28 Mar 2019Developer post

Walktrough

Dear Player, This is our FOX n FORESTS walkthrough, helping you to uncover every last se(ed)cret. To be able to collect everything you need to master the following move: You can walk off any platform and THEN do a double jump in MID-AIR in order to jump even further! And make sur

Dear Player,

This is our FOX n FORESTS walkthrough, helping you to uncover every last se(ed)cret.

To be able to collect everything you need to master the following move: You can walk off any platform and THEN do a double jump in MID-AIR in order to jump even further!

And make sure to get the Double Jump Spin Attack in the armory in Forests Plaza right after completing the first level. It will make your life much easier…

Your FnF Team

Level 1:1 - Revolving River

Seed 1: Come on, even Patty knows where to find that one ;)
Seed 2: The green shot is needed to destroy the green target and make secret platforms appear.
Seed 3: Simply jump across to the left on top of the first bee hive.
Seed 4: The stomp attack and red shot are needed to explore the upper parts of the cave.
Seed 5: Go to the left as far as possible and drop down the waterfall.
Grindstone 1: The green shot is needed to destroy the green target inside the little cave and make secret platforms appear above. Jump across over to the top of the waterfall.
Grindstone 2: “Trust your instincts, fox!” - drop down near the giant plant, but make sure to change to winter first. Press the controller down for a while to make the camera scroll down.
Mana Ore: Hidden inside a secret cave right before the watermill.
Bottle: -

Level 1:2 - Gorgeous Gorge

Seed 1: The red shot is needed to destroy the red target and make a secret platform appear.
Seed 2: Easy to find under the first checkpoint that is Retro the badger.
Seed 3: This cave is accessible via a stomp attack or by the secret wall on its left.
Seed 4: Hidden inside the cave maze you will need to be in possession of the green shot here.
Seed 5: On top of the giant vine. Make sure your mana bar is upgraded to make it to the top easily.
Grindstone 1: Simply go down the vine and to the right at its middle.
Grindstone 2: You should pass by this treasure chest containing the grindstone anyway.
Mana Ore: All shots and being cunning as a fox is mandatory to get to this mana ore.
Bottle: The first bottle in the game, easy for anyone to find :) Now buy some magic attack potions!

Level 2:1 - Fungus Forest

Seed 1: Drop down in the middle tunnel here, where the two ants await you at the bottom.
Seed 2: After the first red target at the right top (after the cave with the bats) go to the treasure chest on the very right and a seed will appear left of the chest.
Seed 3: In the middle of the level after the 2nd Retro checkpoint where all the mushrooms are, there are two boars running into you. Right here is a big red mushroom with no spots and over the big red mushroom a platform with a bug crawling around. The seed is on that platform. To make it appear you must jump in between the big red mushroom and that platform with the bug and walk to the right a bit on the big red mushroom.
Seed 4: Between the boar and the tree-stump.
Seed 5: At the end of the level ride the zipline. A seed is on a little platform at the end of this zipline.
Grindstone 1: The red shot is needed to destroy the red target and make the stone wall disappear.
Grindstone 2: Jump up to the top platform (shots needed) and then double jump to the left.
Mana Ore: Let yourself drop down the zipline right in between the spikes.
Bottle: Backtrack over the mushrooms and use the mid-air double jump to reach these chests.

Level 2:2 - Tricky Treetops

Seed 1: In the beginning on the floor.
Seed 2: Behind a cloud, make sure to be in fire season so you can fly behind that cloud.
Seed 3: Behind a small fire column where there are two small fire columns with a cloud in between.
Seed 4: Between clouds, clearly visible but not that easy to get to.
Seed 5: Behind the last big fire column, right at the end.
Grindstone 1: -
Grindstone 2: -
Mana Ore: -
Bottle: -

Level 3:1 - Windy Windmills

Seed 1: Between the two big, destroyable flour bags on the left.
Seed 2: On the little platform left and underneath Retro’s checkpoint.
Seed 3: Where all the millers gather, destroy the red target on the right so you can jump up the secret wooden platforms and reach the seed on top.
Seed 4: Easy to make disappear, hard to get ;) Drop off the little platform above this seed and then perform the mid-air double jump.
Seed 5: Mind your head! Ride down the group of conveyor belts and don’t forget to duck and cover.
Grindstone 1: The mid-air double jump is needed to reach the chest on the left.
Grindstone 2: Simply jump to the treasure chest on the left, you may want to use the conveyor belt as a speed boost to make the double jump easier.
Mana Ore: Let yourself drop off the platform and do a mid-air double jump to reach the ore.
Bottle: -

