Fe
Main game
3.21 average rating based on 102 ratings
- Developers
- Zoink Games
- Publishers
- Electronic Arts
- Event
- EA Play 2016
- Platforms
- Nintendo Switch, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, Xbox One
- Genres
- Adventure, Platform
- Themes
- Action, Fantasy, Mystery, Stealth
- Steam
- View on Steam
Release Dates
User Stats
How Long Is Fe?
Fe feels a bit soul-less..
It strives for greatness, but runs out of steam real quick. I think it was aiming for something like Journey, communicating story and emotion with no words or dialogue. But that requires brilliant and focused design, which Fe... lacks. The result is you never have much idea of what the story is, and thus what the point of anything is. Some abilities, like tree climbing, are used to their full potential and enable lots of fun exploration. Others feel like gimmicks. Backtracking starts to feel like a chore very quickly. Despite the outward charm, and a few great moments, Fe feels a bit soul-less.
Lore reasons
This review is for the Nintendo Switch version
A few weeks ago we were talking about how some games have a very ‘obscure’ lore that leaves a lot to interpretation (I think it was about Limbo, but I’m not sure). Somebody said something like “if a story can mean anything, it means nothing”. I firmly disagreed with that, but Fe is the game that made me think that maybe, just maybe, there’s a little truth in that.
I liked Fe, it’s a fun little game exploration/stealth game with nice, different visuals, but I didn’t get any of the plot and it really did no work in getting me interested in it. There’s no spoken lines and everything is ‘explained’ via weird flashbacks and pictures in runes. As you guessed, it’s not very clear what is going on. Well... I mean, you’re a weird animal that should help other animals to defend against weirder creatures that put them in even weirder cages. That’s all you need to know to enjoy the game.
But there’s more. The runes and flashbacks point to... something that happened before but it’s not clear. I guess it’s possible to stop and analyze every clue and get an idea of the plot, just …
A few weeks ago we were talking about how some games have a very ‘obscure’ lore that leaves a lot to interpretation (I think it was about Limbo, but I’m not sure). Somebody said something like “if a story can mean anything, it means nothing”. I firmly disagreed with that, but Fe is the game that made me think that maybe, just maybe, there’s a little truth in that.
I liked Fe, it’s a fun little game exploration/stealth game with nice, different visuals, but I didn’t get any of the plot and it really did no work in getting me interested in it. There’s no spoken lines and everything is ‘explained’ via weird flashbacks and pictures in runes. As you guessed, it’s not very clear what is going on. Well... I mean, you’re a weird animal that should help other animals to defend against weirder creatures that put them in even weirder cages. That’s all you need to know to enjoy the game.
But there’s more. The runes and flashbacks point to... something that happened before but it’s not clear. I guess it’s possible to stop and analyze every clue and get an idea of the plot, just like other games that are celebrated for this ‘obscure narrative’ —Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Hollow Knight, Blasphemous, Limbo—, but the game never gets interesting enough to encourage that. I didn’t find a community of players online dedicated to unravel the plot of Fe. This is an actual case of a game that can mean anything and then means nothing.
Well, kinda. The developers have said that they wanted to create an ecological message, but then, why make it so convoluted?
Last week, we received a review code of this game for Nintendo Switch. Problem is... this game was released two years ago! We reviewed the PlayStation 4 version then.
After investigating a little, it seems that this was because Fe is finally appearing on the Colombia eShop. fun fact. Most people in Colombia don't use the Switch eShop. The games there are more expensive (thanks to our government taxes on digital goods) so most people just create an american account.
Anyway, I wrote a few paragrpahs about this version and added them to the PS4 review. It would have been weird to write a new review about a game so old.
Edit: On a second thought, I guess 'non-gaming-savvy' audiences (kids, older people, casual gamers) probably use local accounts on the switch and the Colombia eShop , but they aren't the main audience of our website.
Game starts slowly. But after 2 hours of agony and suffering, it eventually pays off. Game keeps getting better.
Ending is not bad.
Astonishing art work. Great soundtracks.
Kinda repetitive gameplay. Fiddling controls.
Could be one of the best indies so far but feels incomplete, some elements are missing, you can feel it.
Wasted potential.
Finished Fe... total indifference here. I just feel like it was a collection of indie game cliches over the last decade. Every element of it has been done time and time again, and better. I just found it to be pretty cookie cutter.
Anyone pick up Fe today? I'm giving it a whirl since it's a slow time for the Switch and my first impressions are.... fine. Kinda feels like a less interesting Ori and the Blind Forest so far. Way too early in to say much, but nothing's really standing out to me so far.