Feist

Feist is a 2D side-scrolling cinematic platformer in the tradition of a game like Limbo, but visually and thematically inspired by the movies The Dark Crystal and Hedgehog in the Fog. It consists of ten large levels where a small, feeble, furry, ball-like creature walking on two small legs needs to survive. Its mate has been kidnapped by a group of large beasts and the creature has been left behind, strung up in a cage. After escaping, it chases after the group, but discovers many dangers in environments such as forests and caves.

Next to the minimalist visuals, elements it shares with Limbo are the physics based puzzles that let the player progress in a slow way and the vulnerability of the protagonist. There is no health bar, but when not crushed by a log or impaled by a spike trap, the creature can only survive a few hits before it dies. Levels are split up with (invisible) checkpoints, so it is not required to replay the entire level and there is an unlimited amount of continues. The remaining health is not visible, but it can be replenished by eating midges. There are three buttons to move the creature left and right and to make it jump, and two additional ones to pick up items, throw them and in some cases attack. Fights are not scarce, but happen regularly and sometimes with little room for mistakes.

Many scenes require the player to examine the possibilities of the environments, picking up and moving rocks to create makeshift platforms, moving between branches of trees, swinging from hanging crates to use the momentum and reach a far spot and so on. There are many traps that, when triggered, usually kill the creature right away, but they can also be used to lure enemies inside. There are floating enemies with spikes, inchworms that appear from the ground, groups of many small spider-like creatures, flies and the beasts themselves. Objects in the environment can be picked up, for instance to attack with a stick or to throw a rock. Flies can be knocked out and grabbed to use them as a ranged weapon, launching spikes. Many scenes involve trial-and-error to test the possibilities before a section can be completed. There is not always a single solution to an approach, as the many objects sometimes provide room for different strategies. There is no voice-acting and also no text to further the story, everything is conveyed through the events. After completing a level it is available from a separate level select screen.