Level 3:2 - Foggy Fable

Seed 1: Well hidden inside the well, perform a stomp attack to destroy the breakable platform.
Seed 2: There is a secret path in this building… on top of the right vine-man.
Seed 3: The blue shot is needed to destroy the blue target and make them secret platforms appear.
Seed 4: After defeating the second shaman, activate the target with the corresponding shot to reach the clocktower of this building.
Seed 5: The blue shot is needed to destroy the blue target and make secret platforms appear.
Grindstone 1: Jump up to the high platforms right after the 2nd Retro checkpoint.
Grindstone 2: The blue shot is needed to reach this area that has seed number 3 in it as well.
Mana Ore: Venture inside the hidden tomb.
Bottle: From the platform where the 1st grindstone is do a cool stomp attack downwards to destroy the breakable platform.

Level 4:1 - Crystal Caves

Seed 1: This one is super tricky! You need to destroy the blue target with the blue shot. How? Well, every third boomerang flies downwards…
Seed 2: Be quick to reach this seed by flying back a bit.
Seed 3: There is a green target hidden behind the mushrooms right after Retro. Destroy it to make the seed on the ceiling appear.
Seed 4: Just take the upper route.
Seed 5: Last not least the easiest seed, just carefully fly up in between the gap.
Grindstone 1: -
Grindstone 2: -
Mana Ore: -
Bottle: -

Level 4:2 - Leaky Lake

Seed 1: Hard level, easy first seed ;) Just walk to the left right at the beginning of the stage.
Seed 2: If your mana bar is fully upgraded, even this underwater seed can be easily persuaded.
Seed 3: Shoot the target on the left to make the skulls disappear and walk through the little tunnel.
Seed 4: Just take the route in between the big skulls.
Seed 5: Super hard! First you will have to make your way back to this upper area by defeating big deer hunters and lizards and then you need to activate the red target. Now jump up to the top of the secret platforms that just appeared to make the little mouse dig up the seed for you below.
Grindstone 1: There is a secret tunnel left and underneath the water’s surface here.
Grindstone 2: All shots are needed to destroy targets and make platforms appear, starts with green.
Mana Ore: Perform a mid-air double jump from the left top spine to reach the treasure cave.
Bottle: This chest is quite hard to get to. You will need to use the mid-air double jump from the left, top platform to reach it. To reach this top platform however, you need to change back seasons in mid air right after jumping out of the skull to put them bees back to sleep. Save the bees by the way!

******************************

Thank you for playing our 16-Bit inspired indie game FOX n FORESTS!

There is actually a little reward for collecting all seeds…

Please keep recommending, following, liking and supporting us, so we can keep pursuing our dreams,

Your FnF Team

Original post

30 May 2018PC Gamer

Fox N Forests is a deeply authentic retro platformer

Pixel art doesn't always mean 'retro.' Sometimes it's more a matter of budget, or just a look the developers happen to love. I say this so that when I tell you Fox N Forests is a retro game you know I'm not just using it as a synonym for "it has old-fashioned graphics." This is a

Pixel art doesn't always mean 'retro.' Sometimes it's more a matter of budget, or just a look the developers happen to love. I say this so that when I tell you Fox N Forests is a retro game you know I'm not just using it as a synonym for "it has old-fashioned graphics." This is a 16-bit platformer that deliberately harks back to a specific era. If it wasn't for the one character who makes jokes about a hedgehog getting arrested for going too fast or ET games buried in the desert—a character named Retro the Badger—you'd think this was a genuine lost Super Nintendo game somehow released on Steam in 2018.

Talking about the inspirations for its art style, game director Rupert Ochsner namechecks the likes of Super Ghouls N Ghosts, Mega Man X, and Disney's Magical Quest. "What strikes your eyes is that all these cartoony games, they have dark, very thick black outlines," he says.

Trying to recreate that look was easier said than done. "If you do the outlines 100% black then it doesn't really look high quality and it doesn't look like the sprites fit onto the backgrounds. First we had those black outlines and then we reduced them and made them almost nonexistent and then the game started to feel like more of a western Super Nintendo game, it was really interesting. And then at the end we managed to have a mix between really thick black outlines on one side but on the other side we had not so strict outlines and then you really get this Capcom Super Nintendo feel."

