Four Sided Fantasy

Four Sided Fantasy is a wordless puzzle-platformer where players control two characters, alternating between them as they navigate a side-scrolling world. The core mechanic allows players to ‘lock’ the screen, turning it into a single-screen environment where characters can wrap around all four edges—exiting one side and reappearing on the opposite. Puzzles revolve around strategic screen positioning, gravity manipulation, and environmental interactions, with challenges escalating through seasonal-themed worlds. The game introduces mechanics like battery-powered barriers, moving platforms, and dual-screen puzzles, all set against a visually rich, seasonally inspired backdrop.

Four Sided Fantasy: A Masterclass in Minimalist Puzzle Design

Introduction

In the crowded landscape of indie puzzle-platformers, Four Sided Fantasy (2016) stands as a quiet revolution—a game that redefines spatial reasoning by weaponizing the very boundaries of the screen. Developed by Ludo Land and published by Serenity Forge, this deceptively simple title transforms a retro mechanic—screen wrapping—into a profound meditation on perspective, separation, and the limits of perception. With no dialogue, no text, and no traditional narrative, Four Sided Fantasy communicates entirely through mechanics, art, and sound, crafting an experience that is as emotionally resonant as it is intellectually stimulating.

This review will dissect the game’s development, mechanics, thematic depth, and legacy, arguing that Four Sided Fantasy is not just a clever puzzle game but a landmark in minimalist storytelling and experimental gameplay design.

---

Development History & Context

From Student Project to Indie Darling

Four Sided Fantasy traces its origins to The Fourth Wall (2012), a student project by lead designer Logan Fieth at DigiPen Institute of Technology. That prototype explored the core mechanic of screen wrapping—exiting one side of the screen to reappear on the opposite side—but lacked the polish and depth of its successor. Fieth’s fascination with spatial manipulation persisted, leading to Perspective (another DigiPen project), which experimented with first-person screen wrapping.

By 2014, Fieth and his team at Ludo Land launched a successful Kickstarter campaign to expand The Fourth Wall into a full-fledged game. The campaign not only secured funding but also attracted the attention of publishers, including Curve Digital and ultimately Serenity Forge. The latter’s partnership provided crucial financial support during the final stretch of development, allowing the team to refine the game’s mechanics and aesthetic.

The Indie Landscape of 2016

Four Sided Fantasy emerged during a golden age for indie puzzle-platformers. Games like Braid (2008), Fez (2012), and The Swapper (2013) had already proven that the genre could thrive on innovation rather than budget. However, the market was becoming saturated, with many titles struggling to stand out. Four Sided Fantasy distinguished itself by focusing on a single, elegant mechanic and executing it with precision.

The game’s development also coincided with the rise of indie-focused publishers like Serenity Forge, which specialized in nurturing small, creative projects. This shift allowed developers like Fieth to retain creative control while benefiting from marketing and porting support—a model that would become increasingly common in the indie space.

Technological Constraints & Design Philosophy

Built in Unity, Four Sided Fantasy leveraged the engine’s flexibility to create a seamless, 2D scrolling experience. The team’s decision to avoid complex physics or 3D rendering allowed them to focus on tight, responsive controls and a clean visual style. The game’s minimalist aesthetic—inspired by papercraft and seasonal themes—was both a creative choice and a practical one, ensuring that the mechanics remained the star.

Fieth’s design philosophy was rooted in accessibility. In interviews, he emphasized that Four Sided Fantasy was meant to be a “relaxed and serene” experience, akin to “Bob Ross painting.” This ethos is evident in the game’s lack of punishment for failure (instant respawns after mistakes) and its gradual introduction of mechanics.

---

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

A Wordless Story of Separation and Connection

Four Sided Fantasy eschews traditional storytelling. There are no cutscenes, no dialogue, and no exposition. Instead, the narrative unfolds through gameplay and environmental cues. The player controls two unnamed characters—a man and a woman—who are perpetually separated by the screen’s boundaries. Every time the player wraps the screen, control switches between the two, creating a poignant metaphor for connection and distance.

