Puzzle-Platformer Cult Classic Fez Is Finally Coming to iOS in 2017
Just when you thought the sight of an iOS port of Fez would become ever more elusive, here comes news that the said game is actually in development and its launch on the horizon.
Whither Fez for iOS?
To be sure, the probability of Fez making it to iOS was officially mentioned by its developer, Polytron, as far back as 2013, a year after the game’s original release on Xbox 360. But since then, nothing of note has been heard, let alone seen, of it. That is, until now.
In celebration of the fifth anniversary of the game on Thursday, April 13, Polytron announced that the long-awaited and long-overdue iOS version of Fez would be coming out, at long last, in 2017. The developer didn’t provide a specific release date, but at least we’re more or less assured that Fez for iOS would be launched later this year.
In its announcement on Twitter, Polytron said that the development of Fez for iOS is being handled by the game porting and publishing studio BlitWorks. It also shared a teaser trailer for the upcoming port. Take a look:
As you can see, the teaser video features the game’s protagonist, Gomez, and concludes with the Fez logo inside an iPad, suggesting that Fez for iOS will be available only on iPad, at least initially. And sure enough, a producer at Polytron has confirmed that iPad is the priority at launch, with development for iPhone pending as the team focuses on performance, given that a lot of things are happening on the screen as the game is played.
What the Fez?
How is the game played anyway? Well, Fez is centered on Gomez, who receives a fez that reveals the existence of a mysterious third dimension and makes him realize that the 2-D world he lives in is just one of four sides of a 3-D world. He then sets out on a quest to restore order to the universe that requires you, as the player, to navigate 3-D structures by rotating between the four distinct 2-D views. Take a look at its launch trailer:
Fez was released after five years of development, the final phases of which were featured in the 2012 documentary “Indie Game: The Movie.” The film in turn made an unlikely celebrity out of Phil Fish, a cofounder of Polytron and designer of Fez, who abruptly left the game industry in 2013. An argument between Fish and a video game journalist led to the cancellation of a planned sequel to the game, Fez II.
Fez has been met with widespread acclaim, accorded with cult-classic status, and considered a major influence on games such as Monument Valley and Crossy Road. So its arrival on iOS is better late than never.
The console and desktop version of Fez is currently available on Steam for $5, in keeping with the game’s fifth anniversary celebration.
