Foxyland is another attractively themed 2D platformer set in the quiet woods where a couple of foxes are going for a nice stroll together when suddenly an eagle plunges from above and carries Jenny fox away! Foxy must carefully make his way through the colourful scenery, dodging obstacles and woodland creatures so that he and Jenny may be reunited once again. The scenery is colourful, the characters are quite unique in their design and how they interact with Foxy and it appears to have the qualities that give games in this genre their charm.

It begins with a friendly tutorial style level giving the player a very relaxed start to the game indeed. The player must collect all the diamonds by leaping, climbing and avoiding dangerous obstacles whilst dodging and jumping on enemies attacking from many directions in order to open the door to exit each level. Some diamonds are hidden or difficult to reach which makes it a little more interesting and there are also cherries scattered around the levels and dropped by enemies which can be collected to buy accessories for Foxy. Disappointingly, these don’t enhance the gameplay in any way and they cost a lot of cherries too so there isn’t really much incentive to try to collect them in the first place. When Foxy gets hit he also loses cherries which disappear too quickly to pick them up again, so it’s difficult to feel enthusiastic about this element but at least it can just be ignored without it having any overall impact on the game.
The music is easy to listen to at the beginning of the level with a cheerful 12 bar blues motif but sadly it is incredibly short and repeats continuously throughout the game with no changes at all. This was an enormous let-down from both a musical and gaming perspective and undeniably tipped the scale of enjoyment in the opposite direction. The achievements all unlock automatically up to level 27 and after that there is no real incentive to keep playing, which seems somewhat unusual and makes it feel more like a demo. There are 3 Halloween levels bundled in but they just feel a little out of place as if they are there to add value to something that wasn’t really quite finished.

One marginally redeeming element is the amusement triggered when Foxy gets hurt too many times as he is catapulted towards the player and collides with the screen which appears to have cracked on impact. The experience of losing can easily cause annoyance, especially in games that require some trial and error, but in this game it really is genuinely entertaining to lose and possibly more so than winning! It contains all of the very basic elements that make games in this genre distinguishable, but what it really lacks is the development of these fundamentals. It has memorable characters set in a themed environment, something collectable, background music and a brief story line but it just really lacks the character and originality that games genuinely need to be unique and encapsulating. Most developers seem to be truly passionate about creating something that will inspire and capture the imagination of players and this comes through in a lot of games but unfortunately it seems to just be missing in this game.
Conclusion
To conclude: Foxyland is a game about a fox collecting gems in the woods. It is very easy to play, takes about an hour to complete and doesn’t require any previous knowledge or experience in gaming. For those who give a fox about achievements, then this game could only have been made for you.
This game was tested and reviewed on Xbox One. All of the opinions and insights here are subject to that version. Game provided by the publisher.Want to keep up to date with the latest Xt reviews, Xt opinions and Xt content? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.