GDC 08: Fez, the best game I have never played

by Chad Concelmo on 02.19.2008

Remember that game Super Paper Mario that came out for that system the Wii? Yeah, you might have heard of it. And remember how it revolutionized platformers by offering levels that could be played in 2D and 3D? Yeah, it was pretty neat; I couldn’t agree with you more.

Well, forget everything about that game and feast your eyes on upcoming PC indie game Fez. Honestly, I don’t have any words for how freakin’ cool the above gameplay footage is. This gem in the making apparently exists somewhere here at GDC and I am determined to find it before the week is over. Operation: Play Fez begins!

While not much info is known about this Independent Games Festival finalist, Fez is obviously a platformer with a ridiculously cute (and adorably animated) main character. That is all well and good, but the minute I saw the game break the traditional 2D perspective and morph into this crazy 2D/3D ridiculously well-designed hybrid I almost fell of my chair and cried with happiness. Okay, fine, I did fall off my chair and cry with happiness. But it was all worth it.

If this is a sign of what game design is going to be like in the future, I am so happy to be a part of this industry. Fez is getting a lot of buzz here in San Francisco and rightfully so. I have to get my hands on this thing. Is it too early to call “game of the show?”

94 comments

danse11: Reflecting on ideas, I was very happy it explained a of things. First, a of parents complain what impact games on children, but those parents are generally only seeing the trivial of the g... more

AMAZING

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There are 94 comments about this post:

tazarthayoot says:
02/19/2008 21:13

Who does the music? The game looks fun but that music makes me really curious.

Spykron says:
02/19/2008 21:15

i remember seeing this a few months ago, and then forgot about it. thanks for the update!

JOURN3Y says:
02/19/2008 21:16

But what about Crush? no Crush love?

Sam Spectre says:
02/19/2008 21:16

Wow this is a definite buy. I beg for some footage at the GDC if you can find it.

Also, I FUCKING LOVE THE MUSIC!

Gangles says:
02/19/2008 21:16

Go Fez go! Kokoromi ftw.

grrza says:
02/19/2008 21:19

"Very good. I'm pride." lol, I hope they the game completely littered with engrish.

The music is total fucking win. Does the graphic style remind anyone else of cavestory?

Chad Concelmo says:
02/19/2008 21:19

@JOURN3Y,
You're right, I should have given Crush a shout-out. I love that game so much, but Super Paper Mario was the first comparison that popped in my head. I blame it on being distracted by HOW FREAKING AMAZING FEZ IS! :) :) :)

Itchy Tasty says:
02/19/2008 21:26

When will we be able to download this game? If you look at the 1up article about this game they mention the person responsible for the music.

mix says:
02/19/2008 21:28

Looks damn cool, any news on what this is coming out on?

DarkTetsuya says:
02/19/2008 21:30

@grrza:

You're not alone, I thought the creatures looked sorta like the ones in CS.

ceark says:
02/19/2008 21:32

I'm sold. I wanna play this.

KamikazeTutor says:
02/19/2008 21:34

Damnit, I once pitched a game like this to some friends of mine and they simply said they didn't knew how to program it, it sounded good but it would be complicated. At least I would like them to have tried...

I need new friends...

KamikazeTutor says:
02/19/2008 21:36

It looks so beautiful... it's like the child I never had...

Dexter345 says:
02/19/2008 21:36

Okay, I just watched this and the Echochrome introduction videos, and I am so stoked for both of them. I'm really glad to see developers doing something awesome without having to go the whole photorealistic route. This reminds me of Crush, only I never played that.

Samit Sarkar says:
02/19/2008 21:43

Holy hell, Chad, that�s mind-blowingly amazing! I�ve never played Super Paper Mario myself, but I�ve seen friends play it, and I always thought that the mechanic was very cool. But this takes it to another level � changing perspective while jumping opens up all kinds of new possibilities, it seems, and it is now a possibility that this may be the second PC game I buy on my laptop (the first was Audiosurf; boy, I hope my computer can run this game!).

sev4 says:
02/19/2008 21:58

I am so in love with the wave of game-design. Brilliant art direction. Good luck on your mission!

