Fe release date, gameplay news and trailers

Back in June 2016 EA announced a new initiative – EA Originals – which sought to support indie developers which had “unique, gorgeous, innovative and memorable” games.

Alongside the announcement, which was during EA Play, was the news that Fe – from Gothenburg-based Zoink – would be the first title to be released under the EA Originals brand.

When is the Fe release date?

While we’d known for a while that Fe was due to be released in early 2018, we wasn’t sure when – that was until EA announced in early January 2018 that Fe would launch a month later on 16 February 2018 worldwide.

What platforms is Fe on?

It will be available on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Windows via Origin.

What is Fe all about?

Indie studio Zoink says that, at its heart, Fe is a personal narrative about our relationship with nature, the land, and its beings.

“It’s a wordless celebration of our longing to be one with world around us. It’s a story that reminds us that everything in this world is connected, living in a delicate balance that is constantly under threat. It’s a game full of discovery, conflict, and relationships.”

You play as a cub which wakes to find itself alone in a forest and you have to interact with other creatures by singing to them, in a sort of wordless wail. Singing can help you bond with the other animals of the forest, at which point they’ll help you, using their abilities to let you advance further. 

Some creatures will be easier to bond with than others – animals are naturally skittish after all – and to connect with some you’ll also have to learn their specific language first.

You can also unlock other permanent abilities for your character through collecting shards littered around the environments, and the developers told us at Gamescom that many of these abilities won’t be necessary for completing the game, but will instead be little rewards for players who take the time to explore fully.

In addition to making friends with the local wildlife, you’ll have to avoid the Silent Ones, sinister figures using their technology to trap some of the forest creatures. In these sections you’ll have to use stealth to evade the enemies, and your full suite of abilities to disrupt their technology or lure them into traps.

Despite the charming aesthetic, don’t expect Fe to be a walk in the park. The game has minimal user interface and np map, with the devs claiming that they are “really trying to minimise the handholding,” so players will have to find their own way through the forest and use environmental clues to figure out how to progress.