Fez - Final verdict

Fez is completed! It wasn’t easy, but using hard work (and online research) I was able to track down all of the cubes, artifacts and treasures.


Fez is a beautiful game and I highly recommend it for a truly unique and joyful experience, as well as a way to challenge your power of observation and problem solving. It’s not for the faint hearted or impatient. I remember being frustrated at first by what seemed like a spider web of a map and the complexity of the puzzles.


The map became easier to navigate as I became more familiar with it’s layout and warp paths. And after figuring out the alphabet, numbers and Tetromino systems, I was able to figure out almost everything for myself (almost). Here’s the secret, remember how I mentioned taking notes in my first impression blog? It really helps, screenshots help out a great deal too when trying to decipher a code or puzzle. As I mentioned before, this harkens back to the older gaming days, when there was no internet hints to help you continue.


One of my favorite qualities about Fez is it’s relaxed and joyful mood. There is no particular rush or limit on solving it’s mysteries and no real threats of violence (save for one lava level that slowly rises after you, I died so much!). The graphic design is colorfully vibrant and the tranquil electronic music, created by Disasterpiece, fits perfectly with the digital design and feel of the world Phil Fish created.

On a side note, despite the stigmas surrounding Phil Fish and his inflammatory nature when speaking to the public, I am a fan of his work and would play a sequel to Fez or anything else he creates in the future. He made an announcement via his blog a few months back that he would be stepping away from the video game industry, but I feel he may return after he’s given time to relax. Who knows, he may have even posted this so that the general public will leave him alone until his next masterpiece is done!

Fez - Blue Sky - Waterfall Face Hub secret code guide

To conquer Fez you have to be observant and smart; be aware of your surroundings and experiment to move forward. To help you get started on your journey, I’ve put together some solutions.

This is not a step by step walkthrough, but a source of secret codes for those playing Fez on a computer.

The Blue Sky Hub is the most expansive and thus I'll be dividing it into sections.

Blue Sky

Waterfall Face Hub



Climb to the top of the statue and follow its Tetromino sequence to part the waterfall and reveal a secret door behind it.

Left, A, Right, D, Up, Space, Down, D, D

Rosetta Stone

Before doing anything else climb to the very top of the waterfall structure and pass through the door in the tree.


In the next area you’ll notice a large pillar with Fez hieroglyphics on it. Next to the pillar, a fox is leaping over a dog. The Fez alphabet can be solved by inserting “The Quick Brown Fox, Jumps Over the Lazy Dog” into the appropriate spaces.


Waterworks


Return to the main Waterfall Face Hub and go through the secret passage you opened. Once inside the door, use the crank to lower the water level as far as it will go and continue following the path, through the newly revealed door.

Waterfall Face Hub


Return to the main Waterfall Hub and you’ll see the ocean level has lowered too. Go through the revealed door.

Security Room


Translate the stone pillar and answer the security question using the hints. Arrange the blocks facing the door, but tilt your head to the right and spell it out right to left, top down.

N O R T A T E M

Waterfall Face Hub


Return to the main Waterfall Hub, climb to the top of the tree by the stone and wait for nightfall. Speak to the owl, you now have three more owls to find.


During the same night shift perspective and approach the Tetromino door lit by moonlight.

Left, A, Left, Right, D, Down, Up, A

Enter the door into an awesome area that we’ll call the Blue Beat Room.

Blue Beat Room



Make your way through the room to the top for an Anticube. Halfway up, duck through a doorway and stand on the Tuning Fork inside. Listen to the bass tones, if you’re wearing headphones you’ll be able to hear which side each beat comes from and piece it together to give you your perspective sequence.

D, A, A, A, D, A, A, D

Infinity Room


This room cycles infinitely, but if you pay attention to each platform you’ll notice it is a Tetromino code.

Right, A, Right, Space, D, Down, Space, Up

Use the small warp gate to return to the Blue Sky Hub.

Fez - Village - Secret code guide

To conquer Fez you have to be observant and smart; be aware of your surroundings and experiment to move forward. To help you get started on your journey, I’ve put together some useful solutions.

This is not a step by step walkthrough, but a source of secret codes by zone for those playing Fez on a computer.

Village


Look up Fez’ achievements. Following in the directions in the achievement’s description stand anywhere in the village and change your perspective in the following sequence.

D, D, A, D, D, A, A, A

Monocle Room



Second tier of the Village.

