Fox n Forests asks players to walk through a quiet, hand-drawn world as a small fox named Finn, gathering fireflies and solving simple puzzles across a forest filled with talking animals. The game was released in 2018 for PS4, Linux, PC and Mac, and it leans heavily on calm observation rather than quick action. That approach works in fits and starts, but it rarely holds a player’s attention for long.
Trailer, via Bonus Level Entertainment.
Finn’s Forest
The core of Fox n Forests is a simple idea: move, talk, gather. Finn walks through a series of connected scenes, talking to rabbits, bears and other woodland creatures, and collecting fireflies along the way. Each area is small and self-contained, with a handful of objects to interact with and a single puzzle to solve before moving on.
The pacing is slow, and the game repeats its formula often. Players spend long stretches simply walking from one character to another, listening to dialogue about the forest’s residents and their daily routines. Some of these conversations land as charming observations about friendship and routine. Others feel like filler, repeated lines that add little beyond the next step in the path. The repetition can make it easy to lose track of exactly why the player is in this particular clearing, since each area looks similar to the last.
Fireflies and Puzzles
The puzzles themselves are the game’s strongest moments. They involve simple physics: pushing boxes, pulling levers, finding the right path through a maze of branches. None of them require much skill, but they reward curiosity and patience. Solving a puzzle often opens a new area or reveals a hidden firefly, giving players a sense of progress even when the game’s pace feels sluggish.
Fireflies serve as the game’s central goal. Players collect them to open locked doors and advance, but there is no pressure attached to the count. Finding them feels like a bonus rather than a chore, and the game never punishes a player for missing one. That looseness gives the game a relaxed feel, even as the puzzles themselves demand some thought.
Visual Style
The look of Fox n Forests is its clearest strength. The art is hand-drawn and warm, with soft colors and gentle lighting that give the forest a lived-in feeling. Character designs are expressive, and the animations for walking, jumping and talking are smooth enough to keep the pace from dragging entirely. This is a game that looks inviting, even when it feels otherwise unengaging.
Sound and Voice
The music matches the visual tone, soft and unhurried, though it rarely stands out on its own. The voice acting is minimal but effective, with characters speaking clearly and delivering lines with warmth. Dialogue is brief, and the game rarely relies on long conversations to carry its weight.
Length and Structure
Fox n Forests is a short game, and that brevity is both a strength and a weakness. Completing the main story takes a few hours, which keeps the game from overstaying its welcome. But the lack of a larger structure means there is little reason to return once the credits roll. There is no difficulty curve, no branching paths and no secrets worth seeking out.
The game also lacks a real sense of progression. Players move from one area to the next without a clear sense of where they are going or what they are working toward. The absence of a central goal means the journey feels less purposeful than it should. Without a clear endpoint, the game’s individual areas start to blend together.
Comparison With Other Games
| Feature | Fox n Forests | Other games in the genre |
|---|---|---|
| Length | Short, around 3–4 hours | Longer, often 10+ hours |
| Difficulty | Easy, no challenge | Varies widely |
| Structure | Linear, no branching paths | Often open-world or branching |
| Pacing | Slow, repetitive | Varied, with fast and slow sections |
Final Word
Fox n Forests is a game that understands its own limits. It knows it wants to be a quiet, relaxing experience, and it mostly succeeds at that. The puzzles are clever, the art is lovely, and the mood is consistently pleasant. But the lack of depth means it rarely rises above competent.
Players looking for a game they can put down and pick up again will find value in its simple pleasures. Those hoping for a game with lasting replay value will likely grow tired of its limited scope.
Fox n Forests earns a score of 6.9 out of 10.
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