The indie landscape is filled with 2D platformers that are inspired
by the 8 and 16 bit games of the past but very few them go to the lengths that
Fox N Forest does to make you really feel like you are actually playing something
from a bygone era. The game markets itself as being a 16-bit style action
platformer and it certainly wouldn’t be out of place on a system like the
Amiga.
The impressive pixel art style is the first thing to hit you
when you first open up the game. A lot of faux retro games don’t really look
the part but this certainly does with rich colours and character design that helps
to create a beautifully unique game world while also firing off many a
nostalgia rocket.
The plot is something lifted for gaming’s golden era with a breezy
fable so slight it doesn’t even grace the pages in the various online shops the
game is listed. It’s something about a magic fox having to restore seasons to a
forest and break a spell. It matters little and serves as a good device for the
games key season changing mechanic.
As the hero fox progresses through the levels you are able
to change them to a predetermined second season. This affects the landscape
considerably and is essential for progression and hunting out all the secrets
that each area contains. For instance, you might need to change a season to
winter in order to freeze a lake or autumn to make the tree branches free from foliage
and thus climbable. It’s an integral part to the game and forms the core of
your exploration - proving to be far more than a simple throw away gimmick.
Level design is mostly excellent with the varied stages
designed to be visited multiple times in order for new routes to be sniffed
out. This is a good thing, as in order to progress there is an arbitrary number
of magic seeds you will need to find to unlock the next area. This was the one
part of the game we felt a little let down by as though levels are generally a
pleasure to experience over and over it did become frustrating when we couldn’t
find the one seed we needed to open the next area.
The other slight issue is that the fox takes a bit of
getting used to in terms of controls. A conscious decision has been made to not
allow you to shoot arrows while jumping which is fine but our hero has a
slightly strange weight to him which certainly took as a while to master. Some
moves can also be a little tricky to pull off and in a game which can become
stubbornly tough the last thing you need is to feel like the controls are
against you as well. That said there are generous checkpoints throughout so
progression is rarely halted for long.
At the end of each world you face off against a giant boss who
requires thought and use of the season mechanic to vanquish. These are
impressive showdowns with a memorably match up against an imposing wasp being particularly
memorable.
Overall, Fox N Forests is an excellent take on the retro
inspired action platformer. It has a unique world and it requires players to
think about the game mechanics and how they and the character you control
interact with the world. It also looks lovely and it’s clear that near endless
thought and passion has been poured into it. We would have liked some more levels and there
are certainly a few things that could be refined but it still comes out head
and shoulders above most other games of this type.
Overall 8/10