That wasn't the only artistic challenge they faced. The hook of Fox N Forests is a mechanic that lets you, as a crossbow-wielding fox named Rick, manipulate the seasons. Each level can be flipped between two seasons so you might go from summer to winter to put bees to sleep and freeze a lake, or from spring to fall so leaves tumble down revealing hidden platforms in a tree.

"For the artists it was a lot of work," Ochsner says, "because they had to pixel-create every tileset twice in two different seasons, because you can switch between two predefined seasons per level, and of course this is also why the levels in Fox N Forests are pretty long."

Having longer levels but less of them meant there wasn't as much need for varied tilesets, and also played into the specific kind of platformer experience they wanted to create—levels with multiple paths through them, hidden collectibles, and areas that can only be unlocked by returning with new gear.

"Something the whole team really loves about the old school 16-bit games [is] that you have to try stuff yourself, that you have to find stuff yourself," says Ochsner. That extended to new moves. "We have this cool double-jump spin attack but we do not give it to the player from the beginning. It's something you can get in the shop. It's pretty cheap so we've designed it that way, you can buy it already when you finish the first level, but once you find that yourself you go, 'Oh wow, it's such a great attack! And now it makes the whole game easier and more fun.' This is the design we had in our minds, like when you were a child, when you were playing 16-bit games, and you were really finding out stuff yourself and exploring the game your own way."

...foxes are one of the few wild animals you also get to see if you live in an urban area, especially in Europe. They have this wild magic around them but you actually get to see them.
Rupert Ochsner

It reminded me of Hollow Knight, which doesn't even give you a double jump until a fair way in, although Fox N Forests isn't quite so stingy. "I respect game designers that do this. It is a risk. Now that our game is out we sometimes see people playing it and they play half of the game without getting the double-jump spin attack. Complaining, 'Why can't you attack when you double jump?' It was a risk but what I also like is that when people are willing to engage with the game, then they are usually really happy with this design choice and they know it's really rewarding once you get it. The core community definitely likes it this way."

A similarly old school idea is that checkpoints cost coins to unlock. They're not expensive, but money spent on them could be going toward upgrading your bayonet-crossbow. In-game, the explanation is that the checkpoints are run by Retro the Badger who needs the money to fund his game-collecting habit.

"It's not a lot you have to pay Retro the Badger," Ochsner explains, "but if you take more risk you have more money at the end. We wanted to anticipate this, that if the player wants to he can take more risk, the game gets more difficult and he gets rewarded for it."

The woodland animal theme of Fox N Forests wasn't there from the start. Initially it was about a thief who was inspired by Locke from Final Fantasy 6, then a knight like Arthur from Ghosts 'n Goblins, "but knights are overdone," as Ochsner says.

"Then I was very close to making a wolf the main character and calling the game Wolf Warrior." Finally they settled on a fox, accidentally joining a string of indie games with fox protagonists like Tunic, Vulpine, and The First Tree.

"I think they're popular on one hand because of the Japanese culture and mythology where foxes are really big," says Ochsner, "and of course for gamers the Japanese culture's always a very big thing. On the other hand I think foxes are one of the few wild animals you also get to see if you live in an urban area, especially in Europe. They have this wild magic around them but you actually get to see them. They are really smart, they're very cool animals, and have adapted into urban living quite well. I think all these things come into play. Everyone has some feelings towards the fox."

Fox N Forests is available now on Steam.

Original post

21 May 2018Developer post

Useful "Tips and Tricks" for Beginners!

1.) After completing Level 1:1 "Revolving River" go back to the HUB Area "Forest Plaza" and buy the "Double Jump Spin Attack" in the Armory!!! 2.) Pay Retro the little money he is asking for ;) 3.) After completing the first Boss "Furious Frog" it is VERY likely that you have alr

17 May 2018Developer post

LINUX - Please note

The game runs best with Ubuntu 16.04. Notes for Ubuntu 17.10 and 18.04: The game generally runs on these versions but there is a reported glitch and corresponding workaround: - The game stops after the "Made with Unity" logo with a black screen: Simply press the ESCAPE button onc

15 May 2018Developer post

How to play!

Thanks to our Kickstarter backers we have an "Instruction Booklet" for FOX n FORESTS, here is an excerpt of it :) Enjoy!

