Uploaded December 2020 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Edit (4-15-22): For FEZ's 10th anniversary on the 13th, Phil Fish gave an interview to Eurogamer. This was an unusual event considering Phil's departure from the games industry in the mid 2010s, and he decided to give an interesting answer when talking about the Monolith. Speaking on the community brute force, he said:
"The way they got around to solving it was way more interesting and satisfying than what we had originally intended for it."
There's already been some discussion about what exactly this could mean. Maybe Polytron intended for there to be an ARG started some time after the game's release, but decided against it since the solution had already gotten out. But this quote does seem to imply an "intended solution," and whether or not we'll ever see what that solution was, or if it's still hidden somewhere, is something we may never know. Regardless, I don't think my arguments in this video are invalidated by this revelation, as I don't factor author intention into my analysis at all. But, under my interpretation of the game, combined with this new quote from Phil, this makes FEZ an accident. And in some ways, that's just as beautiful as a thoroughly planned experience. I love this game, and I hope we can keep the discussion alive for another 10 years after this.
Sources:
FEZ Dropbox: dropbox.com/sh/bp2wz7qf5vw0usx/AAAH49r7wkvc-hQgYtw8qGJia
r/Fez: reddit.com/r/Fez
Soundtrack: music.disasterpeace.com/album/fez-ost
Soundtrack Image Gallery: dropbox.com/sh/bp2wz7qf5vw0usx/AADv_swKu794LSALx-BuXkHxa/Puzzles%20Remaining/Spectrogram%20Images/%23Image%20Collection?dl=0&subfolder_nav_tracking=1
Some Reddit/GameFaqs Posts:
gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/945079-fez/66110193
reddit.com/r/Fez/comments/aggf3z/about_the_release_date_theory_for_the_black
reddit.com/r/Fez/comments/8gccb8/i_found_a_room_with_two_numbers_in_writing_on_the
reddit.com/r/Fez/comments/8jywsr/visited_the_outside_of_the_triangle_airfield_a
reddit.com/r/Fez/comments/8qmdx7/the_journey_to_the_center_of_the_triangle
reddit.com/r/Fez/comments/2exzpl/what_is_this_weird_thing
reddit.com/r/Fez/comments/1zn0ub/fez_map
reddit.com/r/Fez/comments/7bam45/fez_maps_dead_links
youtube.com/user/OwlEffigy
Also, a minor correction: The cube net mentioned in the classroom numbers segment is actually the schematic for the number cube artifact, and has nothing to do with the classroom numbers.
You can also follow me on Instagram @cheddarreviews (Despite what the credits say) (I also don't post anymore)
0:00 - Intro
5:14 - Layers
20:14 - Unsolvable
26:52 - Interpretation
Edit (4-15-22): For FEZ's 10th anniversary on the 13th, Phil Fish gave an interview to Eurogamer. This was an unusual event considering Phil's departure from the games industry in the mid 2010s, and he decided to give an interesting answer when talking about the Monolith. Speaking on the community brute force, he said:
"The way they got around to solving it was way more interesting and satisfying than what we had originally intended for it."
There's already been some discussion about what exactly this could mean. Maybe Polytron intended for there to be an ARG started some time after the game's release, but decided against it since the solution had already gotten out. But this quote does seem to imply an "intended solution," and whether or not we'll ever see what that solution was, or if it's still hidden somewhere, is something we may never know. Regardless, I don't think my arguments in this video are invalidated by this revelation, as I don't factor author intention into my analysis at all. But, under my interpretation of the game, combined with this new quote from Phil, this makes FEZ an accident. And in some ways, that's just as beautiful as a thoroughly planned experience. I love this game, and I hope we can keep the discussion alive for another 10 years after this.
Sources:
FEZ Dropbox: dropbox.com/sh/bp2wz7qf5vw0usx/AAAH49r7wkvc-hQgYtw8qGJia
r/Fez: reddit.com/r/Fez
Soundtrack: music.disasterpeace.com/album/fez-ost
Soundtrack Image Gallery: dropbox.com/sh/bp2wz7qf5vw0usx/AADv_swKu794LSALx-BuXkHxa/Puzzles%20Remaining/Spectrogram%20Images/%23Image%20Collection?dl=0&subfolder_nav_tracking=1
Some Reddit/GameFaqs Posts:
gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/945079-fez/66110193
reddit.com/r/Fez/comments/aggf3z/about_the_release_date_theory_for_the_black
reddit.com/r/Fez/comments/8gccb8/i_found_a_room_with_two_numbers_in_writing_on_the
reddit.com/r/Fez/comments/8jywsr/visited_the_outside_of_the_triangle_airfield_a
reddit.com/r/Fez/comments/8qmdx7/the_journey_to_the_center_of_the_triangle
reddit.com/r/Fez/comments/2exzpl/what_is_this_weird_thing
reddit.com/r/Fez/comments/1zn0ub/fez_map
reddit.com/r/Fez/comments/7bam45/fez_maps_dead_links
youtube.com/user/OwlEffigy
Also, a minor correction: The cube net mentioned in the classroom numbers segment is actually the schematic for the number cube artifact, and has nothing to do with the classroom numbers.
You can also follow me on Instagram @cheddarreviews (Despite what the credits say) (I also don't post anymore)
0:00 - Intro
5:14 - Layers
20:14 - Unsolvable
26:52 - Interpretation
