The season is just right, so let’s take a walk through the forest and appreciate a little nature. But this isn’t just any forest we’re going to venture through, and this isn’t your grandfather’s idea of nature – oh, no. This place has talking animals and trees, more magic than Houdini would know what to do with and plenty of glorious nostalgia that will have you feeling like a kid again. This is the world of Fox n Forests, an imaginative journey of fun that takes a page right out of the games of yesteryear.

From the 16-bit presentation of the opening screen, you know exactly what you’re in for with Fox n Forests – a side-scroller that includes double jumping galore and plenty of gold coins to collect. You would think you’re in the early ’90s playing this game, and that’s a big part of its charm.

Taking the role of a fox named Rick, you have made a deal with Patty the partridge to help save the forest from a troubling entity. Patty leads you to a giant talking tree – the Season Tree – that has a nose, eyebrows, psychedelic leaves for hair and a mustache. It tells you that a “mysterious force” has taken possession of its forest and is trying to “enforce some kind of devastating fifth season.” It’s up to you to try and fight off the evil lurking in the woods and help the Season Tree regain control of the forest and save its inhabitants.

The keyword here is “season” because it is what helps separate Fox n Forests from others in its genre. To give Rick a fighting chance, the Season Tree bestows upon him a crossbow. However, this isn’t just any old crossbow; this is a magic melee crossbow that allows you to change back and forth between seasons instantly.
In need of crossing a river? Just hold the crossbow high up in the air to change the season to winter, and it’s instantly iced over. Watch out, though, because the longer you stay in the alternate season, the more your mana bar depletes, the source of your season-changing power. Once the mana bar hits the bottom, you have to wait for it to recharge before you can be Mother Nature again. It’s certainly a unique and interesting element to the game and creates a new hook you’ll enjoy. Hopping onto giant, swaying leaves to get around during the fall season is especially fun.

The animated characters are a hoot, particularly Retro the badger, who likes games himself. He wants to expand his game collection, so if you pay him gold, he’ll grant you access to checkpoints in each level. The character is a sly and comedic poke at developer Bonus Level Entertainment’s self, seeing as how Fox n Forests is about as retro as you can get. From magic potions to the overall gameplay, there are elements of Zelda and Mario, among other classic titles, that are unmistakable. Instead of jumping onto the top of a flag pole at the end of a level, as was custom in the early Mario games, Rick jumps on one end of a seesaw and comically shoots Patty, who’s sitting on the other end, off into the sky. It’s a nice homage in a game that isn’t afraid to show who its influencers are.

It seems like the words “retro” and “nostalgia” get thrown around a lot nowadays by developers and companies, oftentimes failing to really recapture what it is they’re trying to sell. Fox n Forests is a rare example of a game living up to its description and leaving you wanting more. Fox n Forests is a pleasant surprise.

As Rick would say, it’s “Foxtastic!”

For more information, visit foxnforests.com.

Jason Savio