03 May 2018Developer post

Concept Art

Dear FOX n FORESTS Community, We would like to give you another insight into the development of FOX n FORESTS. This time about the concept art created for our game and the creative approach we took towards monster design... GREEN EYED HORDE In FOX n FORESTS a mysterious, evil for

24 Apr 2018PC Gamer

Foxy retro platformer Fox n Forests pouncing on PC next month

Just under two years after its successful 2016 Kickstarter , 16-bit 2D platformer Fox n Forests will launch next month on May 17, developer Bonus Level Entertainment announced today. The studio marked the announcement with a trailer showcasing one of the game's many forested leve

26 Mar 2018Developer post

Level Design Workshop

Dear FOX n FORESTS Community, Today we have something special for those who are interested in the development of our title: a workshop about the level design of “Gorgeous Gorge” (level 1:2). The inspiration for “Gorgeous Gorge” came from SNES and Genesis/Mega Drive titles such as

Dear FOX n FORESTS Community,

Today we have something special for those who are interested in the development of our title: a workshop about the level design of “Gorgeous Gorge” (level 1:2).

The inspiration for “Gorgeous Gorge” came from SNES and Genesis/Mega Drive titles such as “ActRaiser 2” (setting), “Castle of Illusions” (leaves) or “The Magical Quest” (berries). Simply because we love these games :)

These influences - together with our own ideas - were then combined with our concept of switching seasons. Switch from Spring to Fall and A: giant leaves will appear to ride on, B: huge berries will grow to use as platforms and C: cute baby birds will turn into nasty crows dropping spiky nuts onto our hero Rick the Fox.

Step 1: Idea

Whenever we were creating a new level for FOX n FORESTS we started with taking a closer look at the main gameplay ideas: what is fun, what makes sense, what triggers 16-Bit? And of course: does it fit to the other levels and offer a unique gameplay experience with enough possibilities for creative level design?

Step 2: Artwork

The second step is creating an artwork and getting the mood, colors and different level elements right. Does the scenery change enough when in the alternate season?

Step 3: Tileset

After that the actual Tileset is created. The different tiles are 32 by 32 pixels (common for 16-Bit titles) and they are basically puzzle pieces, used to construct a level tile by tile. You could even say that level design is like working on an interactive puzzle… that will haunt you in your dreams ;)

Step 4: Enemies

Parallel to creating the actual architecture of a level many thoughts go into enemy behavior and their design.

“Gorgeous Gorge” features 5 types of enemies.

The “Blue Crow” that will react to the season switch: a hungry but harmless baby bird in spring turns into an aggressive ball of feathers in fall, dropping spiky nuts onto poor Rick.

Hide-ous “Tree Stumps” on the other side will only attack when approaching them, breaking out of the earth and shooting projectiles at you, becoming vulnerable to Rick’s attack that way.

And watch out! Our “Bushman” may jump at you out of the blue… meaning a blue bush in the background. He has a couple of different behaviors from homing to hiding and is the signature enemy of this level.

Then we have the “Isopod”. Small but not to underestimate, as arrow shots go right over his head. So, you will need to defeat him with a melee attack. Let us just hope he won’t start doing anything crazy when approaching him like turning into a rolling stone ;)

Finally, the “Red Bat”: pretty harmless but pretty and harmless.

Step 5: Planning

When all elements are ready, sketches are made to plan the actual level design and do some more brainstorming.

In “Gorgeous Gorge” the level design was especially tricky, as not only the season switch elements and the different enemies had to be planned out nicely. Featuring air, ground and cave sections this level was predestined for a maze-like, exploration heavy structure with clever and fun backtracking.

Step 6: Level Creation

Creating a level is time consuming and demands for talent. We actually had three different level designers working on FOX n FORESTS (plus two backers from the “Level Design” Reward Tier who came up with some pretty cool sketches and ideas), to make sure they all feel fresh and unique.

However, this process can only work out well when the coding department set things up comfortably in order to not only make creating but also trying out your creation as fun and efficient as possible.

What is especially tricky when constructing a level is that different types of objects need to be on dedicated types of layers to have a correct render order, not made easier when having two individual seasons in a game.

Step 7: Polishing

Last but not least the level has to be tested and played over and over again. There always needs to be some energy and time left for polishing and optimizing. In the example below, we added an additional red target in order to make returning to our gorgeous gorge even more rewarding.

