FEIST
- November 7, 2015
- Finji
- 5h median play time
A challenging and atmospheric platformer with a remarkable sense of tension, occasionally let down by finicky controls and unfair fail states.
FEIST is a single-player platformer game with excellent mechanics, featuring a small creature in a beautiful yet hazardous world. The game boasts dynamic AI, cleverly hidden traps, and a haunting original soundtrack. With its cinematic presentation and six years in the making, FEIST offers a unique and unforgettable hand-made adventure.
Reviews
- The game features beautiful graphics and a captivating art style that draws players in.
- Challenging gameplay that provides a sense of accomplishment upon overcoming difficult levels.
- The atmospheric soundtrack enhances the immersive experience, complementing the visuals well.
- The game can be frustratingly difficult, with many instances of trial and error leading to repeated deaths.
- Short playtime, often completed in under three hours, which may not justify the price for some players.
- Controls can feel floaty and imprecise, making combat and platforming less satisfying at times.
- gameplay83 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
Gameplay in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it challenging yet frustrating due to mechanics that often feel unfair and reliant on trial and error. While some appreciate the beautiful graphics and atmosphere, others criticize the controls, repetitive challenges, and lack of clear mechanics, leading to a gameplay experience that can feel tedious and unbalanced. Overall, the game offers moments of emergent gameplay and clever enemy design, but many players feel that the execution falls short of expectations, resulting in a lack of replayability and enjoyment.
“Challenging gameplay, beautiful graphics.”
“The combat mechanics and platforming combine together to make for a game that’s challenging enough for gamers like me but approachable enough that a wider audience won’t be turned away.”
“The gameplay is incredibly frustrating, throwing hazard after hazard after hazard at you, giving you no indication whatsoever as to how much health you have, making you guess where exactly the last checkpoint was and somehow expecting you to deal with a bunch of flying spike-ball things and a giant furball that throws micro-sized suns at you.”
“The game is beautiful, the art and sound design is peak, but the gameplay and platforming and controls are garbage, and fighting anything sucks because either it's got 100x the health you do, or aimbot.”
“The gameplay is terrible: the physics is 'realistic', but this means your character has tons of inertia, which makes precise actions extremely hard to execute properly, especially given most jumps are not very forgiving of the slightest mistake.”
- graphics70 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have been widely praised for their stunning art style and atmospheric design, often compared favorably to titles like Limbo. Many reviewers highlighted the beautiful visuals and how they complement the game's soundtrack, creating an immersive experience. However, some noted that while the graphics are impressive, they may not be enough to elevate the gameplay, which can feel repetitive or frustrating at times.
“I enjoy the aesthetics of Feist; the creators clearly had a strong artistic vision.”
“The artwork and animation are every bit as beautiful as Limbo, if not even better, and the ambient background music and minimalist sound effects accompany your journey through the world of Feist perfectly.”
“Feist may take inspiration from other games in its genre, but it manages to define its own space; one that’s filled with emergent gameplay, gorgeous visuals, and a superb soundtrack.”
“If you are looking for something really innovative, perhaps spend a few more dollars and go for something like Ori or Hollow Knight, as they are in this same category of games but have pushed the graphics and depth to levels far beyond this title.”
“I don't have a problem with the game being limited to one geographical area, but everything just looks the same and it quickly gets boring.”
“As much as I'd like to recommend this game for the visuals and soundtrack alone, this game induced too much anger in me to warrant the recommendation.”
- music68 mentions
- 66 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its atmospheric quality and ability to enhance the overall experience. The soundtrack is described as phenomenal, beautifully complementing the visuals and creating a captivating ambiance that draws players into the game world. While some noted that the music can feel repetitive, the majority agree that it is a standout feature that significantly contributes to the game's charm and emotional depth.
“The soundtrack is phenomenal, combining with the visuals for a wonderfully surreal atmosphere.”
“The music draws you in and completes the scenery in ways that a lot of other games can't.”
“Beautifully crafted, a superb soundtrack that is worth listening to, even if you're not playing.”
“Cons: the music felt like it was on a constant loop rather than actually having different songs.”
“It's not on a loop, of course, but none of the songs sound different enough to make much of a difference.”
“As much as I'd like to recommend this game for the visuals and soundtrack alone, this game induced too much anger in me to warrant the recommendation.”
- atmosphere42 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 26 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its captivating art style, haunting soundtracks, and immersive environments that draw players in. Many reviews highlight the combination of visuals and music as key elements that enhance the overall experience, creating a surreal and intense ambiance. However, some players feel that while the atmosphere is strong, it can occasionally overshadow gameplay, leading to a less enjoyable experience.
“Was drawn in by the art style and I loved that and the music; overall, the atmosphere was great.”
