FOX n FORESTS (XB1) Review

Fox and Friends.

The 16-bit era was prime time for my childhood days. I played countless hours of SNES with practically every genre of game. One of the leading genres in those days was the platformer. I was a huge fan of them, and they still are rooted in my brain to this day. With the success of Shovel Knight with the 8-bit throwback, it’s time we got a 16-bit one as well. Fox N Forests really does try to hit that nostalgic feel of Shovel Knight, but due to a few missteps, it falls short of greatness, but only slightly so.

Fox N Forests is a retro action platformer that takes on the old school look and feel of SNES classics of yesteryears. The very first thing that comes to mind is the old Magical Quest game with Disney’s Mickey Mouse. Players take on the role of Rick the Fox as he is reluctantly volunteered to save the forest land from falling into seasonal chaos. He is tasked with gathering seeds for the Guardian Tree while traversing the land with help from a magical crossbow that can shoot arrows, turn into a blade for melee attacks, and change the seasons on the fly.

Platforms: XB1, PS4, Switch, PC
MSRP: $19.99
Price I’d pay: $19.99

Like many platformers of its day, Rick can double jump, attack in different ways depending on his positioning, and change the seasons using his mana bar. This is a major aspect to the game, as changing seasons in a level will change the environment, allowing him to get to different places he normally couldn’t. For instance, changing a Spring level to Autumn will make leaves fall from the trees creating platforms he can jump on to reach higher areas. Change a Summer level to Winter, and instant death water pits turn into frozen bridges he can walk across. It adds a layer to the levels as well as offers different hidden paths that can lead to new treasures.

Speaking of treasures, Fox N Forests features multiple collectables throughout the levels. Some of these will be used for upgrades and new skills, while the seeds become a more important collectable. Seeds are required to progress to new areas to take on new levels. Now, it’s not too difficult to find seeds if the player is exploring the levels thoroughly enough, but missing some can happen. After completing a stage, Rick is back on the over world map that serves as a stage select. In order to go to new areas, he must have collected enough seeds to progress. If he hasn’t, that means the player must replay levels already completed to explore and find hidden seeds. This can become a bit of a slog.

Back in town, Rick can spend his money and other things collected to obtain new upgrades for his attacks as well as new skills like an in-air ground smash or a sword slash attack that can be used after his double jump. If players find empty bottles, they can get them filled with magic potions that can be used for buffs or full screen attacks.

Gameplay-wise it works well. There is a minor issue I had with the controls, or rather the way things are prioritized. It took some getting used to that the fact that Rick fires his crossbow only while standing, and standing still for that matter. All air attacks are melee focused and the double jump melee isn’t even unlocked to begin with. While I got used to it, it was a rather awkward feel for the first hour or so.

Visually, the game looks great. The 16-bit animations are smooth and the game runs fantastic with almost no slow down to be seen. The soundtrack is something to be mentioned. It really gives off that SNES/Genesis feel with some very catchy tunes and vibrant style. This could easily be seen as a game of that era.

Fox N Forests is a pretty decent game. The only real downside is the pacing and having to do the same levels over again just to collect seeds to continue the game. The game plays great, looks just how I wanted it to, and has that style that really gives off the nostalgic feel. People looking to scratch that 16-bit platformer itch will have a good time with it, and people looking to find nice 16-bit recreation will get something well done here.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.

Good
  • Nice style
  • Great soundtrack and visuals
  • Solid gameplay
Bad
  • Pacing
  • Controls take some getting used to
  • Having to replay levels to progress
8
Great
Written by
Drew is the Community Manager here at ZTGD and his accent simply woos the ladies. His rage is only surpassed by the great one himself and no one should stand between him and his Twizzlers.