As you can see this is a lot of work all together, but also great fun :)
And we hope you will have as much fun when playing FOX n FORESTS yourself!

Original post

26 Mar 2018Developer post

Level Design Workshop

Dear FOX n FORESTS Community, Today we have something special for those who are interested in the development of our title: a workshop about the level design of “Gorgeous Gorge” (level 1:2). The inspiration for “Gorgeous Gorge” came from SNES and Genesis/Mega Drive titles such as

Dear FOX n FORESTS Community,

Today we have something special for those who are interested in the development of our title: a workshop about the level design of “Gorgeous Gorge” (level 1:2).

The inspiration for “Gorgeous Gorge” came from SNES and Genesis/Mega Drive titles such as “ActRaiser 2” (setting), “Castle of Illusions” (leaves) or “The Magical Quest” (berries). Simply because we love these games :)

These influences - together with our own ideas - were then combined with our concept of switching seasons. Switch from Spring to Fall and A: giant leaves will appear to ride on, B: huge berries will grow to use as platforms and C: cute baby birds will turn into nasty crows dropping spiky nuts onto our hero Rick the Fox.

Step 1: Idea

Whenever we were creating a new level for FOX n FORESTS we started with taking a closer look at the main gameplay ideas: what is fun, what makes sense, what triggers 16-Bit? And of course: does it fit to the other levels and offer a unique gameplay experience with enough possibilities for creative level design?

Step 2: Artwork

The second step is creating an artwork and getting the mood, colors and different level elements right. Does the scenery change enough when in the alternate season?

Step 3: Tileset

After that the actual Tileset is created. The different tiles are 32 by 32 pixels (common for 16-Bit titles) and they are basically puzzle pieces, used to construct a level tile by tile. You could even say that level design is like working on an interactive puzzle… that will haunt you in your dreams ;)

Step 4: Enemies

Parallel to creating the actual architecture of a level many thoughts go into enemy behavior and their design.

“Gorgeous Gorge” features 5 types of enemies.

The “Blue Crow” that will react to the season switch: a hungry but harmless baby bird in spring turns into an aggressive ball of feathers in fall, dropping spiky nuts onto poor Rick.

Hide-ous “Tree Stumps” on the other side will only attack when approaching them, breaking out of the earth and shooting projectiles at you, becoming vulnerable to Rick’s attack that way.

And watch out! Our “Bushman” may jump at you out of the blue… meaning a blue bush in the background. He has a couple of different behaviors from homing to hiding and is the signature enemy of this level.

Then we have the “Isopod”. Small but not to underestimate, as arrow shots go right over his head. So, you will need to defeat him with a melee attack. Let us just hope he won’t start doing anything crazy when approaching him like turning into a rolling stone ;)

Finally, the “Red Bat”: pretty harmless but pretty and harmless.

Step 5: Planning

When all elements are ready, sketches are made to plan the actual level design and do some more brainstorming.

In “Gorgeous Gorge” the level design was especially tricky, as not only the season switch elements and the different enemies had to be planned out nicely. Featuring air, ground and cave sections this level was predestined for a maze-like, exploration heavy structure with clever and fun backtracking.

Step 6: Level Creation

Creating a level is time consuming and demands for talent. We actually had three different level designers working on FOX n FORESTS (plus two backers from the “Level Design” Reward Tier who came up with some pretty cool sketches and ideas), to make sure they all feel fresh and unique.

However, this process can only work out well when the coding department set things up comfortably in order to not only make creating but also trying out your creation as fun and efficient as possible.

What is especially tricky when constructing a level is that different types of objects need to be on dedicated types of layers to have a correct render order, not made easier when having two individual seasons in a game.

Step 7: Polishing

Last but not least the level has to be tested and played over and over again. There always needs to be some energy and time left for polishing and optimizing. In the example below, we added an additional red target in order to make returning to our gorgeous gorge even more rewarding.

As you can see this is a lot of work all together, but also great fun :)
And we hope you will have as much fun when playing FOX n FORESTS yourself!

Original post

01 Mar 2018Developer post

ORIGINAL SOUND TRACK - Preview

Looking forward to playing FOX n FORESTS soon? Here you can already give it a quick listen: Enjoy! Your FnF Team

01 Mar 2018Developer post

ORIGINAL SOUND TRACK - Preview

Looking forward to playing FOX n FORESTS soon? Here you can already give it a quick listen: Enjoy! Your FnF Team

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