Image credit: Finley Collins for Kyusai / Danny Peet
Incredible. Short… but incredible. That is going to be the crux of what you read going forward, but I can wholeheartedly say that this game includes some of the best design I have seen in recent memory. Alongside this, it’s a good challenge and a whole lot of fun.
I first found A Fox Tale while researching my “Games developed by solo devs” article, and commented that the platforming and visual design looked amazing. Getting to play and review this game was a treat. As to why I think this, here is Kyusai’s A Fox Tale review.
Premium precision platforming
Developed solo by Daniel (Danny) Pete, A Fox Tale is an amazingly vivid and satisfying platformer. Every single stage oozes with a level of expertise that is shocking to see from a single individual. The gradual introduction of more mechanics provides new challenges around every corner, keeping the game feeling fresh.
Paired with this, A Fox Tale puts an incredible amount of faith in its players. It never holds their hand but naturally exposes new gimmicks. Alongside providing appropriate level design, this allows a player to discover for themselves how best to utilize any given movement option.
Regarding movement options, many are used effectively at every level where needed. Clinging to walls, air-dashing, and bouncing off springs all start to feel like second nature as you progress in the game. Because of this, every death felt deserved, and solutions occurred to me naturally as I played.
That is not to say that this game was easy; I died an uncountable number of times (the game actually counts, it was 1,139). With each level, I grew more familiar with the platforming, so I felt a marked improvement every time I failed.
That, however, leads to my main criticism of the game: it is very short. I am not astoundingly good at precision platformers, and yet I managed to beat this entire game and get all the collectibles in just over three hours, about 25 minutes of which was spent on the final level.
While this is not a particularly fair criticism, as again, this was developed by one person, I was dying for more when I reached the end, as I was having that much fun. The combination of puzzles and fast-paced precision platforming is truly good enough that the only gameplay critique I can give is “I wish it had more”.
I did experience a few glitches during my playthrough. Nothing game-breaking, as you can restart a level at any point through the pause menu. The levels are also quite short, so no significant progress was lost. I am confident, however, given time and the game’s full release, these will all be addressed and amended quickly.
A design masterclass
One of the most surprising aspects of A Fox Tale‘s quality is its presentation. While I have previously stated that I loved the art style and world design, every other aspect of the game is of a similar quality.
I was genuinely surprised by how much I loved the music. Considering how long it took me to beat some levels, I would’ve thought hearing the music would’ve become grating; however, it never did. The game’s sound design is appropriate for the more mellow presentation and, most importantly, never overstays its welcome. Even on levels that will take dozens of attempts.
Some story beats are a little cookie-cutter, but that does not mean they are bad. While they can be a little predictable, they are still presented in a manner that makes them appreciated. There are also some turns I genuinely didn’t anticipate, and the game deals with relatively heavy subject matter given its style.
I have mentioned the visual quality several times now, but it really is worth focusing on. The game as a whole is very stylish, with a wide range of sprites and visual effects that all look great in the art style. While many of the environments do end up looking somewhat similar, I’m not going to complain about more of a good thing. The colors are vibrant and shifting, so everything in the game looks great. I occasionally struggled with platforms blending into the background, but this was rare.
To conclude, A Fox Tale is one of the most fun I’ve had in a precision platformer in a long time. While I’d love it if it were longer, one must remember that this is the creation of one person, and they did a great job. Alongside being visually stunning, A Fox Tale is a great addition to the precision platforming genre and was a treat to play.
FAQs
A Fox Tale was developed by solo dev Danny Peet. Some brief research indicates that he has been a game developer for seven and a half years at the time of writing.
A Fox Tale was released on the 28th of April 2026, with the game’s demo available on Steam before release.
From start to finish, A Fox Tale’s runtime should be just over 3 hours. While this may seem short, the game has a few collectibles and, most importantly, a death counter, so speedrunning is encouraged.
Many precision platformers are similar to A Fox Tale, most notably titles such as Super Meat Boy come to mind, but A Fox Tale’s unique style and approach to level design set it apart from other entries into the genre.
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