The Forest Quartet Review (PS5)

One more performance, you can do it!

I actually wanted to play The Forest Quartet for a while, but I was pretty hesitant. Even when looking at a gameplay video, I wasn’t quite sure whether or not I’d like it. As luck would have it, this game happened to be on sale while I was buying another game. I thought, “what the heck, why not?” and bought it.

So, what is The Forest Quartet about? Well, it turns out that it’s about a band that shares the same name as the game’s title. However, a tragedy has struck as their singer and saxophone player, Nina, recently died. The band decided to do a final concert as a way to say goodbye and honor Nina one last time. It’s set to take place in the very forest the band resided in and the very forest stage that they practiced on.

Of course, it’s not going to be that easy or else there wouldn’t be a game. The remaining band members are, understandably, still taking Nina’s death hard and it seems like they might not even be able to go through with the concert. This is where you come in as you play Nina coming back as a spirit. While the Forest Quartet may not continue as the Forest Trio and may even be moving back to the city, Nina will help them in the only way she can.

Gameplay here is simple as you’re able to snap your fingers to activate, grab important objects, and sing. You’re also able to float slightly higher to be able to reach elevated platforms. All of these help you to solve the various puzzles in each Act. It’s pretty easy to get the hang of and the only thing that goes wrong is that sometimes the items you grab won’t do what you want it to (like follow you or being thrown further than expected). Talking about puzzles, the puzzles vary depending on what Act you’re on. As each Act has you helping one of the band members, the forest and the puzzles within the forest change to reflect that band member. The first Act has what I’d categorize as electricity puzzles as you put together machines, using powered-up blocks to activate other machinery to get needed parts, and powering them up with your singing. The next Act puts you in a dark, horror-like forest, in contrast to the bright but foggy forest from before, where the only light coming from you and the little bits of light that pop up every so often. Here, it’s a continuation of what I’d call electricity puzzles, but you’re more connecting posts of light with string to power up bridges or other things, plugging in light bulbs to light up the area and bring back the fauna, and dealing with some demon yetis who hold the posts or lightbulbs you need. Some posts will even have you connect them in a certain pattern, which you can gleam by finding the right flashing slideshow that holds the shape.

The third Act brings us to a forest in the midst of being destroyed by fire and pipes all around. This introduces a device that lets you turn into a swarm of butterflies, perfect to go through pipes allowing her to reach where you otherwise couldn’t. This time, it’s all about making sure water will be poured over the fire so you can continue into the forest. And finally, as the final Act comes and its literally the time for the concert to start, the game puts you to the test mixing up all of the puzzles together.

The puzzles are pretty easy here. I don’t know why I thought they’d be harder, but I enjoyed all of them. The only time I got stuck was when I was in Act 2 not knowing how to deal with the demon yeti thing holding the light bulb and in the epilogue where I didn’t know I could go more to the left, where I would find the item I needed to progress.

Once you successfully complete a milestone, like completing the area’s puzzles, you will then be treated to a segment of an interview that all four of them participated in. These are used to characterize the various band mates, show off their dynamic, and give us a peak into their history. Even from the first interview segment you can tell how close they all were. It also helps explain why the forest looks the way it does and why you’re doing these types of puzzles. Plus, it helps later on as the characters themselves show up.

Continuing off of this, I did end up liking the story. Giving us short bursts of their backstories in the form of the interview they did together worked surprisingly well. I did not expect to get emotional at the final scene. I also did like how the forest and the puzzles changed depending on what band member you were helping. It helped give every Act its own look as well as tie in what each member personally thought of the forest and their current emotional state.

Technically, there is a collectible in the form of the lamp posts. Scattered in all of the Acts, there are unlit lamp posts that you can turn on when you snap Nina’s fingers. A lot are in the open where you’d pass anyway, but some are slightly hidden. Though, you could just forget about the lamp posts like I did during the first half of Act 1. There is an achievement tied to turning on all the lamp posts (at least on Playstation) so yeah don’t zone out like I did if you want to platinum this game.

The Forest Quartet plays flawlessly on the Playstation and I really liked the look and the sound design the game had. I really liked how the forest changed between each band member, while also keeping the same bones to ahve it still feel familiar. I also did like the jazz music, especially the song that plays at the concert. In addition, the ambient noises, noises from the various things you interact with, and the sound of Nina’s snaps (which I couldn’t help but press all the time) and her humming helps give the game a chill, relaxing atmosphere to it. The voice acting was also pretty good as it does grow on you as you play through the game. The voice actors did a good job in showcasing the bond all of them had.

Verdict

Overall, The Forest Quartet is a pretty decent game. I went in with no expectations and came out actually liking it. The puzzles were good and not that hard, the story was interesting enough and I appreciate how it didn’t drag on, and the ending concert was unexpectedly touching. Plus, I’m sure it helped that I picked this game up for a fifth of the price.

Just don’t play this game as a way to keep you up after an all-nighter.