Fez

 Xbox 360
User Score
6.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 376 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 219 out of 376
  2. Mixed: 30 out of 376
  3. Negative: 127 out of 376

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  1. Darthultros
    Apr 13, 2012
    5
    No objectives but collecting blocks put in plain sight, no goals otherwise. No indication of where to go. Music is just ambiance, and every time you enter a new area there's a long intro scoping around it like it's some piece of art.

    It obviously thinks it's something deep and gorgeous when it's a bare bones platformer. Exploration isn't fun or interesting, just boring. No consequences,    No objectives but collecting blocks put in plain sight, no goals otherwise. No indication of where to go. Music is just ambiance, and every time you enter a new area there's a long intro scoping around it like it's some piece of art.

    It obviously thinks it's something deep and gorgeous when it's a bare bones platformer. Exploration isn't fun or interesting, just boring. No consequences, fall damage prevents needing to redo platforming you screwed up on.    … Expand
  2. Ex_Parte
    Apr 19, 2012
    5
    FEZ: a fun experience; a bad purchase. While not an original theme or gameplay premise, it can still be a fun game. However, due to repetition, lack of challenge, and technical issues, FEZ is more for nostalgia enthusiasts to experience than for average players to enjoy at the current price. Some negatives... This game has a number of technical issues that are inexcusable in a game so longFEZ: a fun experience; a bad purchase. While not an original theme or gameplay premise, it can still be a fun game. However, due to repetition, lack of challenge, and technical issues, FEZ is more for nostalgia enthusiasts to experience than for average players to enjoy at the current price. Some negatives... This game has a number of technical issues that are inexcusable in a game so long in development. It may be retro-themed, but it is still held to the standards of a modern game release. "Old-fashioned" is only quaint if it's functional. Some positives... Conversely, originality is not the sole benchmark of a fun game. FEZ's premise still provides a fun spin on the platformer experience, and players should check out the free demo first to see if it suits their tastes.
    Final... "Retro" is only a theme, and it is only a good thing regarding nostalgia, not quality. The game may be different from a lot of other games, but the money out of pocket is the same. And it isn't worth $10. Wait for a sale...or go to a retro enthusiast's home to play it.    … Expand
  3. thetetter
    Apr 13, 2012
    6
    I'm not sure what the game is supposed to be, as a puzzle game it's a pretty easy one, and I am a little bit tired of indie games with SNES graphics coming out every other month. The one gimmick that makes this game so unique has been done before, in a Flash game called Sky Island, which is free, and is much harder than FEZ.
    I'm not sure why it took the game so long to come out, or why it    I'm not sure what the game is supposed to be, as a puzzle game it's a pretty easy one, and I am a little bit tired of indie games with SNES graphics coming out every other month. The one gimmick that makes this game so unique has been done before, in a Flash game called Sky Island, which is free, and is much harder than FEZ.
    I'm not sure why it took the game so long to come out, or why it got such amazing reviews, when Sky Island was criticized into obscurity although Sky Island used the rotating world gimmick way better in terms of gameplay, making a better puzzle game than FEZ.
    FEZ shouldn't be treated as a game, I can see why it is beloved by many, it does contain lovely graphics, while not hardware breaking, they are simple and nice to look at. The music is also relaxing. But I have a feeling people love for this game is more related to the hype of a game that has been into development for years. Speaking of being developed for years, I have no idea what they did that justifies that, the game is riddled with bugs, and severely lacks gameplay.
    Overall I think it's just another "indie" platformer with a twist, like many other "indie" games that came out these past few years. Sky Island got 7.0 on Armor Games, I'm giving FEZ 6.0 for having even less content than Sky Island, which is a FREE FLASH GAME.    … Expand
  4. sias
    Apr 17, 2012
    7