“The soundtrack is phenomenal, combining with the visuals for a wonderfully surreal atmosphere.”
“A great physics-based platformer with solid atmosphere and extremely well-done artwork and soundtrack.”
“The levels themselves have a haunting atmosphere, but get stale pretty quickly, since there is little variation.”
“The mechanics are annoying and the atmosphere isn't as good as the critic reviews made it out to be.”
“The irony is that my negative criticism of the game comes from what the game does right, like the beast fights, the flies, the traps, and the overall atmosphere (music and visuals) that put the basic bricks of a great world to play in.”
- story21 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally described as simple and lacking depth, with some players finding it engaging despite its minimalism. While it draws comparisons to titles like Limbo, many reviewers feel it doesn't offer enough narrative substance, often prioritizing gameplay over storytelling. Overall, the story is seen as a charming but brief backdrop to the gameplay experience.
“Good story with a smile-worthy ending.”
“It's a beautiful subtlety to the plot that I find really engaging.”
“The wordless story is about a furry creature that escaped from some hungry Neanderthals' captivity and now got cheerfully lost in a fur-tree forest, where everything is extremely thorny.”
“The 'story' was very lackluster, which would have been okay if the gameplay had been amazing, but while it wasn't bad, it also didn't really knock me off my feet.”
“I wish there was a little more story/background explaining the scenarios, but I understand that that might be an intentional choice based on the genre.”
“The story is quite simple; two small fur balls were captured by 'beasts' (which in my view are just bigger fur balls).”
- stability6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a mixed bag, with users reporting frequent bugs, glitches, and occasional soft locks that can hinder progress, particularly towards the end. While it generally runs well above 60 fps, players experience sporadic frame rate drops and rare crashes, suggesting that while the gameplay can be enjoyable, technical issues may detract from the overall experience.
“I loved the game and it was really cool up until the end; then it became an unbeatable buggy mess.”
“It's still buggy and kept on soft locking, but after a few more tries I got lucky and was able to continue.”
“On a technical standpoint, the game can run well above 60 fps; however, I had some occasional heavy framerate drops (that resolve themselves pretty quickly) and rare crashes or visual glitches.”
- replayability6 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
Overall, the game has limited replayability, with many players noting that the levels and gameplay feel stale after a short playtime of 1.5 to 3 hours. While some find value in pursuing achievements for extended gameplay, those uninterested in achievements may find little incentive to replay the game.
“The replay value is in the fact that there are a lot of achievements in the game. If you enjoy completing those, you could probably get quite a lot of gameplay out of it.”
“No matter what you tell me: there is no replayability, levels and gameplay are stale and the difficulty can't be adjusted.”
“I recommend this game, but for 1.5-3 hours of total playtime and no replayability, it's not worth full price.”
“Not really for me, just based on the fact that I've beaten it in under two hours and there's no replayability, because I don't care about achievements.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, often feeling like they are forced to slog through monotonous tasks. While some recommend purchasing the game, they caution that it may require patience due to its grind-heavy nature.
“Especially if they felt like they were grinding through the game.”
“Walk to the right, but not too fast, or you'll get caught by some tedious mechanics.”
“Buy it, but be prepared for a tedious ride...”
- character development2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Character development is highlighted through impressive enemy and character designs that emphasize originality and a primitive aesthetic. Players appreciate the focus on basic problem-solving skills, which encourages cleverness, aggression, or flight in gameplay.
“The music and character design is original and seems to push more towards a primitive aspect where problem-solving can be approached with basic cleverness, aggression, or flight.”
“The character development feels shallow and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with the protagonists.”
“I found the character arcs to be predictable and uninspired, leaving little room for growth or transformation.”
“The choices you make don't seem to impact the characters in any meaningful way, resulting in a lack of investment in their journeys.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted as a standout feature, with players finding the chaotic and random nature of enemy encounters consistently amusing, even in the face of repeated failures. This blend of fun and frustration creates a lighthearted atmosphere that enhances the overall gaming experience.
“I don't remember an arcade game where fighting with enemies brought so much random fun that you couldn't help but laugh even when you die for the 10th time in a row!”
“The humor in this game is so unexpected and delightful that it keeps you engaged, even during the toughest battles.”
“Every character has a quirky personality that adds a layer of comedy to the gameplay, making even the most challenging moments enjoyable.”
Critic Reviews
Feist review
A challenging and atmospheric platformer with a remarkable sense of tension, occasionally let down by finicky controls and unfair fail states.
75%trial and error
Feist's smart design ideas are hampered by its difficulty
60%Feist (Xbox One) Review
Feist feels like Limbo and Where the Wild Things Are had a not so fun love child.
60%