A bit of a new segment for me, but sure why not. Although I mostly focus on retro games I do still play many current releases. Many of those are retro inspired indies, like the subject of today’s update, FOX n FORESTS which released today for PC, Switch, Xbox One, and PS4. Fox n Forests is a gorgeously hand drawn indie that wouldn’t look out of place on the SNES. In fact that was one of its design goals; the color palette and tile maps were designed with those limitations in mind. That doesn’t hinder it however. The entire game was inspired by many of the classics we grew up on like Actraiser and especially the later Wonder Boy games. Rick is equipped with a crossbow for distance attacks but can also mix in melee blows when in close. There is a little bit of Castlevania in there in that he has certain limitations, at least initially. You can’t move and fire, and at first can’t attack when double jumping. However the shop in town offers a burgeoning number of upgrades that will expand your move set.
The true heart of the game however is its seasonal mechanic. At the touch of a button you can switch the current season which has a number of effects on the environment. Changing fall to winter will freeze rivers and create platforms. It will also cause some enemies to hibernate. Going from summer to fall will cause trees to shed leaves that you can use to cross massive gaps. I haven’t gotten too far into the game yet but the way it is integrated is impressive so far and more than just a gimmick. The level design is incredibly smart and puzzle like at times. The seasonal switching is also used to hide items and such. So far I love it; its one of those features you wonder why few games have bothered exploiting. I would even go even further and say the entire game so far is smartly designed. While it takes inspiration from many old classic it also wisely learns from them and avoids their mistakes. You can pay a small fee to create frequent checkpoints in each level and although you lose some gold you have infinite lives. I’ve really enjoyed the time I’ve spent with Fox n Forests and look forward to doing a deeper dive shortly. But so far I recommend it highly to everyone, but especially if you grew up during the 16-bit era.
