Fancy and the Fox

Fancy and the Fox is a simple tale told well. Using the unusual structure of a silent film, this visual novel/adventure game opens in a town drained of all colour; the result of the theft of their three sacred orbs. But the loss of colour is not the only consequence of this theft, all around the town the balance of nature has been disturbed, the spirits of the forest that encloses the town are becoming aggressive and residents have gone missing. It's obvious something must be done. Into this void steps Fancy and her new found friend, the eponymous fox, who through no fault of their own are thrust into the recovery of these vital artefacts after she goes wandering in the forest in search of blackberries and perhaps word of her fiancé Isaac who bravely ventured out to confront whoever stole the orbs.


Cue the piano accompaniment.

I'm generally not one for visual novels, but Fancy and the Fox may just turn around my view on the genre. I'm narratively driven for the most part and visual novels have to rely on a good story told in an interesting manner if they wish to be successful. This game does have its flaws, the reason why the orbs were taken is never really explained for example, but even with that whilst this game isn't a tour de force by any standards and running at a little under 30 minutes it could never be, it is a decently told tale of hope, love and depending on the ending, joy.

Default sounds effects are used within the game but the music is custom, sourced almost entirely from Kevin MacLeod's silent film score. Given the premise of this game it's a very good fit and aids in the immersion factor significantly, I kept expecting to see Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton turn up to engage in some pratfalls and stoic comedy.

All dialogue in the game is via intertitle in keeping with the silent picture theme, and it works very well, conveying everything that is needed simply and with a lovely classic style


Even a visual novel needs some fetch quests.

Save is always on, which as anyone who has read my reviews before know is a plus for me. Though given the style and brevity of the game, it's not as vital as it would be in a long running traditional RPG.

The graphics are a mix of RTP and some lovely custom additions and the slow colour return as you progress in the game and bring back hope to the town is portrayed with style and grace. The scratched film effect that overlays every map is a subtle but brilliant touch.


Fancy's grey and orb-less town.

The game as two endings, depending on the number of items you find during the course of the adventure, you'll need them in the boss fight at the end in order to get the 'good' ending. So make sure you check everything, most bookshelves, logs and ruins won't net you an item but be on the lookout for the ones that will. The first time I fought the boss I only had three and got the bad ending, the next time I went in with six and got the good one. I have no idea if there were more than six but I was glad I took the time to replay it to get the better ending.

If you have 30 minutes to spare and you'd like to try something a little different go and visit Fancy and her Fox, you won't regret the time.