The game’s structure mirrors the passage of time, with each of its four worlds representing a season:
1. Spring: A lush, vibrant landscape where the mechanics are introduced.
2. Summer: More complex puzzles emerge, with moving platforms and barriers.
3. Autumn: Gravity-flipping mechanics and dual-screen puzzles dominate.
4. Winter: The most abstract and challenging puzzles, culminating in a bittersweet finale.

Themes of Isolation and Collaboration

The core theme of Four Sided Fantasy is the tension between separation and unity. The two characters are always working together—one’s actions enable the other’s progress—but they are never truly united. This dynamic has led to multiple interpretations:
– Romantic Tragedy: Some players see the characters as star-crossed lovers, forever chasing each other but never meeting.
– Sibling or Childhood Bonds: Others interpret the journey as a metaphor for growing apart from a loved one, with the screen representing the barriers of time and distance.
– Existential Loneliness: The game’s abstract ending (which we’ll avoid spoiling) suggests a more philosophical reading, where the characters’ struggle is futile yet beautiful.

The seasonal progression reinforces these themes. Spring’s optimism gives way to Summer’s warmth, Autumn’s decay, and Winter’s cold finality. The game’s soundtrack—a mix of ambient synth and nature sounds—further enhances this emotional arc, with each season featuring distinct auditory textures.

The Power of Environmental Storytelling

Without words, Four Sided Fantasy relies on subtle environmental details to convey its narrative:
– Security Cameras: Occasionally, the player spots static cameras watching their progress, hinting at an unseen observer or system.
– Television Static: The game’s primary hazard is a deadly, glitchy static that kills the characters on contact. This could symbolize the “noise” that disrupts connection or the fragility of perception.
– The Final Sequence: The ending (which we won’t spoil) is open to interpretation but leaves a lasting impression of cyclical struggle and quiet resolution.

---

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

The Core Mechanic: Screen Wrapping as a Puzzle Language

At its heart, Four Sided Fantasy is built around a single, brilliant mechanic: the ability to “lock” the screen, turning it into a static frame where the player can wrap from one edge to the opposite side. This mechanic is introduced gradually:
1. Basic Wrapping: Early puzzles teach the player to exit the right side to appear on the left, or fall through the bottom to reappear at the top.
2. Precision Locking: Later levels require the player to lock the screen at specific moments to align platforms or avoid obstacles.
3. Gravity Flipping: In Autumn, wrapping the screen reverses gravity, adding a layer of vertical complexity.
4. Dual Screens: Some puzzles split the screen into two planes (foreground and background), with wrapping switching between them.
5. Multi-Screen Manipulation: The most advanced puzzles involve locking two separate screens simultaneously, forcing the player to think in four dimensions.

The Puzzle Design Philosophy

Four Sided Fantasy’s puzzles are designed to be:
– Intuitive but Challenging: Solutions often require a “eureka” moment of spatial reasoning.
– Forgiving: Death is instantaneous but painless, with no penalties or loading screens.
– Varied: New mechanics are introduced at a steady pace, preventing monotony.

The game’s difficulty curve is well-balanced, though some players may find the lack of tutorials frustrating. Unlike Portal or The Witness, Four Sided Fantasy offers no explicit guidance—players must experiment and observe.

Character Switching and Progression

The two characters are mechanically identical but serve as a narrative device. Switching between them via screen wrapping reinforces the theme of separation. Later levels introduce:
– Batteries: Collectible items that remove barriers, adding a light resource-management element.
– Launchers: Devices that propel the characters higher, enabling new traversal options.
– Moving Platforms: Dynamic obstacles that require precise timing.

New Game+ and Secrets

For completionists, Four Sided Fantasy includes:
– A New Game+ Mode: Replaying the game with all mechanics unlocked from the start.
– Hidden Areas: Secret zones that reward exploration with additional challenges.

