Fe

After completing Fe, I'm happy to say that it was one of the most beautiful and memorable gaming experiences that I've played in a while. At the same time, its lack of challenge and reliance on repetition occasionally made me feel worn out.

Fe is by no means perfect, but it is a delightful experience that stays with you long after you've put down the controller. Plus the little pup is very cute.

An aesthetically tuned, independent project that introduced interesting game mechanics, like making animal friends through sounds of varying strength, but then, for some reason, didn´t use them fully. The game is very cute, but the initial enthusiasm eventually fades away, leaving you with a memory of a sometimes too empty world.

A beautiful game with a committed vision you'll enjoy getting lost in, especially in its charming opening hours. Sadly, uneven and poor signposting mar its latter half. [Apr 2018, p.86]

Using songs to manipulate the environment is an interesting idea but unfortunately one that feels quite unexplored. Moreover, Fe may draw its inspiration from other acclaimed games, but this inspiration is far too prevalent for its own good.

Although it feels like a mash-up of many recognizable classics, Fe still manages to pave its own path of genuine style and feel. Length and feeling of missed opportunities indeed are pulling the final impression down, but there is a lot to love here. Though looking for it makes you feel lost a bit too often.

It's a game that celebrates the idea of two disparate beings finding a shared language and using it to overcome their problems; in these troubled times, such moments are powerful indeed. [Apr 2018, p.114]

Swedish indie developer Zoink delivers a beautiful and slow-paced platform adventure, that really feels unique. It isn't without flaws, though. The level design is a bit confusing and the control is far from perfect.

Fe’s shortcomings definitely hold it back from being something spectacular, but what it manages to achieve is still admirable. The stunning visuals, emotional singing mechanic, and the wonder of the world itself are top shelf efforts. Beneath its initial ambiguity and occasional rough patches lies a charming adventure.

Despite being one-note on a gameplay level, Fe's world, with its lush environments and wistful score, compels you to explore. Establishing fleeting connections with the creatures around you is both charming and a little sad, and learning the truth about the enemy machines is even more tragic. By the end, the most important thing you've learned is how to connect with nature, not just by singing with animals but by understanding the world around you.

Fe offers a great journey in an enchanted world with a great artistic look and the total freedom to explore the surroundings. On the other hand, the gameplay mechanics quickly become boring and the absolute lack of any challenge may pose a problem to some gamers.

Fe is a cute platformer that you won't remember.

Flawed as it is, it’s the bizarre juxtapose of adventuring, platforming, puzzle-solving and even stealth that Zoink somehow manage to find middle-ground for. That, at least, deserves some credit.

Fe is an emotional experience, a game made to open the eyes of players on the tragedy that is consuming in the hearth of the forest. You will not find deep gameplay or mechanics never seen before, but the stunning art direction could be enough to amaze you.

Fe softly fulfills its promise of delivering a charming adventure with a strong visual design. The game manages too keep its good ideas fresh, thanks to a double-powered system served by an well executed open world. On the other hand, Fe suffers from a stiff jump chart and a perfectible collision mechanics. But by balancing exploration and renewed puzzles, Sweden-based Zoink's game still deserves a decent ride.

All Fe’s colour, charm and cute make it utterly recommendable despite its flaws.

Fe is very pretty, and the music is equally stunning. It's a wonderful little game let down by some drawn out puzzles and some tricky climbing mechanics.

While Fe is a pretty game with some touching encounters and spectacular views, it falls prey to its own over-complicated story and a world that, for all of its beauty, doesn’t provide much incentive to explore. Adding in a system to guide the player by the hand helps players navigate the confusing paths from zone to zone, but removes any desire to wander around or see what else the forests of Fe have to offer.

Fe is a decent platform adventure game with a beautiful art style, but its flaws are too obvious to ignore.

Fe struggles to immerse you in an atmosphere of magic, but rarely succeeds.

A fairly honest but somewhat "arid" title, made up of a few memorable and of enveloping moments, but with repetitive atmospheres.

Fe is a short-lived platformer that still manages to outstay its welcome in some regards. Its platforming is okay but unimaginative, and its best ideas, like the tree jumping and singing affecting the world, remain underused. It can be a beautiful game at times, especially with regards to its music and audio design, but not so much so that it hides its rougher edges and undeveloped concepts.

Unrefined controls and unclear objectives make it hard to appreciate the fantastical atmosphere, unique flora and fauna, and the language-barrier-breaking story of Fe.

Fe is a fascinating journey through an enchanted forest which turns into an empty guided tour with stunning visuals, compelling sounds, but very few emotions driven by gameplay. At its core there are brilliant and originals ideas, but they are suffocated by dull, derivative and cumbersome mechanics, as well as by a clumsy storytelling.

A beautiful world marred by irritating controls. [Issue#198, p.83]

As yet another iteration on the old Metroidvania formula, Fe boasts a strong art style but apart from that I found the game less compelling than some of the works to which it alludes.

Fe is a decent puzzle platformer with some nice ideas, but it all rings a bit hollow in the end. The various songs are a fun way to interact with the world, but some are barely used at all, while you'll rely on others almost constantly. It can also be surprisingly difficult to control, with a camera that isn't always cooperative and platforming that isn't as tight as it needs to be, especially in an environment as vertical as this. The story, which strives to be poignant, fails to leave an impact, and while the world is a nice place to explore, there isn't a whole lot in it. Ultimately, it's a fine game, but it struggles to leave a lasting impression.

Fe's charm is in its concept and its songs, as I learned new songs with different pitches and tones, and learned to communicate with new wildlife. It also has flashes of visual brilliance, thanks to its use of soothing water color landscapes. But a humdrum story, lack of direction, and inconsistent controls didn't leave me wanting an encore.

Shallow mechanics hide a game that is much more simplistic than it first appears, but this is still a passingly entertaining take on a 3D Metroidvania.

Fe's best moments are built around its narrative themes of the connectedness of the natural world, but its platforming and open-world ambitions can't compete with recent titans in those genres.

Fe features a charming aesthetic and a wonderful soundtrack that elevates with every beat. However, it suffers mechanically in key moments, requiring enough compensation to detract from the game’s overarching intentions. Still, there’s something here, but it’ll be behind a struggle.

With its distinct art style, melancholy tone, and ambiguous story, Fe tries its best to run with the artistic indie video game crowd. While its heart is in the right place, Fe comes up short in nearly every way, delivering an experience that is frequently frustrating and consistently bland.