Out of everything shown at EA's E3 press conference, Fe was the most surprising game, if just because everything else was already revealed or leaked.
Created under the new EA Originals banner, an initiative meant to highlight indie titles that are "unique, gorgeous, innovative and memorable," Fe (pronounced like "fee") is a new effort developed by Zoink that is about a shadowy cub who mysteriously awakens in a forest and must save it from the destruction of the Silent Ones.
While the gameplay trailer of Fe has a soft interpretation of what Zoink hopes to be "about our relationship with nature, the land, and its beings," much of it reminds me of Ori and the Blind Forest. Not only was the word "forest" mentioned multiple times, but the game is about saving a forest that has been corrupted.
Also, as the cub progresses through the game, it will learn melodies, similar to the musical cries that the scarf-adorned protagonist from Journey can sing, from the various animals and beings of the forest. These melodies will manipulate the environment and allow the cub to reach other parts of the game otherwise inaccessible, again like Ori and the Blind Forest.
The major difference of course is that Fe is a three-dimensional experience and is deeply hued in purple. It also doesn't seem to be as action-oriented and timing-intensive as Ori, with an emphasis on exploration and avoidance. That said, we'll have to see if Fe's combination of ideas will set itself apart.
Let's hope that Fe can stand apart from its influences to create something magical, which Electronic Arts has attempted to do with Unravel. Hopefully, Fe will be successful enough to carry the EA Originals brand, so that we can see this giant publisher back more creative and riskier ventures like this.
