Game: Fe
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Zoink
Reviewed: Nintendo Switch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NW71v33Wc40
EA gets a lot of flack for their bad marketing strategies i.e. microtransactions. They sometimes never know when to stop and even though people hate them right now, we shouldn’t forget EA helps bring games like Unravel, A Way Out, and Fe to life through their EA Originals program.
These games are all indie-based, filled with creative, passionate, and intriguing developers. We saw that with Yarny in Unravel, now we see it again with Fe. The game was debuted kind of a while ago, however, the little indie game recently made its way over to the Nintendo Switch, so we had to give it a look.
To start off, let’s give a little brief overview of what the game is like. Fe is a platformer game, filled with unique art, a beautiful soundtrack, and an interesting, but sometimes confusing story. The game has players take control over our furry little friend in the midst of an alien invasion of some sorts. Fe’s story is all told through the actions of the player, alongside some flashback cutscenes.
I sometimes like a game with no dialogue, it makes the player pay attention to the story at hand without being coddled. However, this is a very tight rope to walk, because if the player doesn’t understand whats going on, then the game can start getting a little annoying and start feeling like a waste of your time. Fe comes very close to falling into this trope, but thankfully the game doesn’t overstay its welcome with its relatively short campaign of 4 hours or so of gameplay.
Some people might have a problem following whats actually going on, but it not that crazy so most people will grasp it. Fe relies on its gameplay to push players through the game. For the most part, the games pretty fun. Our protagonist communicates with the world surrounding them, interact with the wildlife and they’ll help you get to the next section, point you in the right direction or give you a new ability to progress throughout the game. Alongside interacting with the wildlife, players also will interact with the plant life.
After receiving a new song to sing (ability given to you by an animal you’ve interacted with) will open up the plant life around you giving you a path to go, grow plat-like bombs for destructible walls, and other abilities like this. It’s not the craziest, innovative gameplay out there, but it works — sort of. The controls are easy enough, climbing trees and taking in the view is sometimes the best part of this game. Pair that with the beautiful soundtrack and you got something good cooking.
But besides that, the game starts to lose its charm quickly — and the game is super short already, so you know there is a problem. Different landscapes will help reinvent your love for the game, however, it will be shortlived due to each area looking somewhat similar to the others. The platforming action is fun at times, most times to be honest, but when it doesn’t want to work, it doesn’t work.
There’s this section that requires the player to jump from tree to tree to go higher, but as good as the platforming could be, this section was almost a nightmare to play through. You will constantly be challenged to jump on the trees that are moving — won’t go into too much detail due to slight spoilers — which could get infuriating really quick. There are more points in the game that the platforming gameplay could get annoying, but this part has to be the biggest offender.
Developer Zoink Games created a short, small, and very unique indie title that EA seemed to gravitate to, and here we are. Fe walks a tightrope between good and bad. There is a between that most players will fall into, but there will be those who will lean one way or another. It has charm, spunk, and a creative impact in the indie genre, however not all will think the same.
The game is relatively short so there is really no long commitment if you do decide this isn’t the game for you. If you like smaller-based games with an intriguing story and a killer soundtrack, then Fe is for you. If you aren’t the biggest fan of indies and have absolutely no patience, then I would say pick this game on sale for the time being.
Either if you liked it or hated it, I would like to hear what you thought about Fe in the comments below!