3r0t1c n3rd says:
02/19/2008 22:06

One word: Amazing!

Cutie Honey says:
02/19/2008 22:06

I'm suprised no one says it looks like Cave Story.
'Cus that's pretty damn awesome.

ZargonX says:
02/19/2008 22:06

Looks like Cave Story and Paper Mario mashed together into one glorious whole.

Lemon says:
02/19/2008 22:11

I named my cat REZ cos that game was amazing.....might be getting a new cat soon...

saxomophone says:
02/19/2008 22:12

"very good. im pride."

GutZ says:
02/19/2008 22:17

Do Want~!

zardoz says:
02/19/2008 22:31

Strange how a game with such simple stylised graphics and an elegant concept can provide more emotional stimulation than most photorealistic HD efforts.

Looks great.

velcroman says:
02/19/2008 22:32

http://phishy.deviantart.com/gallery/

i've loved the artist forever! and check his stuff out every once in a while. so imagine my surprise about a year ago when i was scoping out his deviant art and found art for this awesome game...i came!

Baron Calico says:
02/19/2008 22:32

Dayam! That's impressive! Imma put this in my "hopefully is the next Cave Story" pile.

Upgrayedd says:
02/19/2008 22:46

OH. MY. GOD!

Nubc4kes says:
02/19/2008 22:50

Chad. Do whatever it takes to play this game. And tell me how awesome it is.

Seifersythe says:
02/19/2008 22:51

Cute. Very Cave Story esque. Looking forward to it.

Barcode says:
02/19/2008 23:00

OMFG It's trippy AND awesome!

HarassmentPanda says:
02/19/2008 23:08

This game looks great. I love titles like this that bring back some of the old school fun back into gaming.

Cowzilla3 says:
02/19/2008 23:12

Sweet, looks totally amazing, though I proably won't play it as its on the pc. Come on live or wiiware content!

TheToiletDuck says:
02/19/2008 23:24

AND it doesnt have lines and lines of text to have to read through.

viva la Fez!

ToxinBlackheart says:
02/19/2008 23:36

It looks so amazing!

I really want to play it now. I also had been watching Phishy's art for a while, and seeing his work in action is jaw-dropping.

MissHinasaki says:
02/19/2008 23:36

Sexy.

Orionsaint says:
02/19/2008 23:40

Typical platformer NEXT!

This thing looks like Snoopy if you view the face looking sideways.

mdmike says:
02/19/2008 23:48

Very cool...maybe it's just because I'm sitting next to my 360 right now, but I'd like to see a console port of this. It's hard to imagine playing a platformer on a PC...haven't done it since Commander Keen

Pacman says:
02/20/2008 00:11

This looks awesome, and I'm liking the older style graphics much like Cave Story used.

Paul Soth says:
02/20/2008 00:11

Two dimensional creature introduced to three dimensions?

[embed]71235:8215[/embed]

Paul Soth says:
02/20/2008 00:13

Well, that didn't work. Ah hell, just watch this.

Crapsh00t says:
02/20/2008 00:19

My brain just melted.

DinnertimeNinja says:
02/20/2008 00:25

Interesting, but it almost looks too complex for it's own good.

The guy in playing the vid obviously knew where he was going but it seems to me that anyone playing a level for the first time would just be making a single jump, then figuring out where the hell to go, then one more jump, then figuring out where the hell to go, rinse and repeat.

Crush avoided this to an extent by making the levels smaller and in general, you can already see the things around you without stopping to view an pan-out camera. Also, I'm gonna miss being able to crush a top-down view.

Get your hands on it and let us know how the thing actually plays.

MagicAQ says:
02/20/2008 00:27

i would just like to quote all the above and say its a beautiful thing to be able o share this .... its peeps and games like these that give me hope with fresh talent.

Teta says:
02/20/2008 00:38

This is great. Finally developers are doing something different instead of just making the jumping and running more or less difficult, depending on the colour of the level.
I am truly interested on this game.

