fez hides a whole host of extra content and lore in plain sight for you to sink your teeth into once you understand what to look for.
It's all optional of course, so you can reach the end of the game just fine if you want the casual experience - just don't expect to see everything Fez has to offer if you don't want to put in a bit of extra time!
I could keep praising this game, but you get the gist. It blew me away the first time and it continues to do so every time I replay it.
I'd strongly recommend giving it a play and in order to get a flavour of the hard work which went into it, Indie Game The Movie is well worth a watch too!
Fez II was announced, but then cancelled in 2013. We can only hope Mr Fish and Polytron revisit this project in the future - it would have been amazing to see where they took it next.
Have you played Fez? Let me know your thoughts below!
I also saw it in Indie Game The Movie a little while back (which is a fantastic documentary by the way - well worth a watch!) and knew I just had to play it for myself.
Since then I have bought it on Steam, Xbox 360 and most recently PS4 because I like it a lot.
Anyone who is familiar with the game will no doubt be aware of its creator, Phil Fish.
Many people seem to have taken a dislike to him due to some of the things he has said online and in interviews.
I've even seen some of these people posting that they won't play his games, which is a great shame - I think he came across rather well in the documentary and imagine a project of this scale must take a huge toll on a person, so he has my respect for that.
If you've never played Fez I strongly recommend you put aside whether or not you like Mr Fish, try this wonderful game and judge it on its own merits. In my opinion it is quite simply a work of art.
The game's soundtrack was created by Disasterpeace (Rich Vreeland) and is one of the best I have ever heard.
Rarely if ever have I heard music which fits the feel and style of the game so perfectly - having played it quite a few times, the audio and visual elements of Fez are completely inseprable in my mind.
I've said before I am not good at categorizing genres of music etc, so give it a listen for yourself.
Visually, Fez looks stunning. In Indie Game The Movie, Phil Fish explained he had revamped the graphics several times during the development - his hard work and care really shows in every screen.
Retro-esque the graphics may be, but the worlds of Fez are rich and absolutely bursting with detail.
Gameplay-wise, there are no enemies or threats (apart from falling from too high a height - but you'll respawn within a second) so it really is a refreshingly chilled out game that you can enjoy at your own pace.
Your mission is to guide the protagonist Gomez in restoring stability to his world by retrieving several mystical cubes which are broken and scattered during the game's opening.
Sometimes you'll come across whole cubes and sometimes you'll find cube bits (8 of which make a cube). There are also anti-cubes to find, which can be trickier and can require you to solve puzzles.
These cubes are spread out right across several sprawling worlds, each of which have their own unique feel and design, not to mention mechanics in some cases.
What this game does differently to other platformers is give the player the ability to turn the camera 90 degrees at a time around Gomez and the 2D environment we see, which offers a new perspective on the landscape.
This often reveals new platforms and paths, doors, cubes and other things which were previously unseen.
And traversing the lands of Fez with this mechanic is an absolute joy.
It may be tricky when you first set out, because what seems like a small alluring optional detour could see you stumble upon a branching path to another world altogether.
But there are ways to return quickly to that world's hub (for want of a better word) once you reach the end of a long path, as well as moving between these hubs once you have the means to do so.
The map can be slightly confusing to read when you first open it, but with time and practice I'm sure you'll be able to navigate just fine.
Possibly my favourite area/world in the whole of #Fez. I love the style & the soundtrack is so foreboding #PS4share pic.twitter.com/1HAEW5Bggv— Stevo (@JetSetStevo) May 26, 2019
It's all optional of course, so you can reach the end of the game just fine if you want the casual experience - just don't expect to see everything Fez has to offer if you don't want to put in a bit of extra time!
I could keep praising this game, but you get the gist. It blew me away the first time and it continues to do so every time I replay it.
I'd strongly recommend giving it a play and in order to get a flavour of the hard work which went into it, Indie Game The Movie is well worth a watch too!
Fez II was announced, but then cancelled in 2013. We can only hope Mr Fish and Polytron revisit this project in the future - it would have been amazing to see where they took it next.
Have you played Fez? Let me know your thoughts below!
Comments
Post a Comment