VIDEO GAME REVIEW: Puzzle-platformer 'FEZ' much more than it seems
“FEZ” initially seems like a simple puzzle-platformer with a charming 8-bit art style and a clever game mechanic that involves rotating the game’s 2D perspective.
As players begin exploring more of the game’s world, they will realize “FEZ” is much deeper and more complex.
Players take control of Gomez, who lives in a two-dimensional and pixelated world where the only directions to move are left, right, up and down.
Very early on in the game, Gomez is bestowed with an enchanted fez that gives him the power to rotate the perspective of his two-dimensional environment.
The basic game play of “FEZ” is pretty simple from that point. Players can rotate their perspective of the environment on a vertical axis at 90-degree increments. Players still control Gomez as if the game was a 2D platformer, but now the environment is in 3D.
Many of the platforming segments and puzzles can only be completed by using the rotation mechanic. Two platforms on opposite sides of the screen might be right next to each other from a different perspective.
Rotating the view is not only fun to play around with, but it also looks really cool when it happens.
The object of the game is to collect cubes hidden throughout the world. Much like the stars in “Super Mario 64,” a minimum number of cubes are required to get into some areas of the game.
There are 64 cubes in the game, 32 normal cubes and 32 anti-cubes, which tend to be much harder to obtain.
It only takes 32 cubes to finish the story-mode, but the real challenge lies within finding all 64.
The puzzles guarding some of the anti-cubes borders on insanity.
Symbols found around the world like “Tetris” blocks, which initially seem to be there just for show, take on an immense importance in solving harder puzzles. Almost everything placed in the world was done so with a purpose.
There are codes, folklore and symbols spread around the world waiting to be found and analyzed. There is even an alphabet and numbering system players must decipher if they want to find every cube.
Players who descend into the rabbit hole of madness will find “FEZ” to be incredibly rewarding. While solving the depths “FEZ,” players will experience revelatory moments unmatched by almost every other video game.
It’s a great game for people who just want to play through the story once, but players who immerse themselves within the world will have memories of playing “FEZ” that last a lifetime.
Game: "FEZ"
Platform: Xbox 360 (Downloadable) (800 points - $10)
Genre: Puzzle-Platformer
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Score: 5 out of 5
