Ahh...The freedom of exploration. Fez, the newest indie game on the block, refreshes in every way possible.
Overview: The game centers around Gomez, a little white-colored, blocky dude who you control, and an unnamed hexahedron who has been broken apart, and needs to be fixed; he serves as your companion. Once Gomez receives his titular fez, he is able to perceive a new, 3rd dimension and use it to his advantage. The goal of the game is to collect all 32 cubes, and all 32 anti-cubes, to fix your friend and save your world with all its 2D goodness.
Gameplay: Gameplay is just like your average platformer, except with a twist: you can flip the plane 90 degrees in either direction at will. This allows Gomez to reach platforms he would otherwise not be able to reach, among other things. This concept is absolutely amazing, and leads to some of the most fluid platforming I've ever seen. Despite "Mild Animated Violence" shown in the description, this has so far proved to be untrue. That's the beauty of the game. With zero time devoted to stressful fighting, you can relax and spend the whole of the game solving puzzles and enjoying the backgrounds and the music.
The game as a whole can be as simple or as complicated as you like. You can either just explore and find the 32 cubes, which shouldn't be too difficult (It took me about 1 to 1 1/2 hours to find the first 8 cubes). Or, you can also find the 32 anti-cubes, which should (GASP!) require you to resort to the old pen N' paper. Throughout the environments (which are vast), there are clues scattered around that point to the location of anti-cubes. So far, I've only found 1 anti-cube. After I beat the main game, I intend to replay it and find all the anti-cubes.
Most of the puzzles involve some use of the flip mechanic, such as rotating a cog to reach a new level, or flipping a platform to reach a door. None of the regular puzzles feel difficult, which is a good thing. This allows for more focus on the experience.
Overall Look/Feel: The game is stunning. The game tips its hat (no pun intended) in artistic direction to the 8-bit games of old, while acknowledging the new direction games have taken. This, in addition to the wonderfully crafted music (also retro), gives the game a wonderful feel. The lushly created backgrounds are given so much more depth thanks to the clever game mechanic that allows you to flip the plane. In fact, the game seems to function as a bridge of sorts between the games of the past and today's games.
Summary: Fez must not just be seen to be believed, but also played. The game seems to flow through the fingers as naturally as anything I've ever played. If you have 800 microsoft points, don't hesitate to spend them on this tribute to the games of old. If you have the time and patience to fully invest yourself in this game, it will undoubtably be worth it.
Ahh...The freedom of exploration. Fez, the newest indie game on the block, refreshes in every way possible.
Overview: The game centers around Gomez, a little white-colored, blocky dude who you control, and an unnamed hexahedron who has been broken apart, and needs to be fixed; he serves as your companion. Once Gomez receives his titular fez, he is able to perceive a new, 3rd dimension and use it to his advantage. The goal of the game is to collect all 32 cubes, and all 32 anti-cubes, to fix your friend and save your world with all its 2D goodness.
Gameplay: Gameplay is just like your average platformer, except with a twist: you can flip the plane 90 degrees in either direction at will. This allows Gomez to reach platforms he would otherwise not be able to reach, among other things. This concept is absolutely amazing, and leads to some of the most fluid platforming I've ever seen. Despite "Mild Animated Violence" shown in the description, this has so far proved to be untrue. That's the beauty of the game. With zero time devoted to stressful fighting, you can relax and spend the whole of the game solving puzzles and enjoying the backgrounds and the music.
The game as a whole can be as simple or as complicated as you like. You can either just explore and find the 32 cubes, which shouldn't be too difficult (It took me about 1 to 1 1/2 hours to find the first 8 cubes). Or, you can also find the 32 anti-cubes, which should (GASP!) require you to resort to the old pen N' paper. Throughout the environments (which are vast), there are clues scattered around that point to the location of anti-cubes. So far, I've only found 1 anti-cube. After I beat the main game, I intend to replay it and find all the anti-cubes.
Most of the puzzles involve some use of the flip mechanic, such as rotating a cog to reach a new level, or flipping a platform to reach a door. None of the regular puzzles feel difficult, which is a good thing. This allows for more focus on the experience.
Overall Look/Feel: The game is stunning. The game tips its hat (no pun intended) in artistic direction to the 8-bit games of old, while acknowledging the new direction games have taken. This, in addition to the wonderfully crafted music (also retro), gives the game a wonderful feel. The lushly created backgrounds are given so much more depth thanks to the clever game mechanic that allows you to flip the plane. In fact, the game seems to function as a bridge of sorts between the games of the past and today's games.
Summary: Fez must not just be seen to be believed, but also played. The game seems to flow through the fingers as naturally as anything I've ever played. If you have 800 microsoft points, don't hesitate to spend them on this tribute to the games of old. If you have the time and patience to fully invest yourself in this game, it will undoubtably be worth it.
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