Forgotten Fragments review: Frustratingly bittersweet

Forgotten Fragments is a new puzzle platformer from Assemble Entertainment that isn’t big on hand holding. From the very beginning, getting Enid to fulfill her mission is fraught with challenges, some more easily resolved than others. Rich with retro inspiration, this title is as much about perseverance as it is skill. 

Nobody said adventuring would be easy, yet this Forgotten Fragments game often leaves you frustrated rather than satisfied. But does that mean you should give it a miss? This reviewer has traversed its levels to help you decide whether you’re prepared to help Enid out. Make sure to read it before you set off on your adventure. 

The Escapist recaps

• Forgotten Fragments is a retro inspired puzzle platformer, developed by Binary Phoenix and published by Assemble Entertainment. 
• Set within a vivid pixel art world, Forgotten Fragments delivers over 100 levels to traverse, set across four uniquely designed worlds. 
• Even though the title doesn’t shy away from being challenging, the in-game mechanics are extremely precise, often leaving you frustrated rather than satisfied when you succeed. 
• Smart thinking is important here, but so too is being willing to continuously fail, which can cause the gameplay to feel too repetitive when forced to replay a level over and over again. 
• Forgotten Fragments release date was 24 September, with the game currently only available for PC players. 

Vivid retro aesthetics

For all of this reviewer’s gripes about Forgotten Fragments, the one aspect of the experience that’s faultless is its aesthetic. It’s enchanting. Although its gameplay is markedly different from that of Octopath Traveler, Steam’s Forgotten Fragments game has that same old school beauty. 

Binary Phoenix’s attention to detail is what makes exploring this title rewarding, even when the gameplay has you ready to throw your controller across the room. While it’s far more detailed and visually pleasing to look at than Alex Kidd in Miracle World, it often reminded me of the game. Not just because of its colourful pixelated graphics, but also due to how difficult it is to progress. 

Timing is everything

In many games, there are times when timing is the key to your success – you might need to win a race or scale a building within a set time limit. However, in Forgotten Fragments, everything is about timing. It makes it both exciting and exhausting, especially due to how often you’ll fail. 

When you first start a level, you have plenty of time to take in your surroundings and assess where you need to go. But the moment you collect an orb, time isn’t on your side. Within approximately 10 seconds, you need to have aimed and fired the orb into the right place; if you miss, you’d better hope that orb comes back to you before time runs out. Death awaits you if you fail. 

Although permadeath isn’t an issue, you’ll scarcely be grateful for that fate because Enid keeps dying. She’ll die (aka restart the level) if you touch the spikes, damage the orb, unsuccessfully light the torches with the orbs, or touch water. 

While this can feel thrilling to begin with, you soon tire of having to retry pushing a box hard enough so that, when it starts to fall, you can use it as an additional platform to jump further. Worst of all, if you fail and die, all of the puzzles within that level will reset, not just the one you screwed up. 

There is a caveat to this, though: if you play in co-op mode, you’ll have a less taxing ride. Timing is still crucial, but you have the advantage of two players instead of one. This reviewer, however, was playing alone and thus suffered greatly because of that fact. 

Frustration becomes a close friend

In platformers or roguelike games, players anticipate being annoyed by the gameplay. Arguably, for many gamers that’s part of the charm. However, unlike Folly of the Wizards, where procedurally generated levels break up any potential for monotony, Forgotten Fragments lacks such respite. Instead, you are stuck in the same level until you lose your cool and quit the game, stick with it and get angrier, or admit defeat and turn on Assist Mode. 

Typically, this reviewer would welcome an easier-to-play option; however, due to the way Assist Mode works, you end up losing the heart of what makes Forgotten Fragments a challenging experience. There’s a significant lack of balance – the adventure either feels too difficult or too easy, with nothing in between. 

Yes, Assist Mode increases the Forgotten Fragments game’s accessibility, but at what cost? If Dark Souls offered difficulty levels, it would change the game in such a way that it loses the magic of what makes it so enticing to many in the first place. 

Dedication is rewarded

As tedious as the levels can be, especially when playing in solo mode, there are rewards to be found for your dedication. Natural story progression is the most obvious one, but arguably more alluring is the promise of secrets and character customisation. 

In Forgotten Fragments, it pays to explore every nook and cranny as if Enid’s life depends on it. In doing so, you’ll unlock new skins, as well as the chance to play secret levels. Does this make all the anguish you suffer at the hands of this unforgiving platformer worthwhile? For this gamer, no, it doesn’t. Even though collecting secrets is enjoyable, not sobbing because you’ve died the 100th time proved more fun. 

Still, while Forgotten Fragments isn’t designed with every player in mind, it doesn’t fail because of that fact. Rather, it becomes a budding cult classic that will likely gain popularity over time, once it’s aged a little. 

Ask The Escapist