How do I fly down from a high ledge?

Question

I was stupid and flew to a high ledge in Fez, and now I can't get down.

I've been trying to fly/float down slowly, but I get the "You have fallen to your death" sound, and I automatically respawn at the top just before touching the ground. Someone wrote that I can float down there if I press A just as I'm about to hit the ground, but since I respawn before I can get to the ground, that solution doesn't apply....

Does anyone know of any solution to this? Any secret reset spawn point code?

Asked by glindste

Answer

You can free-fall (with the "dying" animation) for a few seconds before you're reset up on your high ledge. Your best bet is moving down successive ledges until you get to your destination. It will take more time than just jumping down directly, but it's faster than trying and failing multiple times. Some tips:

• I believe I was the one with the jumping tip—even if you're in the "dying" animation, tap A rapidly right before hitting the ground. You'll jump once and not die.

• When falling near green wall vines, press ↑ to catch them. You can stop your fall this way even if you're in the "dying" animation.

• Float down slowly by holding down A whenever Gomez does the "dying" animation. He'll stop heaving in a few seconds and you can continue downwards. You'll lose some downward progress by floating up, but if you do this a few times on your descent, you'll find you can float all the way down.

There is no secret reset spawn code, as you mentioned. If you reset your game, you'll start the room near the door used to enter it. If you just can't make it down, you can just continue on—the last room node in the chain invariably has a nearby warp portal back to the warp zone.

I can help more specifically if you mention the room you're in.

Answered by Sean

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What do the percentages mean in the overall leaderboards?

Question

I just stumbled upon the leaderboard and the xXRangerXx25, the current reigning champion has a percentage of 421.9%, followed by BeeMickSee 400% and smallest kiss 309.4%. What do all these percentages represent? How are they calculated?

Most people have 212.5%, which I assume is for fully complete the game, but 421.9? I don't get it.

Asked by James Jiao

Answer

32 cubes + 32 anticubes + 3 heart cube pieces @ 3.125% apiece => 209.4% max

• 32 cubes net 100% for the first ending
• 64 cubes net 200% for the second/final ending

• Three heart cube pieces add +9.4% (optional, Easter eggs)

• Anything above that 209.4% is from a broken anticube.

_{Source: I'm smallest kiss (the first one above the max)}

Answered by sean

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Why isn't the bell level turning gold?

Question

I (mostly) figured out the numbering system, and figured out the bell level; it doesn't have any icons beside it anymore, but it's still not turning gold. Why not?

Asked by Tudwell

Answer

In Fez, a room does not turn gold until you do all of the tasks corresponding to the icons, as you have discovered, and you find every exit from the room. This means that in your situation, there is a door that exits from the bell level that you have not yet found.

Most likely, you have not yet lowered the water. There is a puzzle in another nearby level that will lower the water level in several levels including the bell level. When you do that, there will be another door that was previously below the water line but is now accessible.

Answered by murgatroid99

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How can the shortcut doors be used effectively?

Question

Throughout the game you come across "shortcut" doors marked with intersecting squares. Is there any way to predict where these doors will take you without just going through? It seems they are intended as a shortcut, yet they don't seem to show a preview of the destination like normal doors, and the connections don't seem to appear on the main map. This makes them hard to use as a shortcut unless you have a photographic memory of their locations. Am I missing something? Do they serve some other non-obvious use?

Asked by EBongo

Answer

They're mostly useless. They usually lead to the nearest warp area or a room near it. They don't have any other use. It is almost always easier to seek out a known route instead of guessing where these doors might lead.

Answered by sean

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How many ghosts are there, and what do they say?

Question

In the graveyard levels I encountered multiple ghosts.

You can see them when the lightning flashes. Pressing "B" will cause them to say something.

How many are there, and what is the transcript of what they say? Is there any known relationship between what they say and a puzzle or easter egg?

Asked by EBongo

Answer

There are four ghosts and they're unconnected to the puzzles and Easter eggs.