Woocifer says:
02/20/2008 00:39

Am I the only one that thinks this is an annoying idea for gameplay? Awkward perception with simple platform tendencies seems to be more of a gimmick than anything else. Perhaps it's just a matter of taste...but really...it seems so over the top trite and childish even among other games...which are trite and childish haha But this 2d/3d thing is charismatic for about 2 minutes...then it just becomes uninspired, overused and derivative to every other platformer. I don't mean to be the heavy...but I have to say it...independent or not, this is just swimming around in the same fish bowl...except this time its in a different direction.

Zacks Destructoid User Name says:
02/20/2008 01:10

hmm the graphic style doesnt do it for me but the game design looks nice. interesting how the world flattens after u change perspective. looks fun

manasteel88 says:
02/20/2008 01:32

holy god this is amazing...please if you see the creator ask him to port this to a console!

I loved the platform jumping while rotating the world...thats pretty sweet...also the awesomeness of Mushroom Rainbow

zeroth says:
02/20/2008 01:39

simply awesome - i loved super paper mario, but i spent the whole game wanting a really challenging puzzle with the flipping. i think my wants have been responded to, but in a different game (this one).

naia-the-gamer says:
02/20/2008 02:06

@Dexter:

I totally thought of Echochrome watching these videos! It's like a cuter more colorful version.

I totally want to play this game. Is there a website to go to download it and/or buy it?

atheistium says:
02/20/2008 03:14

do want fez :(

Justice says:
02/20/2008 03:19

This game is beautiful!

The GHost says:
02/20/2008 03:23

Looks like a combination of Cave Story and Super Paper Mario. Pinch me, I must be dreaming!

So long as the level design holds up, I would be willing to shell out embarrassingly large amounts of cash for this game.

@Woocifer
Have you no heart? Besides that, there are all sorts of wonderful possibilities for a game like this in terms of level and puzzle design. If they take advantage of the mechanics that they've shown, this could be a very special game indeed.

Knives says:
02/20/2008 03:37

I loved the music in the trailer, I remember being disappointed when i was looking at the IGF finalists last month and FEZ didn't have a demo available.

Orionsaint says:
02/20/2008 04:50

Necros says:
02/20/2008 05:20

It actually looks like a mixture of Super Paper Mario, Crush, and Echochrome, which sounds awesome.

falinter says:
02/20/2008 05:21

::gasp::

Jonathan Holmes says:
02/20/2008 05:47

Awesome!

Maxsunset says:
02/20/2008 06:11

Shwing! That looks WAY more fun than Super Paper Mario, and more tangible than Echochrome; sorta reminds me of Lemmings 3D, but you know, fun. I would buy that in a heartbeat whether no matter what platform: DS, PSP, XBLA, PSN... This would be a rad DS game for sure.

Cynical Gamer says:
02/20/2008 06:29

Why do you have to read signs to to learn how to climb ladders?

Kaikara says:
02/20/2008 08:00

Love the music. Does look pretty good, I can see the later levels getting incredibly infuriating with the perspective change though. It's got me very interested though!

Brilliam says:
02/20/2008 09:36

AAAAHHHHHHHH IT'S TOO MUCH. Why is this game not on my console and/or computer right now? I would pay 10000 microsoft points! which cost significantly more in canada, no less!

Holyetheline says:
02/20/2008 10:43

They took a great idea and evolved it into something spectacular. I want this game so bad.

MechaMonkey says:
02/20/2008 11:04

After he changed perspectives in mid-jump my mouth was agape for the rest of the video. Effin' great!

evil costanza says:
02/20/2008 11:33

very nice, Fez eats Echochrome for breakfast.

LarkOhiya says:
02/20/2008 11:43

I like this. I like this TOO much.

Zombie Attack says:
02/20/2008 11:45

Looks fun, but is highly derivative. That's a bad thing. :-(

MasterSauce says:
02/20/2008 12:17

Fez FTW! I thought sure, it'll rotate, big whoop. Oh how I was wrong...That 3D jive was amazing. I want to play.

Craig Lewis says:
02/20/2008 12:22

I imagine it'll be coming out on XBLA. I remember reading that it is being created with XNA, and you can tell from the video that it uses an Xbox 360 controller (it says "Use the left or right triggers or bumpers to change your perspective" and also has an icon of the A button for closing the text from the signs.)

