Four Sided Fantasy is a platform/puzzle game in which you use the boundaries of the edge of the screen to move around, solving platforming puzzles and finding other ways to get around the levels. It is a story of a man and woman who journey throughout the four seasons of the year.
General Gameplay
You play as a man and a woman going through the levels and using the boundaries feature to pass the levels. As you play you can use this ability to “go off the game design borders” to cross over to the other side and solve the level in this fashion. As you progress in the game, the ability allows you to do more “screen wrap” to different parts of the level.
Audio
The audio is very minimal in Four Sided Fantasy. There is soothing music that is playing in the background, the instrumental type that you would hear at a great, laid-back coffee shop. The music fits the levels well, and there are some special sound effects for the game, but nothing else. As the game does not have any spoken dialogue, there is no offensive language in the game that would concern parents. The game is not in 5.1 surround sound, however, when we were playtesting the game, the background music and effects sounded perfect without it. Also, for gamers in your family who use a headset to play the game, the sound comes off well in the headset; as always, parents, please use caution for gamers in your family with extended headset usage.
Visuals
Developer Ludo Land has a very basic approach to the in game visuals. If anything, the game has just a background with either the man or woman who is the main character. However, it is how the game visuals bring the world to life that make this title so unique. Sometimes less is more, and Ludo Land has done a fantastic job showcasing the graphics with this style and such an innovative approach. The game is told by the actions of the user; to pass the platforming puzzles, it is how the game represents the visuals. Parents please be aware that during our playtesting we did not see anything offensive for any gaming member in your family. This is one of the family-friendliest games that we have played this year. The game does not support a colorblind mode, but it is not needed as the game graphics and colors are very vibrant and easy to distinguish on the screen. We have also tested the game on different monitors and did not notice any issues with the game graphics on any monitor size.
Controls
Four Sided Fantasy has a very easy pick up and play style of control. With just a jump button, the left thumb stick and the shoulder buttons to do the “screen wrapping” it is a very family-friendly controller setup. This allows anyone, from experienced to newer gamers, the ability to pick up a controller and play the game without memorizing the layout. The controller settings are a good fit, and the in-game controls are very responsive to the action on the screen. As the game is both on PC and on the consoles (at the time of this review) there is no need for any special controller for console gamers, and using either a PC controller or mouse/keyboard combo should work fine.
“Four Sided Fantasy is a game that makes you think outside the box while using the box to figure of the puzzle at hand”
Delivery
What makes Four Sided Fantasy such a fun game is that it takes the best parts of platform games and puzzle games, then places an interesting “think outside of the box” style of puzzle-solving and here you have a fun game that is both entertaining and fun for all ages, even grown-ups! The game graphics may be simplistic, but do not let that fool you. Underneath this game is a very deep puzzle/platformer that will challenge you. What also makes this a great game is the smooth background music. Its sound and feel matches the level that you are playing and gives the game more life. However, when play testing the game we did have some concerns (more on this in our family friendly section).
Family Friendly
One of the concerns that we had with this game was the fact that you can beat the game in one or two sittings. Do not allow this to be a deal breaker as the game is, so far, as good a puzzle/platform hybrid game that we’ve experienced. Plus, one of the advantages of the game is that once you beat it, you can replay the game levels in a “New Game +” mode. Without giving away too much of the story it does, in a way, become a new game as you can approach the game levels in a more unique way to solve the puzzles. The game is made up of 5 levels, each designed to be completed within 30-45 minutes with some luck and skill. If anything, the game is meant to be played for the player to experience the levels and puzzle more than its story itself (which will have you asking the meaning of beating the game). Also, Four Sided Fantasy is a good game for everyone in your gaming family to play with their children, so they both can tackle the puzzles and experience the game. This is truly a gem of a game and one that deserves a place in your digital library. Again, do not allow the short lenth of the game to deter you from playing it. In our special needs game testing, we saw that a lot of our special needs gamers loved the game and the puzzle-solving aspect. It allowed “out of the box” thinking and different approaches to the puzzles – overall a great, fun experience.
Closing
Four Sided Fantasy is a short but very fulfilling puzzle/platform experience that is a great fit for your digital library. A very fun family game to literally be enjoyed by all ages and skill levels.
