By Sheldon Benedict

Where am I Fe?

No words, no explanation, just you, in an almost alien world, left up to your sense of exploration. That is Fe in a nutshell. Developed by Zoink Games, Fe is an open world, exploration platformer that tasks you with finding gems to fight back against the “evil” that is trying to consume the world.

My first thought when firing up Fe for the first time was “wow, this game is beautiful!”. The graphics will not disappoint, though they are not your typical Zoink Games style graphics. Zoink still managed to work their personality into the game with sounds, and the look of the creatures, especially the what I call “Dementors,” the evil creatures that roam around and capture the animals around the world. The sounds and ambient noises in Fe help pull you into the world and give you a sense of wonder, as well as a bit of fear as you run and hide trying to escape the dementors.

That Gameplay Though

The gameplay is simple, yet managed to grab my attention. Platforming is a big part of Fe, as well as the sing mechanic. You are able to interact with the wilderness around you by singing to parts of the environment. This mechanic allows you to alter the world to access new areas, get plants to open up and give you “fruit” that you can then fling at the netting that is blocking paths and holding animals hostage. You can also call upon animals that will come to your aid and show you the path to your next objective. You can also check the map which shows you where to head next. If you prefer just to wander, you can turn off the map markers and discover the world on your own. As you play and progress you meet new animals, and acquire new voices to sing in which lets you communicate with the different animals.

A Slight Miss

A downfall of the game is that sometimes its hard to see where to land due to the color scheme of the game. The game is made up of dark shades of reds, purples, blues, and blacks. This color palette can make the landscape somewhat hard to navigate. One other small issue I’ve run into is getting stuck in specific areas due to the hit boundaries. This issue I can blame myself for, by trying to take a path across a region you would typically go around. I managed to climb halfway up a mountain and got stuck in a valley. This is an area where you wouldn’t usually be. Aside from those issues, the game controls and plays very well.

Conclusion

In the end, Fe has continued to pull me back in to keep exploring. The gameplay is captivating, and even with the lack of any dialog, I feel a connection to this world. I want to help restore it to normal, and rid it of the evil that is attacking it. The art and sounds are just beautiful, and breathtaking! I found myself stopping and just looking at the landscape. If I had to sum Fe up into one word, it would be masterful. This game is definitely worth your money and time; Fe another solid game brought to us by the super creative minds over at Zoink Games! I give this game a 4 out of 5!