Screenshots & trailers
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 88 | 15 |
| Creator reviews (1 tracked) | – | 90 | 0 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 93% | 87 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 68 | 14 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 87% | 80 | 15 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 43 reviews sampled · 41 total reviews in window · weighted 26.4 up / 4 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (85)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 90
“FEZ is a fun, challenging puzzle platformer fit to burst with original ideas and unique gameplay wrinkles. Its puzzles bend reality and even leech into our own world on occasion, but aside from a few select mega-challenges never stray into the category of too obtuse or unfair. A few visual and mechanical quirks stop this from being a perfectly polished experience, but these are outweighed by its charm and other wonderful qualities ninefold. It's another one of those 'games you have to play' on Switch, and it couldn't be more at home.”
read full review ↗ - 95
“Fez was formed in pain for several years. It was worth the wait - it's by far the best adventure-platform game available on Xbox 360 on Xbox LIVE Arcade. This title may have been about two years late to be called a milestone for the development of the independent games or games scene in general, but it is possible to pin it on the label of a work of art without fear. What I hereby do and encourage you to personally convince all readers of this.”
read full review ↗ - 100
“I haven't smiled as much while playing a game since my first multiplayer run of LittleBigPlanet, and even then I was only smiling because I was terrible and enjoyed frustrating my friends as they ran gracefully through the levels. Fez is comparable to Braid or Limbo in terms of recent indie platformers, but it is infinitely more heartwarming than Braid and less terrifying than Limbo...There's a lot to be said for a game that can make a grown woman squeal with glee dozens of times in a playthrough.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“This far into the Switch lifespan the list of outstanding top-notch indie titles that haven’t yet made it to the platform is dwindling...”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Fez is a very easy-going experience for the most part, but it is also very capable of presenting a diabolical challenge to anyone looking for one. The descent to an otherworldly nightmare glitch-world is something that is not often done in video games, yet it makes a lot of sense; especially for something that focuses on a theme of perception and dimension. While the creator of Fez may have his issues, his game has very few and is very pleasant to play.”
read full review ↗ - 95
“The way the game opens up as you play, revealing secrets on top of secrets is something I've never seen another game land quite as well. What stands out most to me about Fez after nine years is that I'm in the midst of my third playthrough and even with some of the sheer novelty being lessened, I'm as enthralled as I was back in 2012. Fez stands as a truly unique indie game that draws inspiration from classics but is wholly its own precious and maddening experience that needs to be played.”
read full review ↗ - 95
“It's an absolute must-buy and, despite it still being early in 2012, a strong contender for indie game of the year.”
read full review ↗ - 92
“For what is a very reasonable price of 800MSP, Fez is a game that will give you hours of gameplay. There are still questions unanswered, even with the collective mind of the internet, so who knows how much the game has to offer. I do know that, even now, you will get a lot of enjoyment and frustration from this game if you are at all interested in puzzles. The cuteness and originality far exceeded my first expectations, and bodes for an overall excellent game.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Successful visuality, different puzzle structure, interesting story, cross-buy feature is enough to buy for a single platform, Cross-save.”
read full review ↗ - 96
- 85
“Given the amount of development time and the public nature of the game, Fez no longer seems like a revolutionary title. The puzzle mechanics has been used in several different ways in other games (that were released earlier), and the move away from realism and into a more whimsical, older look has also been done by other titles. The graphics and sound are still charming, even if it falters in a few places. More importantly, the game does a great job of throwing in a number of obtuse and brain-melting puzzles, and the sense of elation when you finally solve them is second to none. Those who love a good challenge will have some fun with this well-made puzzle platformer.”
read full review ↗ - 95
“For an experience that could've drowned in an overreliance on using familiar signposts from what's come before it, Fez succeeds in celebrating the past in a smart, joyous way that has us incredibly excited for gaming's future.”
read full review ↗
Nintendo Life
GRYOnline.pl
Nindie Spotlight
Cubed3
NintendoWorldReport
GameWatcher
ZTGD
Merlin'in Kazanı
Worth Playing…and 73 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- FEZ 1.12Aug 19, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- FEZ 1.12Aug 19, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- FEZ v1.11 Patch NotesJun 24, 2014
- FEZ v1.11 Patch NotesJun 24, 2014
- v1.09 and v1.10 Patch Notes and Humble Bundle!Sep 17, 2013
- v1.09 and v1.10 Patch Notes and Humble Bundle!Sep 17, 2013
- v1.08 Patch NotesAug 10, 2013significant · resets scoring window
- v1.08 Patch NotesAug 10, 2013significant · resets scoring window