• In the skull room: "Afterlife / Outerspace / Afterspace / Outerlife."
• In the "dots to dots" room that leads to the mausoleum: "Don't believe the hypercube."
• In the room atop the prior one: "Because you can't see something, doesn't mean it's not there."
• In the golden cube return warp (farthest away): "Owls creep me out... / But I forget why..."

Answered by sean

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How can I tell which part of the game can only be unlocked in New Game+ and which one cannot?

Question

How can I tell which part of the game can only be unlocked in New Game+ and which one cannot?

I am getting frustrated with this game, not with the complexity of it, but the lack of information on what I am supposed to expect to be able to do in the first playthrough. How should I know that I can't lower the water level till New Game+? What exactly is the goal of the first playthrough? What's the fundamental difference between New Game+ and the first playthrough?

Asked by James Jiao

Answer

The idea is to play through to the 32-cube ending, which should present itself as a natural progression. Once you finish the game, you have no choice but to start a new game (the New Game+) if you're so inclined to complete every puzzle (or "209.4%" the game). The NG+ is the same as the first playthrough (everything carrries over) except for one bonus feature, which only actually helps with one puzzle-type:

The white and purple pillars (not the U-shaped tuning fork pillars) are the only puzzles that depend on the first-person vision New Game+ bonus.

The rest can be solved without it in the first playthrough. There is no in-game method for telling which puzzles have all of its pieces. It requires unusual attention to hidden/obscure codes and nuances. One could contend that the game's main conceit is withholding information from the player (see the monolith debacle). Later (optional) Easter eggs include finding the 64-cube door and collecting the heart cube pieces. You will most likely check the Internet for answers before exhausting every in-game clue, and, presumably, Fez was designed to be played with that in mind.

Answered by sean

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Can you fly somehow?

Question

I read somewhere that you could fly in the game.

I have collected every 64 cubes without knowing about it.

Is there any clue in the game explaining how to do it? If so, where?

Asked by François Cassin

Answer

Flying is a cheat/shortcut built into New Game+ (a mode after finishing the game once).

It's available once you get perspective controls back. Press ↑↑↑↑ (up 4x) and jump.

There is no in-game explanation—it's just something you find.

Answered by sean

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Is stereoscopy (3D) in Fez's New Game++ used in any of the puzzles?

Question

Gomez gets 3D glasses in the New Game++ intro (activated in the settings menu thereafter). Does it reveal any hidden codes, information, or new functions in the levels, or is it strictly just for aesthetics/fun like an Easter egg?

Asked by sean

Answer

Nope—just a fun Easter egg that makes everything 3D.

Answered by DeanDMX

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Is it possible to interact with animals in Fez?

Question

Apparently it is necessary to interact with the owls in order to solve the puzzle in the owl statue room. Is it possible to interact with the other creatures, such as snails and crows at any stage in the game?

Asked by James Jiao

Answer

No, none where they talk or react back like the owls. If you run near the other perched birds, though, they'll fly away. And the turtles run toward you only to spin away when you come near.

¹

Answered by sean

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Advice on the red lava level

Question

I'm having a frustrating time on the red lava level in the sewers on Fez. It may be that my platforming skills are not up to par, but are there any suggestions as to how to get through it easier?

Asked by Nathan Black

Answer

The level does not really have a trick; you just have to go through it and climb as fast as possible on the most obvious route. However, once you beat the game once (by collecting 32 cubes) and start a New Game+, you gain the ability to fly, which would allow you to easily finish that level without doing any platforming.

Answered by murgatroid99

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Are some puzzles/secrets temporarily unsolvable?

Question

I'm playing Fez with my wife, and we're really enjoying the secrets. I'd like to finish it, or as much as I can bear, without using a guide or anything to solve the puzzles. The one thing I'd like to know is: are some puzzles temporarily unsolvable? What I mean is, when I encounter a puzzle, do I automatically have everything I need to solve it, or could I be lacking an in game item or ability that makes it possible to solve. I don't want examples, I just want to know if there are puzzles I might encounter that can't be solved till I play further in the game. That way I can stop banging my head against the wall (temporarily).

