While Fe might be the name of an upcoming EA Originals game made by Swedish developer Zoink Games, Fe is also the name of a tiny, black, fox-like creature who sings to a mysterious place inspired by the Nordic Forest. The game itself is a delightful mixture of Ori and the Blind Forest, The Legend of Zelda, Metroid/Castlevania, and Shadow of the Colossus – without ever being too much like any one of those games that it loses its sense of originality. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever played anything that made me feel the same unique, meditative sense of awe I felt while playing through the first hour of Fe, except perhaps in Journey.
You start off in the middle of some snowy woods, with the ground below you sparkling beautifully and flowers around you glowing in bright, vivid colours. Despite how pretty it is, it feels unsafe – you’re small, you’re alone, and you don’t have any understanding of where you are. That feeling echoed throughout all of my time with Fe, which was about 45 minutes out of a six-hour game. Even when I made my first connection with another creature by singing to them in the right tune, I was happy to have them as a companion, but felt a tense sense of responsibility for whatever might happen to them. And bad things do happen. It strikes a very precise balance between vulnerability and wonder.
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