Best had come to Xbox live arcade anyway. I'd definitely buy it.

braulio09 says:
02/20/2008 16:05

liked the trailer but i think you got carried away with the "Super Paper Mario revolutionized platformers"

too much gaming joy, eh, chad?

Jim says:
02/20/2008 16:21

interesting!

Cyberxion says:
02/20/2008 18:26

Zombie, do you even know what the words that you strung together mean? :P

RitualNet says:
02/20/2008 19:33

Better come out on XBLA, i'd buy it like a shot. The PC is used for the occasional MMO and uni work :/

jerrt says:
02/20/2008 21:35

yeah, that is cool, but it reminds me of crush alot. a good game if you are into 2d/3d mixes. what i want to see is the more dimension than 3 the eye patched individual promised

Fleet3000 says:
02/20/2008 22:25

i think this is better than super paper mario could ever be.

Reaprar says:
02/20/2008 22:28

This. This is what I wanted super paper mario to be.

manasteel88 says:
02/21/2008 10:43

since this is an XNA title there is a 1 in 2 chance that it'll come to the xbox...lets hope that he puts up the 100 bucks to make my little dreams come true

Android8675 says:
02/21/2008 11:15

A-maze-ing... that's all I got. Someone's getting a good job in the near future, or gonna turn into Jeff Minter and college Llamas.

flaming burrito says:
02/21/2008 11:28

cool... but i dont think im smart enough for this

skullivan says:
02/21/2008 11:54

VERY GOOD. I'M PRIDE. PLEASE BELIEVE A NEW DIMENSION.

Wow. Is this game being done by Pixel (Cave Story)? It's the exact same graphical style

sleepingagain says:
02/21/2008 17:55

wow, i am so speechless, that is amazing.. as Chad said

StriderS says:
02/21/2008 18:46

Wow. This really looks amazing. Reminds me of Cave Story.
I wish it was on a console or something, though. I never really liked PC gaming too much...

Kokoromi is making this, who ever that is.

brimtastic says:
02/22/2008 03:03

Mmmm Cave Story much? This game makes me hard

PrinceofCannedPeaches says:
02/23/2008 22:14

Hats are great!

Poopface Morty says:
02/26/2008 07:12

So yeah, looked deliciously average until the perspective change, and then after that, I was sold. Definitely want to give this a shot.

Tubatic says:
02/26/2008 22:28

I wasn't really planning to learn about this game until Rev's jarring "rant" on RFGO this week. Awesome.

Rule #78 in life: Just watch the damn embedded video.

Roryzilla says:
02/27/2008 16:32

Looks unbelievable, love the music, love the gameplay. DO WANT.

GrayFox says:
02/28/2008 11:27

This is my first time seeing this game and I am amazed. This is how you revolutionize 2D games. Leave it to indie devs to get creative.

RAB says:
03/02/2008 04:48

impossible 3D is impossible
[img] http://www.eskimo.com/~earther/HonGeo/images/neckercube.jpg [/img]

RAB says:
03/02/2008 04:49

also, is there some kind of 2 image a day rule that i dont know about?

Raidensolid says:
03/12/2008 19:56

Feztastic indeed!

adam locked says:
03/13/2008 19:11

I'm surprised nobody mentioned the PlayStation One classic, "Tomba". It rotated perspectives on certain levels just like this.

xtrafile says:
03/27/2008 02:28

Enjoy: http://www.kokoromi.org/fez/fez-live/
-Matt

destructo5000 says:
03/29/2008 22:20

there are you. i have something i tell you. the world, you think all your life that is in the two dimensions, fool! but there are far much than two, there is three! at least. please believe a new dimension. that sign, go try it read it. you cant read it? foolish reader! its because on other side. try a third dimension. changing your perspective allows you to see things differently. very good! im pride. now try to reach here. dont forget a dimension! please also not fall down!

Wow.

Awesome.

It does look interesting though..

xyzzy929 says:
03/30/2008 03:53

@jerrt
You couldn't comprehend a fourth dimensional game. It's physically impossible. Duh.

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