Thus far, I've yet to encounter a puzzle that couldn't be solved on the spot - but I theorize there are some abilities or something that I'll get later that make other puzzles solvable that are not yet.

Asked by EBongo

Answer

Yes.

Some puzzles require interactions in or knowledge from other rooms first. Some require beating the game once (to get a new feature in New Game+ mode). Some require checking the Internet since there are no in-game clues.

Answered by sean

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I Cannot find a door in the room with the flashing pink platforms

Question

I have done up and down the room with the pink flashing platforms off the waterfall/weeping guy node. I can only find the door at the very top. It would be really helpful if someone could tell me where the other door is.

Asked by Dutch

Answer

The other door is much closer to the bottom. To find it, start at the bottom door. First, go up to the top of the platform that you start on. Then use the flashing platforms to go up to a square block, from which you can jump to another square block. From that second square block you can jump to a wider platform. Rotate that platform until you see a door. That is the door you are looking for.

Answered by murgatroid99

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What causes a door to appear open?

Question

When playing through Fez there are many unlocked doors that you need only press "up" on to open. I have noticed as I pass some doors they already appear open, apparently after I have visited that "room". Does the door appear open forever after the first time I enter the room, or is the "appearing open" tied to something else like getting 100% in that room? Once the door appears open, will it continue to stay open forever? I ask mainly because this could be a very useful way of determining where I had already visited (all the doors start to get confusing).

Asked by EBongo

Answer

After you open a door for the first time, it will always appear "open" (black).

When you unlock locked doors, the first ↑ will just unlock the door. They'll show as black even before you enter.

It isn't related to progress. Yes, it is somewhat confusing.

Answered by sean

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Is it possible to play Fez with more than one save game?

Question

More than one person in my house is interested in the secrets and puzzles of Fez. However, even though it has a save feature, I don't see how I can switch between saves (thus allowing multiple players to start and stop at different points). If I try and choose "Start new game" it says it will delete all progress. Is it possible for two people to play Fez on the same XBox with different save games?

Asked by EBongo

Answer

Not with the same profile on the same hard drive. You can use separate memory cards, storing one save game on each (you're prompted at startup). Likewise, every gamertag can have its own save on your hard drive. I'd recommend just using different gamertags for each player.

Answered by sean

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Solving the purple & white pillars

Question

I have encountered two kinds of pillars in the game: I've solved the vibrating type, but I'm having trouble solving the white or purple pillars (that have floating dots in their hollowed tops).

How do I solve these pillar puzzles?

Asked by aaa

Answer

Upon completing the game, you'll unlock New Game+, which transfers your stats and adds first-person view after the intro.

Near a purple or white pillar, go into first-person view and look for a string of white tetrominos (Tetris blocks). They can be converted to buttons with the tetromino cipher.

If the white string is vertical, read it with your head tilted to the right. Then convert the tetrominos and punch them in. The sequence should be about eight units long, and unique for each game. An anticube will appear above the pillar.

Here are the codes, if you're lazy:

• Lighthouse purple pillar: ↑ LT RT ↑ LT ↑ RT ↑
• Forest white pillar (first): → RT ← LT ← ↑ ↓ A
• Forest purple pillar (second): LT A RT ↑ ↓ LT RT A
• Forest white pillar (third, near temple warp zone): ← ← ↓ ↓ → → ↑ ↑

The U-shaped tuning fork pillars work differently.

Answered by sean

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What is the secret to the burnt treasure map with the Polytron logo, the candle room, and the floating black monolith?

Question

After lowering the water level, there is a anticube room beneath the first warp zone. In New Game+ first-person view mode, the Polytron logo shows on the floor. After following the treasure map (standing exactly in the hole of the logo, entering the tetromino code on the reverse side), a floating black monolith/obelisk/pillar appears. What is the trick?