Look at the painting on the wall to indicate another perspective sequence. The fez hats on each figure’s head represent which way you should shift perspective and in what order.

D, D, A, D, A, A, A, D

Remember to go through the fireplace to open a treasure chest!

Boiler Room



Third tier of the Village.

Observe the walls. You will see papers on the walls with the Fez numerals and Tetromino symbols. Follow each paper in numerical order to complete the Tetromino code.

Up, D, Left, Space, Right, A, Down, D

Geezer’s Home


In Geezer’s home take note of the owl paintings and where it looks like they are located. You will need to find these locations, visit them at night, and speak to each owl to unlock another secret.

Blue Sky Hub - Secret code guide

Fez - First Impressions

Gomez is a 2D creature living in a 2D world. Or is he? When the existence of a mysterious 3rd dimension is revealed to him, Gomez is sent out on a journey that will take him to the very end of time and space. Use your ability to navigate 3D structures from 4 distinct classic 2D perspectives. Explore a serene and beautiful open-ended world full of secrets, puzzles and hidden treasures. Unearth the mysteries of the past and discover the truth about reality and perception. Change your perspective and look at the world in a different way.




Fez is not for the faint of heart. You will be challenged to really observe your surroundings and apply what you’ve learned to achieve the games many secrets.

Starting Fez up for the first time is evocative. I grew up on a steady diet of 8-bit games and they hold a lot of nostalgic charm for me. When I see what Phil Fish has done with the design of the landscape, architecture and creatures inhabiting that space it not only brings back good memories, it puts forward a fresh perspective by adding the ability to flip around and play with a third dimension in what would only be a 2 dimensional world.




How am I feeling a few hours into Fez? Frustrated, yet determined. I want to see everything, experience everything, complete everything. The puzzles can be quite maddening and the map feels like a spiderweb, but I’m sure I’ll figure it out. To be completely honest, I’ve started looking up help on the internet, namely the alphabet and the numbers and from there I’m piecing the puzzles together myself. As I shut the game off Sunday morning I made a mental note to have a pen and paper beside me next time I play so I don’t miss anything and can refer to them to find secrets.

Taking notes? How foreign, and intriguing. It brings us back to how it felt before there were internet cheats feels like it did back in the day when there was no internet cheats to help you out. You had to figure out things for yourself or shell out money for the game guide provided by the company. I remember, years later, opening up old game cases and finding folded up notes scribbled out so I could progress in any given game. I am determined to figure out as much as I can by myself so now, armed with my notebook and pen, I am ready for the rest of Fez!

To be continued...

Gaming Heartily

I’ve become disillusioned with YouTube and would like to step away for it for an indefinite amount of time. And while I can acknowledge that video is an extremely powerful tool, especially when trying to convey the sights and sounds of a game to an audience, I want to remain more true to myself and challenge myself and focus on the written entries of this blog.

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, a lot of growing and realized that my online presence should not be about trying to make a living off of my content. That would be a wonderful benefit to be sure, but I am content to express myself, share helpful tips and articles about the topics I’m passionate about and hopefully be of help or inspiration to others.

I’ve decided to start a game club. This game club, Gaming Heartily to stick with the theme, will function somewhat like a book club. I will choose one or two games to focus on in a month (maybe more depending on the length and complexity of the games) and write my thoughts, feelings and observations once a week during play and one after completion. I invite you to join the fun, play along with me, and join in the discussion.

Although my soul belongs to Batman: Arkham Origins right now. I’d like to start this game club off with Fez. If you don’t already own Fez and are interested in buying it, if you own it and would like to play along or if you would just like to follow along, I will begin playing Fez this weekend and have my first journal up next week.

Thankful

Here in the United States, Thanksgiving day is a national annual holiday celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November, marked by religious services and a traditional meal including a turkey or ham. Of course each family is different, some may not attend religious services and some may not eat turkey or ham, that’s not the point. I’ve always felt the main focus is to be together with the people you love and eat a meal together, thankful for all you have.

After all the definition of the word Thanksgiving is the expression of gratitude.

This is a special day where we all express our love and gratitude for the special people, circumstances and objects of our lives. A lot of people, including myself, lose sight of how wonderful aspects of our life really are.

I’ve created a list of the things I am thankful for in my life right now and I hope that I can remember, on more than just this day, what makes my life special.

I am thankful for…

• My husband 
• My family 
•  My friends 
• My pets 
• My (relatively) good health 
• My job 
• My blog 
• My subscribers 
• My possessions