Forgotten Fields

Forgotten Fields is an extraordinary indie game that has superbly crafted narrative and dialogue, with a beautiful soundtrack to back it up. More of an experience than a game it finds its niche and will surprise and delight players.

81%Game Brain Score

story, music

stability, character development

81% User Score Based on 73 reviews

Critic Score 66%Based on 7 reviews

Platforms

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About

Forgotten Fields is a narrative-driven adventure game that follows the story of a struggling writer seeking inspiration for his final novel. The game explores themes of nostalgia, creativity, and self-discovery as you navigate through beautifully crafted pixel art environments and interact with a cast of quirky characters. With a poignant and emotional narrative, Forgotten Fields invites players to reflect on their own dreams and aspirations.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

+15

81%

Audience ScoreBased on 73 reviews

story45 positive mentions

stability20 negative mentions

The game features a captivating and relatable narrative that explores themes of nostalgia and self-reflection, resonating with players who have experienced similar life transitions.
Visually, the game presents a unique art style with beautiful environments and a charming soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
Despite its technical flaws, the emotional depth and storytelling make Forgotten Fields a worthwhile experience for fans of narrative-driven games.

The game suffers from numerous glitches, including character clipping, awkward camera angles, and unresponsive controls, which can detract from immersion and enjoyment.
The gameplay is heavily linear with minimal player choice, leading to a lack of engagement during certain sections where players may find themselves clicking through text.
Many players found the dialogue to be overly wordy and forgettable, making it difficult to connect with the characters and their stories.

