Some notes after replaying this for the first time in what feels like at least a decade:
- I wasn't prepared for how tedious it was. Tons of backtracking, checking the map, trial and error jumping sequences et.c. The tilesets quickly become repetitive. The core mechanics are very simple and never really evolve, which is fine at first but then becomes grating.
- The depth and the sheer obscurity of the optional puzzles is absolutely ridiculous. A full completion without looking things up would be worth putting on your resume.
- The pixel art and music are the attention-grabbers, but the sound design is what impressed me most this time. Like much about this game, there's a charming level of texture and detail to it that becomes apparent when you really sit down and listen to it. One thing I noticed was the frequent clever application of in-engine effects like filter cutoff and bitcrush, which brings me to the next part...
- Another underappreciated part of Fez, and core to its artistry, is the Trixel engine, by which I mean how insanely bespoke and artisinal it is. The feature set is completely particular and arguably of no use for any game other than Fez. Nevermind the rotation effect, who really knows what went into simulating all the various glitchy Vectrex and Apple II aesthetics on display here? The ending especially is a real tour-de-force for what this engine can do.
For the first two reasons, I feel this is only partly successful as a game. I think it's more notable for having the gumption and irrationality to succeed as art. It's not a utilitarian product, of course, but it's not a weepy, bashful plea for recognition like most "games-as-art" contenders either. What's great about it is how playful it is, how comfortable it is in its own skin and with the roots of its artform.
This was really a lightning in a bottle thing, a lucky convergence of energies. I've searched in vain for something similar: I don't think there's been anything quite like it before or since (though Tunic and Hyper Light Drifter do get close, as does Monument Valley). None of the people involved have really lived up to what they did here, aside from maybe Rich Vreeland with HLD. Still worth a playthrough, will be revisiting some time in the future.
- I wasn't prepared for how tedious it was. Tons of backtracking, checking the map, trial and error jumping sequences et.c. The tilesets quickly become repetitive. The core mechanics are very simple and never really evolve, which is fine at first but then becomes grating.
- The depth and the sheer obscurity of the optional puzzles is absolutely ridiculous. A full completion without looking things up would be worth putting on your resume.
- The pixel art and music are the attention-grabbers, but the sound design is what impressed me most this time. Like much about this game, there's a charming level of texture and detail to it that becomes apparent when you really sit down and listen to it. One thing I noticed was the frequent clever application of in-engine effects like filter cutoff and bitcrush, which brings me to the next part...
- Another underappreciated part of Fez, and core to its artistry, is the Trixel engine, by which I mean how insanely bespoke and artisinal it is. The feature set is completely particular and arguably of no use for any game other than Fez. Nevermind the rotation effect, who really knows what went into simulating all the various glitchy Vectrex and Apple II aesthetics on display here? The ending especially is a real tour-de-force for what this engine can do.
For the first two reasons, I feel this is only partly successful as a game. I think it's more notable for having the gumption and irrationality to succeed as art. It's not a utilitarian product, of course, but it's not a weepy, bashful plea for recognition like most "games-as-art" contenders either. What's great about it is how playful it is, how comfortable it is in its own skin and with the roots of its artform.
This was really a lightning in a bottle thing, a lucky convergence of energies. I've searched in vain for something similar: I don't think there's been anything quite like it before or since (though Tunic and Hyper Light Drifter do get close, as does Monument Valley). None of the people involved have really lived up to what they did here, aside from maybe Rich Vreeland with HLD. Still worth a playthrough, will be revisiting some time in the future.