10 Years of Fez

A Week in Games Special

“To me, games are like the ultimate art form. The ultimate medium. I mean, it’s the sum total of every expressive medium of all time, made interactive. Like, how is that not… It’s awesome! I want to be part of it. I want to have a say in what becomes of video games”

- Phil Fish

You wake up in a tiny room typical of any classic video game, hopping enthusiastically out of bed and stepping outside into a quaint little village. And it’s beautiful. Flowers sway in the breeze, birds chirp, butterflies flutter, and the villagers look as happy and care-free as villagers can be. You skip and jump your way up to the top of the village when, under the clear blue sky, something strange happens; a giant yellow cube made of Tetris-pieces appears above your head. It lifts you off the ground into the air and the camera spins a full 360 degrees around you, around this previously two-dimensional landscape.

Suddenly, a red fez descends from the heavens and lands neatly on your head, bestowing upon you the ability to spin the camera yourself. But as you proceed to give your new power a good workout, the yellow cube explodes, and the game - in a rather cheeky moment, considering the Xbox 360’s tendency to crash and break itself back then - proceeds to ‘crash’. It re-boots and kicks you back to the start screen, forcing you to restart your game. Only this time as you awaken in your tiny room, something is different; you’re still wearing your glorious new red fez. And crucially, you have retained the ability to rotate the camera.

What follows is a game of quite extraordinary craft. One full of puzzles and intrigue that sees you working your way through its small but intricately designed levels in order to find the pieces of the exploded cube that have been scattered across the world. A world dripping with creativity and subtext, and one that displays a love of gaming’s past throughout. One filled with mystery and secret codes and vague hints that hark back to the golden days of cheat codes and of playground rumours.

Fez is a game about perspective; impossible jumps and invisible puzzles that are revealed with a simple rotation of the camera. There’s deeper meaning there if you look for it, the game suggesting that no matter how insurmountable a problem can appear on the surface, sometimes all that’s needed to move forward is a little shift in your viewpoint. But Fez never loses sight of its main goal; to be an approachable and enjoyable video game - a celebration of the medium. And at that it succeeds with aplomb.

Of course, when it comes to Fez, it can be difficult to separate the art from the artist. Designer Phil Fish’s personality and actions throughout its development are intrinsically linked with his creation - his controversial industry views, public spats, the sudden cancellation of Fez II, and his exit from video game development are the stuff of legend (see some of the recommended articles later in this newsletter if you want to go deeper down that rabbit hole). But regardless of your thoughts on its creator, Fez deserves to be acknowledegd as the colossol achievement it is.

"Fez II is cancelled. I am done. I take the money and run. This is as much as I can stomach. This isn't the result of any one thing, but the end of a long, bloody campaign. You win"

- Phil Fish

Phil Fish streaked across the gaming landscape like a comet during his short time in the industry, burning brightly enough to make everyone stop and look before exploding in a spectacular ball of flame. But in Fez he left behind the most wonderful of gifts. A clockwork wonder both bafflingly complex and deceptively simple. A game for the ages that should be celebrated and shared for decades to come.

An indie masterpiece.

NEWS

Fez Stream

Fez fans are celebrating the game's 10 year anniversary with a Twitch stream that will feature play-throughs, speed-runs, and even fan art. You can find all of the details here.

RECOMMENDED READS

For this special issue of The Week in Games we have a 'Games of the Decade' piece on Fez from Eurogamer, an illuminating article from Digital Trends about the making of the game and the downfall of its creator Phil Fish, an interview with the man himself from Simon Parkin for Gamasutra, and also a recommendation for Indie Game the Movie from myself, which I wrote for Lost in Cult's Members' Club.

Games of the Decade: Fez and the doors of perception

Oli Welsh - Eurogamer (from 2019)

Back in 2019, Eurogamer ran a Games of the Decade feature to mark the end of the 2010's. Here, Oli Welsh explains Fez's inclusion.

The Making Of Fez, The Breaking Of Phil Fish

Simon Parkin - Gamasutra (from 2011)

Simon Parkin talks to Phil Fish just before the game's release about how the five-year development cycle affected his health, and the lessons he learned from the protracted, difficult experience.

The rise, and completely predictable fall of game developer Phil Fish

Michael Rougeau - Digital Trends (from 2013)

Michael Rougeau tracks the rise and fall of Fez developer Phil Fish. From the creation of Fez to his eventual exit from the industry. With Twitter feuds and the announcement and cancellation of Fez 2 in-between.

Jeff Recommends… Indie Game: The Movie

Jeff Northcott - Lost in Cult (Free Members' Club Account Required)

An article I wrote for Lost in Cult's Members' Club in which I recommend this most wonderful documentary that charts the rise of indie games and the creation of Fez, Super Meat Boy and Braid.

SCREENSHOT SHOWCASE

And that's it for this special edition of The Week in Games!

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