Fez (video game)
Fez ( stylized as FEZ) is a puzzle / platform video game of the independent game developer Polytron Corporation. It first appeared on April 13, 2012 for the Xbox 360 game console, 2013, the game was also released for Windows. Project Manager Phil Fish and the late stages of development of Fez were part of the documentary Indie Game: The Movie.
- 5.1 Awards
Action
The plot revolves around Fez Gomez, a two-dimensional creature living in a flat, two-dimensional world also. One day, Gomez meets a strange and mysterious artifact called hexahedron. This gives it a magical Fez, through which Gomez a third dimension can perceive. As he begins his new ability to discover the Hexahedron breaks and explodes. Then arise simulated graphical errors and the world freezes to Gomez. The game restarts and Gomez awakened, now able to explore the world in three dimensions. A flying hypercube tells him that he has to collect the fragments of the hexahedron, which were scattered all over the world. Otherwise, the world will destroy itself.
Gameplay
The objective of the game is to collect the 32 scattered around the world dice to build the Hexahedron again and thus restore Gomez's world, before it is finally destroyed. Cubes and cube fragments are visible and can be collected by moving across it. The player can also 32 so-called "anti- cube " collect by solving various puzzles. Many of these puzzles require cryptanalytic procedures. While the player cubes and anti - cubes collects open doors through which one can enter into new areas.
Fez is a 2D platform video game in which Gomez run, jump, climb, and can change objects. The player can change the perspective, however, each time by rotating the world around 90 degrees relative to the screen. This makes doors and passageways visible and leads to realign themselves platforms on the screen. Since the two-dimensional world in which the player can move, has no depth, you have to make use of these game mechanics to perform actions that would be impossible in a truly three-dimensional world. For example, allowing rotation of 90 degrees Gomez, when he stands on a floating platform to jump to a different platform, which was previously located on the opposite side of the screen. It rotates back after the jump, it is clear that Gomez has traveled a long distance.
Development
Fez stands out for its protracted development, the game in the documentary Indie: The Movie was treated. Fez first time online was announced in July 2007 and presented an early development stage at the 2008 Independent Games Festival. The game was there to praise and his creator, Phil Fish, became a prominent developer of indie games. Originally, the game should be released in early 2010 on Xbox Live Arcade. However, in the following years of Fez was heard little since Fishs Polytron company lost its funding and got into legal trouble. This had mainly to do with the disposal of Fish's business partner, who threatened legal action following. Fish had to deal with personal and family problems; he admitted that his perfectionism have delayed the release of the game, as he lost the view of the merits of the game and the desires of consumers.
Despite pulling up legal barriers and technical difficulties Polytron 2011 was present at the Penny Arcade Expo, a nearly completed version. Also this was almost fully praised. Fish were several interviews (including with Jerry Holkins, the author of Penny Arcade ), while its new business partner Ken Schachter an agreement with the original business partner met, which ended the dispute between the two.
A demo of the game was presented on 31 January 2012 at the International Game Developers Association Montreal Demo Night. Polytron declared following that Fez will appear in spring 2012 for Xbox Live Arcade. On April 13, 2012, the game was released exclusively for Xbox Live Arcade. A Windows version was made available through the online distributors Steam and GOG.com on 1 May 2013.
More versions for Mac OS X and Linux were first released in the Humble Indie Bundle 9 and have since also available on Steam. Polytron is working with Sony to determine possibilities of a publication for the PlayStation consoles or handhelds. With the developers of the game console Ouya is also cooperating with respect to a publication.
Xbox 360 patch
Two months after the release for the Xbox 360 in April 2012 presented a Polytron extensive patch that fixed some of the bugs in the game. Although the patch has been certified by Microsoft tests, found some players that their scores were corrupted and they were forced to start from scratch Fez. For this reason Polytron warned players not to install the patch, if they had not already done so. Later, Microsoft removed the patch from their range.
In July of the same year the patch has been re-adjusted to Xbox Live without further modifications. In the accompanying statement Polytron explained that Microsoft had given the choice, either to fix the error with respect to the Scores and to certify the patch again or unchanged deliver the patch again. Polytron argued that this recertification process with a cost of up to $ 40,000 was prohibitive and problems could have resulted that would have required another patch on the later discovery. The developer estimated that less than one percent of the player are affected by the error, and Microsoft agreed that this percentage is too small to interfere with the original certification. For this decision Polytron and Phil Fish were criticized. The pricing policy of Microsoft for certification provoked negative reactions.
Publication for other platforms
Fish explained that Fez 2013 will appear for other platforms, but initially did not result from closer, for which. A publication for Microsoft Windows via Steam and GOG.com was confirmed and made available on May 1, 2013. Porting this version for Linux and Mac OS X have been announced for a non-specific time and appeared for the first time on September 11, 2013 Humble Indie Bundle 9, wherein it since then are also available on Steam. On March 26, 2014 Fez for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3 and the PlayStation Vita via the PlayStation Network has been released. Fish has reiterated that there would be in all likelihood no release for the Nintendo 3DS.
A version for iOS was designated in March 2013 by the developer as "very likely" is not published to date ( March 2014 ). In July 2013 Polytron announced that it had still to be done " more porting work ". It is unclear on what platforms refers to this statement. The final confirmation or rejection of a port for iOS is by Polytron therefore yet to be established.
Game music
The soundtrack for Fez was written by Disaster Peace aka Rich Vreeland and produced. He was released on 20 April 2012. Three titles, Adventure, Forgotten and Home made free at the game's release on Bandcamp available.
Reception
After its publication Fez received generally high praise. Among other things, IGN awarded 9.5 out of 10 possible points, the predicate "Amazing" at Fez. In June 2012, was the average of the game on the review aggregator site Metacritic 89 out of 100 %, which stemmed, among others, by some " perfect" scores from reviewers. Carsten Görig expressed in the cultural mirror also positive and wrote, Fez have a " concept that works great in his move between dimensions ." The German edition of the Games magazine Gamereactor boasts Fez as " a visual wonder that the gameplay in no way inferior "; the game was still a "unique atmosphere " and a " fantastic [s ] Level Design". Although the integrated in-game puzzles and puzzle were " incredibly challenging ", but this was intentional part of the " unique gaming experience ." The reviewer of the website Kotaku made the same statement, she wrote, Fez was " one of the few games in which frustration is actually the pleasure conducive " and ruled: " everything about this game is beautiful ( ... ) have [ its ] features inspired me with awe, made me laugh and surprised me in the best way. "
Fez was sold on Xbox Live more than 200,000 times.
Awards
Fez received the award for innovative graphic on the Independent Games Festival 2008, where the game was also nominated for the Prize for Innovative Design. At the Penny Arcade Expo 2011 Fez was ( the so-called PAX 10) listed as one of ten selected games. Furthermore reüssierte Fez at the IndieCade 2011, namely with a prize in the categories Story / World Design and grand jury. In addition, Fez won the Seumas McNally Grand Prize at the Independent Games Festival in 2012.
In December 2012, Fez from Euro Gamer was proclaimed game of the year.