![]() And while it certainly doesn’t reinvent the wheel, it hits the sweet spot for those looking to go on a nostalgia trip.Trick-taking is having a bit of a moment between this game (and its co-op sequel) and, probably more notably, The Crew coming out in the last few years. There were some choices I didn’t love, mainly having to revisit levels numerous times to continue forward. Not only did they deliver a truly breathtaking rendition of the classic art style, but also introduced an interesting mechanic to the already familiar style of play. The Fox n Forests developers set out to create something that both looks and feels right out of the 16-bit era and it’s safe to say they accomplished just that. The chiptune music isn’t as memorable as the pixel art, but does help to cement the nostalgic feeling. And speaking of those enemies, I really loved their designs. On occasion, an enemy would get stuck on a nonexistent plane during a season switch and while certainly not excusing it, it almost added to the authentic retro feel. It was never more apparent than when switching between seasons, turning a beautiful spring day to a frozen tundra in the mere press of a button. But I was continuously surprised at just how much attention to detail there was and the wide array of colors used throughout. I opened this review commenting on how the visuals are what drew my attention, so obviously they’re something I knew I’d enjoy. The challenge is tough even on the normal difficulty, but with a number of checkpoints along the way, ones which you’ll need to fork over some coins to activate, you’ll never have to backtrack too far. I found it very satisfying to unlock new abilities making once tough enemies to deal with a cinch. Fortunately replaying the level will always net you more money, which can be used to purchase upgrades to your health and magic meter, new abilities, and even potions for temporary boosts. But that isn’t the only thing gated behind finding seeds, you actually need a certain amount to move on to the next season regardless if you already beat the boss and collected the piece of bark. ![]() This lead to replaying the level multiple times especially since certain seeds are gated behind abilities you only learn after completing future seasons. There is a bonus stage per season, but requires you collect all the seeds within the first two stages. Each season has two stages before a boss battle before moving to the next area. I found the level design to be interesting for the most part especially considering how long each level is, but the unfortunate thing is that there are just not that many levels to begin with. Outside of changing season, Fox n Forests doesn’t do much to set itself apart from others in the genre, but does everything well. While it’s almost always beneficial to change the season, it comes at the cost of your magic meter, so it’s always important to be diligent with using it. ![]() I would have been interested to see how playing with multiple season changes would have worked because more often than not the mechanic would be used in a similar fashion throughout each stage. Each level is tied to two seasons, so you won’t be able freely change between any season, but only the two the developers choose. These are just a few ways they play with changing of seasons, but I found them to be clever especially when it came to boss fights. ![]() By changing the season from spring to winter, bodies of water freeze over unlocking a way to the other side not there a second ago or by changing spring to fall, large leafs fall and act as platforms. With the press of a button the entire environment shifts seasons, opening up new possibilities. More or less combat and traversal feels pretty familiar to staples of the genre, not really breaking any new ground, but that’s where the ability to change seasons comes in. ![]()
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