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August 2014

Fez

Fez is on a bunch of systems, but I played it on the PS4. It's a 2D platformer, like Mario, where you try to collect pieces of a giant cube across a variety of levels.

But, actually, it's not really 2D. You see, your character receives a mystical fez from a giant cube. The fez grants you the ability to turn the environment 90 degrees. So, even though the game surface you play on appears 2D, it is actually 3D. Anything in the environment has to fit onto the 2D plane, so you can reach previously unreachable areas simply by shifting the environment 90 degrees. Unfortunately it's hard to explain in screenshots!

The game itself is quite clever and doesn't rely on using the same exact "puzzle" over and over. In fact, many of the puzzles in Fez are quite obscure. The guy who made the game, Phil Fish, actually created an entire "Fezian" language, including a number system. Some cube pieces can only be obtained by following instructions given in a made-up language! Even though some puzzles are cryptic, they are possible to discover. However, many people suspect that all of Fez's secrets have yet to be uncovered even though it's been out for over 5 years. The highest known completion rate is 209.4%.

I really enjoyed the cryptic puzzles because it reminded me of games from my childhood that seemed impossible to solve without the aid of several friends or a magazine article. I really enjoyed the overall game. It is lovingly made and designed well. I think there's plenty to enjoy for either a serious gamer or a more casual one.

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