An unbelievably ambitious and interesting game. There are some issues when it comes to puzzle-solving, but overall, it is very enjoyable and satisfies a unique gaming experience.
I would say there are three or four "tiers" of puzzles in this game, ranging from simple to essentially impossible -- and I mean impossible. The first tier or two of puzzles are fairly standard in the world of platformers (e.g. there is a chest at the top of a platform, figure out how to traverse and manipulate your environment to get to the chest). The "special" mechanic of the game is one that gives the player the ability to rotate the 2-dimensional world and uncover different perspectives and paths. This is an uncommonly exciting device that makes the game refreshing and stand out from the sea of other pixel-graphic platformers out there.
The third tier of puzzle difficulty (which is enhanced by another special mechanic introduced in "New Game+", but I won't spoil what it is) is fairly intensive and requires you to pay attention to your surroundings and clues within the environment. Some of the solutions are a little wonky and it's not entirely clear how you are supposed to solve them, so there is a small degree of brute forcing or looking up the solution online, but they're generally not too bad (once you understand the in-game clues and what they are leading you to). There is even an area that basically lays out how to solve these puzzles if you dig deep enough, but it is enough out of the way to not seem like the developers are holding your hand through solving it.
The fourth tier of puzzles are essentially impossible to solve without: 1). Looking up the solutions; 2). Performing technical wizardry in the game files and extracting the solutions from there; or 3). Furiously brute forcing your way to the solution over an insane period of time. This tier is, understandably, the most frustrating part of the game. I do not understand what the development team was trying to accomplish (grand scale "comradarie" in the Fez-dom to solve the puzzles as a collective unit? Give me a break), and there is very little reward, acknowledgment, or feedback that you solved puzzles that, in theory, should not be solved by 99.9999% of players. These puzzles are so obtuse that, even when given the correct solution, you will sit there and go "How the hell would anyone ever come up with this solution?" I understand these are probably considered more of Easter Eggs by the development team, but once again, there is really no feedback that these are any different from anything else in the game. No 4th-wall-breaking smiles, no fireworks, nothing - just the same inventory spaces and musical stings that everything else in the game gets. If you did not look up any of these solutions, you would lose your mind trying to complete your collection of items, as there are probably 5-10 things that would be completely missed without the online assistance.
Overall, however, the game is exceptionally refreshing and I would say 90% of it is basically without a noticeable flaw. That last little bit is head-scratching at best and pretty awful at worst. Until you reach those parts, however, the game forces you to go "Damn, I wish more games came up with ideas like this". Pretty awesome!
(terrible map system, though...wish it was easier to look at and navigate)
