Fe

 Switch
Metascore
72

Mixed or average reviews - based on 13 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 13
  3. Negative: 0 out of 13
  1. GameSpot
    Jun 29, 2020
    70
    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.
  2. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Apr 25, 2018
    50
    There are fleeting moments of enjoyment, but those are few and far between. [Issue #33 – May/June 2018, p. 21]
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  3. Switch Player
    Apr 2, 2018
    50
    It doesn't matter how clever or interesting your idea is, or how stunning and vibrant your game looks when it's just no fun to play. Perseverance with Fe could ultimately yield some satisfaction but for me it was just too boring.
  5. The Sydney Morning Herald
    Mar 11, 2018
    50
    As beautiful as some moments in Fe are, and as vast and disorienting the forest seems, beneath it all is a very linear and basic game with ordinary platforming and a competent but forgettable story. Worst of all, it just doesn't seem like it has a whole lot to say. It gives all the signals of a game with an emotional story and a powerful message, but in the end it just doesn't communicate one.
  6. Worth Playing
    Mar 5, 2018
    70
    Fe is a short but enjoyable experience, but it never reaches the heights of other games that tackle similar interpretative game concepts. The platforming is hit-and-miss, the story is all right but not always emotionally engaging, and it's plagued with some frame rate stutters on the Switch. It's a treat for your eyes and ears throughout the five-hour story, and it features collectibles if you want to spend a few extra hours with Fe after the credits have rolled.
  7. InsideGamer.nl
    Mar 4, 2018
    63
    Graphically speaking Fe is magical, but it is a bit buggy and too rough around the edges to really shine.
  8. The Daily Dot
    Feb 17, 2018
    70
    The experience is meditative and relaxing, with no real combat, and Fe feels unlike anything else because of it.
  9. CGMagazine
    Feb 15, 2018
    50
    Fe is an artsy and clunky platformer that feels artsy for arts sake. The story is barely there, the movement isn’t fun, and it is an all-around let down.

Awards & Rankings

85
#85 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2018

User Reviews

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User Score
6.7

Mixed or average reviews- based on 64 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 33 out of 64
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 64
  3. Negative: 15 out of 64
  1. Voodooseeker
    Feb 17, 2018
    10
    Fe needs to grow on you. You won't get any help, really 100% adventure - you have to explore, learn, watch and most important LISTEN! Fe is aFe needs to grow on you. You won't get any help, really 100% adventure - you have to explore, learn, watch and most important LISTEN! Fe is a small fantasy animal, cute and charming. The more you learn and understand, the more the world/game opens up!
    The graphics are beautiful, the music gives you the true atmosphere of a forrest from Scandinavia.
    Fe isn't for those gamers that like "action" - Fe is a relaxing, exploring/adventuring game, enjoying the sounds, creatures and so on.
    My opion is that the critics a bit to hard on the game. Zoink! studios made a little fantasy gem but gets punished of the legacy from EA.    … Full Review »
  2. arw002
    Feb 20, 2018
    4
    I bought this because it looked interesting and in the same artistic style of games like journey or Abzu. Unfortunately it is not nearly asI bought this because it looked interesting and in the same artistic style of games like journey or Abzu. Unfortunately it is not nearly as compelling. I found the overall world and mechanics to be really confusing and tedious. The story is too vague to mean anything despite some cool moments, and the open world all looks bland and the same. Despite being a small fox creature the character controls are very loose with poor jumping/climbing mechanics. It's really frustrating that the fox can't climb any walls or pull himself up onto ledges...because the world is made almost entirely out of rocky ledges. You have to always find a tree to climb up and glide places, which is very tedious. I also don't like that progression is mostly tied to collecting miscellaneous stones - again, tedious. The progression relationship between learning new songs and collecting all of the various items is also vague and takes a while to figure out, making it unclear where you can go and where you can't.

    The art style itself is fairly unique but looks inconsistent in some areas due to foggy/faded backgrounds and strange lighting. I also couldn't figure out a way to fast travel around the world, which is frustrating because the geography is surprisingly large and tedious to get around. This caused me to not finish the game - I stopped about three hours into the supposed five hour length. The cat and mouse gameplay with some of the enemies is also annoying from unpredictable AI. Overall Fe feels like it's imitating better games, or trying too hard to be artistic just for the sake of being artistic - without a clear overall vision. It's visuals are not amazing enough to make up for the annoying controls and meandering game play. There are some fun moments and a few cool ideas but overall bland and tedious.

    Also, as a side note the Switch version had poor and consistent frame rate problems for me, especially in handheld mode, which is why I'm giving it a 4 instead of a 5. Usually I don't care that much about frame rate, but this one was noticeably bad.    … Full Review »
  3. M0NST3R_G4MING
    May 4, 2019
    6
    Fe is a small indie game from the developer Zoink with its very own charm. At first I was very impressed by the graphic style, so I bought itFe is a small indie game from the developer Zoink with its very own charm. At first I was very impressed by the graphic style, so I bought it directly. But it seemed a bit deceptive: Fe was really fun on the one hand - but it had far too many mistakes. I would very much like to give Fe a better score, because I find this graphic style so sweet and I like the game principle itself also very much. But because of the many mistakes I only decided for 6/10 points.

    Graphic: First of all, I would like to discuss Fe's graphics. The graphic is really wonderful and very sweet. It is a very special graphic style, but also a beautiful one. Just because of such a wonderful and unique graphic style you should definitely have a look at the game. Fans of artistically influenced games will definitely find their joy here.

    Story: The story of Fe is actually very simple. That's exactly why I don't want to anticipate much here. But what's very interesting is that Fe tells a story without text. Scenes are shown, which makes you create your own story in your head. Believe me: You will understand everything without text! And that's exactly why I like Fe. You explore different ecosystems throughout the story, which makes Fe seem dynamic. And every "department" in the world of Fe will look different.

    Gameplay: Now to the most important point - gameplay. And this is also the main reason for my average rating. Since the Fe works mostly without text, you have to find out many gameplay mechanics by yourself. This makes it difficult to get into the indie adventure. Since Fe likes to work with elevations in the worlds you often fall down because of the mostly bad camera. In this case there is no "restart" and you have to run everything - really EVERYTHING - back yourself. If something like this happens more often, it's very frustrating and takes a lot of fun. Furthermore, as already mentioned, the camera perspective is often bad. It's often very confusing where I have to go from here.
    A positive gameplay point, would be to communicate with other animal species by singing. This was done by learning the different languages in a very fun and cute way.

    Conclusion: I definitely had my fun with Fe. I liked the very special and sweet graphic style very much. But the mistakes were very annoying, so I had to deduct some points. If you like to experience a graphical miracle for little money, you should have a look at Fe. But you shouldn't expect great gameplay - because Fe doesn't have that. The gameplay is "ok", but nothing more.    … Full Review »
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