    Horrible game breaking bugs ruin what is an otherwise fantastic game. I really want to give this game an 8 or a 9 because it truly is wonderful to play (when it works) but my experience of this game has been severely tarnished by a myriad of technical issues. I can deal with the occasional drop in fps or the infrequent crashes, but twice now I have had to restart the game (both times fromHorrible game breaking bugs ruin what is an otherwise fantastic game. I really want to give this game an 8 or a 9 because it truly is wonderful to play (when it works) but my experience of this game has been severely tarnished by a myriad of technical issues. I can deal with the occasional drop in fps or the infrequent crashes, but twice now I have had to restart the game (both times from ng+) because of the game becoming selectively unresponsive in seemingly random places. First time at the beginning of new game plus I could never proceed past the introduction as the prompts to carry on a conversation were completely unresponsive. So I started the game again and completed it to get to ng+. This time I could continue past the introduction and quite a way into ng+. But then on one level after the game had crashed everything became unresponsive again - I cannot move my character and he is completely frozen to the spot. Unfortunately the game autosaved after the crash so my game is, well, broken again! I'm now starting right from the beginning again for the third time and I have to say this is really quite disheartening. I experienced less serious bugs in all the Elder Scrolls games combined! Well, that's probably not really a fair comparison, but I have to say, for a 5 year development period, I expected a lot better from Polytron.… Expand
  5. LiquidGamer
    Apr 14, 2012
    7
    Adorable characters in a wonderful environment. This was a platformer done right in my opinion. 8-bit 2D worlds that could be manipulated to 3D. Soundtrack is epic, like LoZ epic. Jump, twist, vine climb, fall... awesome! Smooth gameplay and a joy to play. Repitition comes into play but they try to mix it up with a deteriating screen. Good times. http://liquidgamer.podbean.com/
  6. ArMoRofGOD
    Aug 1, 2012
    6
    I haven't got to the end yet but have been to most of the "worlds" and here's my interpretation this far. The worlds are all amazing looking. Phil Fish is a very talented artist and his work on Fez is perfectly suited. Id give the art a 9/10 since there is some repetitiveness and a lack of variety in color. The gameplay is fun but it too gets repetitive. I find myself unable to playI haven't got to the end yet but have been to most of the "worlds" and here's my interpretation this far. The worlds are all amazing looking. Phil Fish is a very talented artist and his work on Fez is perfectly suited. Id give the art a 9/10 since there is some repetitiveness and a lack of variety in color. The gameplay is fun but it too gets repetitive. I find myself unable to play the game for long sessions as it gets boring after an hour or so and I need to put it down due to the repetition. However, the polish of the gameplay is evident as the puzzles work just as expected and what must have been a very hard challenge to code was done very well, it is fluid and error free. The navigation of the game is probably my biggest problem with it. You will feel lost at times, and the worst part is, you will end up going through the same place more than a few times trying to figure out where to go next, and the map is of very little help (its too simple to help). Overall its nothing revolutionary but I think the creator got what he expected from the game, a peaceful adventure for players to relax, enjoy the scenery and do some fun puzzles. But since the gameplay is lacking and the repetitiveness is evident I would not feel right giving it an 8 where so many other indie games deserve that score or higher so 7 it is, not a bad score and I would say its worth playing but I'm not sure if Id buy it again.… Expand
  7. KevowOfRice
    Nov 13, 2012
    7
    Love the gameplay and features, the sounds and graphics make it look old school and reminds you of the good 'ole times. But the lack of co-op or multiplayer makes you feel lonely and the player feels slightly sluggish moving around, especially on vines.
  8. mnt9
    Jun 22, 2014
    6
    Great game but many of the puzzles are extremely cryptic and require many guides on the internet to figure out. Worth playing for the graphics/sound/level design. However I ran into the same save game corruption bug after getting gold on countless platforms. Now I have to start again from scratch. Deleted the game from my hard drive.

Awards & Rankings

9
#9 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2012
29
#29 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2012
41
#41 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
89

Generally favorable reviews - based on 66 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 64 out of 66
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 66
  3. Negative: 0 out of 66
  1. Pelit (Finland)
    Jun 20, 2012
    91
    An interesting and fun puzzle platformer. The visually flat, but actually three-dimensional levels are very cleverly built. [June 2012]
  2. Hyper Magazine
    Jun 13, 2012
    90
    It's the most thought-provoking and fascinating game I've played all year. [July 2012, p.66]
  3. X-ONE Magazine UK
    Jun 5, 2012
    90
    Its hidden depths might be too obscure for some, but this is the kind of title XBLA was made for. [Issue#85, p.91]
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