---

World-Building, Art & Sound

A Minimalist Aesthetic with Maximum Impact

Four Sided Fantasy’s visual design is a masterclass in restraint. The game employs:
– Papercraft-Inspired Graphics: Flat, textured environments that evoke a storybook quality.
– Seasonal Palettes: Each world has a distinct color scheme (Spring’s greens, Autumn’s oranges, etc.).
– Silhouette-Based Characters: The protagonists are simple, expressive figures that convey emotion through movement.

The art style serves a functional purpose—clarity. Puzzles rely on the player’s ability to quickly parse the environment, and the clean visuals ensure that nothing is obscured.

Sound Design: Ambience as Narrative

The soundtrack, composed by David Scamehorn, is a blend of:
– Ambient Synth: Soft, Eno-esque tones that evoke a dreamlike state.
– Nature Sounds: Chirping birds, rustling leaves, and distant thunder that ground the experience in a tangible world.
– Dynamic Layering: The music shifts subtly with the seasons, reinforcing the emotional tone.

The sound design is so integral to the experience that playing with headphones is highly recommended. The absence of voice acting or dialogue makes the audio landscape even more immersive.

Atmosphere and Immersion

Four Sided Fantasy creates a sense of place through:
– Environmental Storytelling: The changing seasons and occasional glimpses of civilization (like the security cameras) hint at a larger world.
– Pacing: The game’s short runtime (2-3 hours) ensures that the experience never overstays its welcome.
– Tactile Feedback: The screen-locking mechanic provides a satisfying “click” when activated, reinforcing the player’s agency.

---

Reception & Legacy

Critical Reception: A Polarizing Gem

Four Sided Fantasy received generally positive reviews, with critics praising its innovation but noting its brevity and occasional technical issues. Aggregate scores:
– OpenCritic: 68 (Top Critic Average)
– MobyGames: 70% (Critics)
– Steam: 79% Positive (251 reviews)

Key Praise:
– Innovative Mechanics: Critics lauded the screen-wrapping concept as fresh and engaging.
– Art and Sound: The minimalist aesthetic and ambient soundtrack were widely praised.
– Accessibility: The game’s forgiving difficulty and short length made it appealing to casual players.

Common Criticisms:
– Short Length: Many reviewers felt the game ended too soon, though some saw this as a strength.
– Technical Issues: Some players reported minor glitches, particularly in later levels.
– Lack of Story: While the ambiguity was intentional, some critics wished for more narrative context.

Commercial Performance and Community Response

Four Sided Fantasy was not a commercial blockbuster, but it found a dedicated audience. Its Steam sales were bolstered by frequent discounts (often dropping to $0.99), making it an impulse buy for puzzle enthusiasts. The game’s legacy is more cultural than financial—it has been cited as an influence on later indie titles that experiment with screen mechanics, such as Manifold Garden (2019) and Superliminal (2019).

Influence on the Genre

Four Sided Fantasy’s impact lies in its proof that:
1. A Single Mechanic Can Carry a Game: It demonstrated that a tight, well-executed concept could sustain an entire experience.
2. Minimalism Works: The absence of dialogue or cutscenes didn’t hinder its emotional resonance.
3. Indie Publishers Matter: Its success with Serenity Forge highlighted the value of partnerships for small developers.

---

Conclusion: A Quiet Masterpiece

Four Sided Fantasy is a rare gem—a game that achieves profundity through simplicity. It is a puzzle-platformer, yes, but it is also a meditation on connection, a visual poem, and a testament to the power of mechanical storytelling. While its short length and occasional lack of guidance may frustrate some, its strengths far outweigh its flaws.

Final Verdict: 8.5/10 – A Must-Play for Puzzle Enthusiasts and Storytellers Alike

Four Sided Fantasy may not have redefined the genre, but it perfected a niche within it. It is a game that lingers in the mind long after the credits roll, inviting players to ponder its themes and revisit its clever puzzles. For those who value innovation over spectacle, it is nothing short of essential.

---

Additional Resources

• Official Website: Serenity Forge
• Steam Page: Four Sided Fantasy on Steam
• Interview with Logan Fieth: GameCritics.com

Four Sided Fantasy is a reminder that the best games don’t need to be epic in scale—just bold in vision.