Fez

Developer: Polytron

System: Xbox 360 

5 out of 5 stars

Fez had a great deal of hype to live up to when it released last week. First announced in 2007, the game has seen numerous setbacks over the years, with many fans wondering if Polytron’s debut game was worth the wait.

As it would happen, Fez is a game that goes far beyond being worthy of its five-year development cycle. The truth is Fez is one of the best games ever released on the Xbox Live Arcade and stands as an early contender for game of the year.

The story of Fez centers on a young boy named Gomez who lives in a two-dimensional world, which is represented by old school pixel graphics similar to a Super Nintendo game. However, Gomez soon learns the world actually exists in three dimensions, thanks to a magical fez he finds.

Suddenly capable of rotating the world around him, Gomez sets out to explore and find cubes that will allow him to learn more about his new powers.

At the game’s outset, collecting cubic bits to make whole cubes comprises the majority of the experience. In order to do this, Gomez must use his ability to rotate reality and platform to the top of several large structures.

Fez is a game based on perception. While the world around him is in 3-D, Fez remains trapped on a flat plane. Therefore, if players rotate the world in a way that two objects appear to be touching, Gomez can move across them as if they were connected.

In truth, it’s hard to visualize the way Fez plays without actually seeing it. That said, it’s easily one of the most fun and brain-twisting mechanics to be featured in a game, making for some great platforming puzzles early in the game.

If that was all Fez had to offer, it would still be a must-play game. However, Polytron takes things a step beyond by building one of the most fleshed out and mystifying game worlds ever created.

Fez is a game all about going further down the rabbit hole. For every door players enter, there will always be one or two they must pass up. The further into the game one gets, things grow more immersive and complex.

The simple act of rotating and climbing quickly gives way to secret codes, hidden instructions and a story of ancient visitors who once inhabited the planet.

If a player wants to get the most out of Fez, they’re expected to earn it. Gamers will have to decode an ancient language, solve riddles and scour the world for clues in their quest to complete the game. There are even QR codes in the game players will have to scan in order to solve certain puzzles.

There are no enemies to fight or bosses to kill in Fez, only brainteasers to overcome. For some, this emphasis on exploration and puzzles may be a turn-off. That said, this game isn’t trying to appeal to that audience. Instead, the developers at Polytron have focused on building a world so cohesive it comes across as realistic, even though it features pixelated graphics.

In this regard, Fez is a resounding success. Players that take this ride will find themselves obsessing over every unsolved challenge until they know every secret Gomez’s world has to offer. The compulsion to explore in Fez is immense, rivaling the worlds of big budget releases like Skyrim and Mass Effect 3.

Put simply, Fez is a masterpiece. In aiming to bring something new to the world of gaming, Polytron has created one of the most addictive and fascinating titles ever released. Packed with challenging gameplay, mind-bending puzzles and a plethora of secrets, Fez is a game that makes the five-year wait to play it worth every minute.