FEZ might look simple at first glance. Indeed, my own first impression, based on screenshots, videos and reviews, led me to believe FEZ was a simple platforming adventure. FEZ is, at its core, a platforming adventure, but it's one much bigger than you'd think before you take your first step.
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FEZ is well paced. It places Gomez, the player character, in a vibrant 2 dimensional village detailed by crisp pixelated textures. All the environments you'll encounter throughout your adventure will be no less visually appealing. The attention to detail makes this world feel vast and alive. It has a pulse that makes you want to explore. Finding a way to the top of the village introduces the player to basic controls but once you're there, FEZ will introduce you to its signature mechanic; the world of FEZ isn't actually 2 dimensional at all.
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FEZ is all about perspective. After the game lets you know that the world is actually 3 dimensional, Gomez will gain the ability to shift between and view all four sides of this 3 dimensional world via a magical fez. From this point on, FEZ continues to grow and give you interesting environmental puzzles to solve. Finding cubes, in order to open new areas, is your main objective. Things start out simple and usually only require a few points of 3 dimensional reference to find out exactly where you need to go to reach a specific point, but FEZ will introduce new environmental interactions to keep every puzzle feeling fresh. However, the best thing about FEZ has nothing to do with the physical puzzles.
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In the mid to late game, you may start to get a few hints and notice some clues scattered in the world. You may even pick up a few odd interactive artifacts that might not mean much to you. This is when FEZ really starts to get deep. These background puzzles are all about mental solving power and they become so confusing right at the end, that they may even frustrate you a bit. I assure you, sticking these puzzles out and solving them personally really shows just how clever FEZ is. I spent 18 hours on FEZ to achieve 100% and 6 of those hours were spent revisiting old areas just trying to figure out exactly how to solve just one of the late game puzzles.
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This world is big and from your first venture outside the walls of the village you will be able to see that. The detailed visuals in each new area are accompanied by an equally fitting soundtrack. Composed by artist Disasterpeace, the FEZ soundtrack feels like a playlist of dreamy chiptune classics with, in the same aspect of the gameplay, an added dimension of modern new age sounds. It's expertly crafted and only keeps you invested in the hopes to hear more good tunes (and you will!).
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FEZ is worth its price tag. Even if you can't see it through to the end or even need some help in solving some of the more challenging puzzles this game has to offer, its atmosphere is worth every penny. Games are our way of exploring new and interesting worlds when we need a break from mundane tasks of life such as writing a review for a game. So pick up FEZ and go explore; I know its world will captivate you.