Asked by sean

Answer

Stand atop the square spot (denoting "1") and enter: ↓ ↓ LT RT RT A ↑

The black monolith will transform into a heart piece (finally), thanks to gregSTORM.

NB: To make the black monolith first appear, follow the burnt treasure map (or just stand atop the "0" hole and enter ↑ RT ↑ A ↓ LT ↑ ↓).

Answered by sean

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How is the number / tetris code in Fez intended to be solved?

Question

In the same spirit as : How is the language code in Fez intended to be solved?

I was able to crack the language code using tradition substitution cipher breaking techniques.

But I ended up cheating on the number/tetris symbols by looking on the Internet.

The number code is logical enough now I know it -- but I can't see how I would have arrived at it without help.

With regard to tetris shapes:

What would cause you to go down the path of associating Tetris shapes with controller inputs?

Asked by slim

Answer

For the tetris shapes:

There is a room where a pillar flashes the appropriate shape when you apply the input near it. There's a tetris-shaped chain next to it to test the inputs on. It looks like this: http://i.stack.imgur.com/pfnDd.png

It was really satisfying to figure that one out for myself, I loved that puzzle.

For the numbers:

The numbers are in order on a wall (in the big-head village I think), and 1-4 are on connected treasure maps.

Answered by Keith

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What is the secret of the Giant Telescope room?

Question

I tried pressing buttons after looking at the constellations through the telescope, but it doesn't seem to be that.

I just noticed a purple square and two blinking red dots in the sky with the telescope, I don't know if it could be a clue... =/

Do someone have an idea to share about the Giant Telescope room ?...

Asked by Gimlao

Answer

Confirmed, however, the sequence is R RT L RT RT A A R. The blinking lights also correspond to RT and LT prompts. Just follow the lights and you get a weird red cube with a piece missing from it.

Answered by BigAn7h

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What is the translation of the tome/book artifact text?

Question

Is the text supposed to translate to something useful? It doesn't appear to follow the language's conventions. How is it deciphered, and in which direction should it be read? Is its content story-related or does it answer the monolith puzzle?

(I have ten more images of the pages themselves, but I'm afraid they'd make this thread too long.)

Asked by sean

Answer

FROM OUT OF NOWHERE 
IMPOSSIBLE VISITORS 
OUR BENEFACTORSWATCHING OVER US 
IN THE HIDDEN FOLDS OF SPACE 
IN FRONT OF BEHIND GIVE THE GOLDEN GIFT 
A DEEP REVELATION 
OUR EYES WIDE OPEN SHAPES TO TESSELLATE 
WITH SACRED GEOMETRY 
AN EMPIRE TO BUILD A NEW PERSPECTIVE 
THINGS UNSEENS BUT ALWAYS THERE 
A NEW DIRECTION THE HEXAHEDRON 
THE SIXTY FOUR BIT NAME OF GOD 
THE POINT OF ORIGIN A PATTERN A CODE 
A DEEP UNDERSTANDING 
A GATE TO THE STARS ALL OF TIME AND SPACE 
AND THE SPACE OUTSIDE OF SPACE 
WHERE DOES IT END

The tome consists of haikus. Some were spread throughout the game—written on walls and repeated by owls. The book is read three-dimensionally, using a letter from each page in this order: 15263748. The text isn't rotated, and the translation starts in the upper-right corner and moves downwards. The decyphering technique is described at GameFAQs.

Answered by sean

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What do we do with the U-shaped tuning fork pillars?

Question

The controller vibrates when I'm near them, but I don't know what to do.

Screenshot of one of them on the map:

Asked by Gimlao

Answer

The left and right motors in your controller will play a pattern when approaching these. It will pause briefly before repeating. You need to mime the pattern back with your left and right triggers.

My vibration was off, so I missed this the first time through. If you're having trouble, the right motor was a higher pitch in my case. Instead of feeling the sides, I listened for the pitch.

Answered by sean

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