story
137 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
64%
3%
The story in "Forgotten Fields" revolves around a nostalgic novelist grappling with writer's block, interweaving his personal journey with a fantasy narrative he is creating. While the themes of nostalgia and creativity resonate with players, the execution is often criticized for being overly wordy and linear, leading to moments of disengagement. Despite its rough edges, the game is praised for its emotional depth, beautiful art style, and immersive soundtrack, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of narrative-driven games.
- “Forgotten Fields tells a story that will likely resonate emotionally while at the same time having absolutely numbing gameplay.”
- “The story carries the whole game, so I would suggest to read and not skip :)”
- “The imaginative way the story is told, along with the memorable characters and exceptional soundtrack makes this one of my favorite games so far this year.”
- “It's very wordy and almost like it's a partial life story of the developer (which isn't a bad thing - don't get me wrong), but there are sequences where you may end up just clicking through text because it's just not interesting or engaging.”
- “The amount of bugs (easily and repeatedly getting out of the game's boundaries and being forced to reload an old save, cutscenes not playing out as intended, interaction options not popping up), poor and awkward controls (using a+s does not make you go down and to the left, it just makes you go down or left, depending on what you pressed first), graphic issues (the road popping in and out of the vehicle during cutscenes, lack of detail in items vs scenery and characters [which aren't even that detailed to begin with]), and the slow story progression (and dialogue which is unskippable) really made this a bad experience.”
- “Even though there are choices in some dialogue, they do not affect the story (or minimally so) except for the final big decision, so a save toward the end is all you need to see both endings.”
music
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
33%
7%
The music in the game is widely praised for its ability to enhance the emotional depth and atmosphere, with standout contributions from artists like altadore and micamic. Reviewers highlight the soundtrack as a key element that complements the engaging storyline and beautiful visuals, despite some criticisms regarding abrupt cuts and glitches. Overall, the music is described as nostalgic, relaxing, and integral to the game's storytelling experience.
- “The game's music, featuring songs by Portland-based singer-songwriter Altadore, plays a crucial role in crafting its bittersweet atmosphere.”
- “Altadore's music captures the melancholic yet contented emotions central to the game's themes.”
- “The soundtrack is incredible, really, really complements the overall themes of the game.”
- “It's ridden with glitches and animation errors, abrupt music cuts and more.”
- “The time the music forgot to stop playing only to abruptly realize it had missed its cue and shut off halfway through the next scene?”
- “Or the audio, for the most part; the songs are chill, although there are multiple areas with no music and minimal sound effects.... or there is the beach scene where the waves are so loud you can't hear anything else (including yourself).”
graphics
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
65%
9%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising its unique art style and atmospheric visuals, while others criticize the simplistic character models and numerous graphical glitches. While the subdued graphics effectively support the narrative and evoke nostalgia, many players noted that the overall visual experience is marred by technical issues and a lack of detail. Despite these shortcomings, some found moments of beauty that enhanced their enjoyment of the story.
- “While not highly detailed, these visuals effectively convey the game's core elements and facilitate meaningful interpersonal moments.”
- “The combination of visuals and sound helps convey the nuanced sentiment of appreciating the present while acknowledging the nostalgia for the past.”
- “Some of the graphics are impressive and incredibly atmospheric and immersive.”
- “The horrendous art style and graphics, a mix of 3D with shaded art, the character models without eyes were right out of a horror story. The waves crashing onto polygon rocks and 80s background graphics were cringe.”
- “The amount of bugs (easily and repeatedly getting out of the game's boundaries and being forced to reload an old save, cutscenes not playing out as intended, interaction options not popping up), poor and awkward controls, graphic issues (the road popping in and out of the vehicle during cutscenes, lack of detail in items vs scenery and characters), and the slow story progression really made this a bad experience.”
- “There are a number of graphical issues throughout.”
gameplay
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
74%
11%
The gameplay in "Forgotten Fields" is generally criticized for its janky controls and awkward mechanics, which detract from the overall experience. While the game features some interesting narrative-driven gameplay elements, such as switching between worlds and simple puzzles, many players find the interactions and mini-games to be unnecessary or poorly executed. Overall, the gameplay feels secondary to the emotional storytelling, leading to a mixed reception among players.
- “These story developments are both a narrative and gameplay device, acting as a very interesting way to develop Sid's tale.”
- “Gameplay-wise, there are a few mini-games and (unexpected) quick time events, but overall it is a very calm and even cozy experience that is centered around the dialogues and is concerned with setting the mood.”
- “The gameplay elements were enough to keep me interested and aware that it is indeed an adventure game, as opposed to a visual novel, but the puzzles themselves are exceptionally simple.”
- “The inventory system doesn't really flow and feels like a redundant tacked-on mechanic that's rarely used meaningfully.”
- “While Forgotten Fields excels in emotional depth and tone, it falls short in terms of gameplay.”
- “The main problem with the gameplay, though, are the at times janky controls.”
stability
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
5%
95%
The game suffers from numerous stability issues, including frequent glitches, clipping through objects, and awkward controls that can detract from the overall experience. While some players find these bugs to be minor inconveniences that do not significantly hinder enjoyment, others report that they can impede progress and disrupt immersion. Overall, the game's stability is considered problematic, with many recommending caution due to its buggy nature.
- “This game is a new release and an indie game, so it is definitely not bug-free, but the bugs I encountered didn't detract from my enjoyment of the game.”
- “It's currently (v1.6) too buggy, glitchy, and clunky to recommend.”
- “The only issue I really had was the animations; they're very buggy and clipping through objects very often, which unfortunately takes you out of the experience a bit.”
- “Unfortunately, the way the game is programmed means the interactive bits aren't actually fun to go through; moving through space is buggy and kind of annoying at times.”
emotional
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
"Forgotten Fields" is praised for its emotional depth and nostalgic storytelling, resonating with players through its heartfelt narrative and well-crafted writing. While the gameplay may be lacking and character animations can feel stiff, the game's music and themes effectively evoke strong feelings, making it a touching experience for those navigating personal transitions or reflecting on their past. Overall, it offers a raw and contemplative journey that many players find deeply moving.
- “Forgotten Fields, created by Frostwood Interactive, invites players to embark on an emotional journey through nostalgia, creativity, and the passage of time.”
- “The writing is overall well done, never gets overdramatic and finds the right tone for the topic, which transcended the stiff character animations and made me feel for the protagonist.”
- “This game is raw and heartfelt; it's a deeply personal experience that will connect to those of us having a 'quarter life crisis,' or anyone who is embarking on the next big chapter of our lives.”
atmosphere
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
8%
25%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its immersive and nostalgic qualities, largely enhanced by a poignant soundtrack featuring altadore's music. Players appreciate the remarkable environments and the cozy, family-oriented narrative that evokes a sense of warmth and reflection on cherished memories. Despite some technical glitches, the overall ambiance successfully creates a relaxing and engaging experience that resonates deeply with players.
- “Brought to you by the same developer who made Rainswept, Forgotten Fields is an atmospheric, narrative-driven, cinematic experience, chronicling the events of one summer in a quiet town.”
- “It is incredibly atmospheric and immersive with a slice of life appeal that makes you feel completely invested in the outcome.”
- “The game's music, featuring songs by Portland-based singer-songwriter Altadore, plays a crucial role in crafting its bittersweet atmosphere.”
- “Furthermore, the inclusion of these ordinary tasks established a family atmosphere and helped demonstrate Sid's memories of family events, whilst also conveying the message that family time should be cherished as nothing is permanent.”
- “Nice atmosphere and dialogues, not nice controls.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
Overall, the game's optimization is mixed; while some players report smooth performance at maximum settings on newer hardware, others experience occasional dips in performance and suggest that further optimization is needed, especially for lower-end PCs.
- “The game is perfectly optimized for me at max settings (I am running the game on a new-ish desktop PC, so I can't comment on how it would run on lower-end PCs).”
- “For such a simple-looking game, it should run great, but at times the performance does take some dips, so it could use a bit more optimization.”
- “Aside from these bugs, there were no performance issues.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Character development in the game is severely lacking, with numerous technical issues such as clipping, poor controls, and rendering problems detracting from the experience. Additionally, the characters are criticized for their basic design and lack of facial animation, resulting in a shallow and unengaging portrayal. Overall, these flaws contribute to a disappointing representation of character development.
- “The characters keep clipping through objects and walls, controlling them is not smooth, the camera is poor, the models often hover above the ground, there are rendering issues, no facial animation, and very basic character design. There are loads of glitches in this game, and the puzzles are not very interesting either.”
- “Character development feels shallow and uninspired, with little to no growth or meaningful choices throughout the game.”
- “The lack of depth in character backstories and interactions makes it hard to connect with them, resulting in a forgettable experience.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game offers limited replayability, primarily appealing to players seeking additional achievements, but lacks substantial content to encourage multiple playthroughs.
- “The game has a bit of replay value if you want other achievements, but otherwise, there's not much to do.”
- “Once you've completed the main story, there's little incentive to play again.”
- “The lack of varied gameplay mechanics makes replaying feel tedious and uninteresting.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find grinding in the game to be a refreshing escape from the monotony of everyday life, providing an enjoyable distraction rather than a tedious chore.