Fe

There are fleeting moments of enjoyment, but those are few and far between. [Issue #33 – May/June 2018, p. 21]

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.

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.

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.

It's that sort of depth that makes Fe's story so affecting, even if it seems quite straightforward and even predictable on the surface. I saw every twist from a mile out, and yet I never felt like the story suffered as a result. Rather, Fe is a fairy tale: the sort of story that finds charm in its simplicity and familiarity, but has a lot to say to anyone willing to dig beneath the surface. In that, it's a resounding success.

Graphically speaking Fe is magical, but it is a bit buggy and too rough around the edges to really shine.

Fe is just a beautiful, ambitious game that takes a lot of established ideas and puts it all together to make a thoughtful, enjoyable experience. While there are a few moments of frustration, the game still trusts you to learn and grow in your own time, making for a unique package.

Fe is a game that has a special charm which is difficult to describe with words. On an audiovisual level, it is a delight for the senses. Few games transmit so much using so little, giving more weight to the story using the setting, which is what transmits the story to us, not with words but precisely with their absence.

The experience is meditative and relaxing, with no real combat, and Fe feels unlike anything else because of it.

Poignant and moving in both theme and execution, Fe is one of the most unique platformers on Nintendo Switch. Its platforming can be a little hit and miss, and its stealth feels a little too forgiving at times, but that doesn’t stop its world and the unique vocal premise from bewitching you with a dark and Gothic Nordic fairytale. While it’s not as groundbreaking as other dialogue-less games such as Journey, it’s still one of the most intriguing worlds to explore on Switch, and proof Zoink Games is more than just a one joke pony.

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.