Forgotten Fragments

Firstly, Thanks to PR Hound and Binary Phoenix for the Key!
The game is really good and needs a lot of thinking in order to proceed to the next level. It' graphics and ost are amazing tbh since i love games with pixel style. A lot of levels are based on trial and error so get used to dying like 25 times in a level. Sometimes more and sometimes less.
It's really an amazing adventure! Fraustrating yes but still satisfying.

Forgotten Fragments is a precision platformer that focuses primarily on mechanics, physics and your ability to carry out your planned solution to the games many rooms/puzzles. I enjoy the purposely "clunky" control scheme and compare it to a game like Super Metroid where movement and precision do not come easily, they have to be practiced and learned, like learning a new language with your hands but not intentionally obtuse like Getting Over It.

The game is not overly long to outstay its welcome. As frustrating as a level can be, it can also be overcome with patience and work. This is a better system than games like Always Up where a failure leads to soul crushing disappointment and re-treading of the same ground. Once a level is beat it stays beat and you continue your progress. The findable secrets in the level do a great job at further testing your mastery of the control scheme and ability to quickly move your character while throwing the orb, or using the orb to platform around the level seamlessly. The world bosses also add a nice element of brief challenge and change to the usual level.

The single player campaign is easier than the Co-op one. You have yourself to depend on in getting through the game. Co-op has the additional challenge that you have to sync up with another person and both of you have to have that magic "one time" execution to proceed, which isn't much but it can be daunting. The game also has the unique quirk of using Remote Play instead of a server or personal hosting. Some find this to be a turn off but it worked well enough for me and my Co-op gaming partner (more from him later). No challenge was unable to be overcome with teamwork.
The game does have a few bugs that I was able to find through casual play but I never had any performance issue running the game itself. I can tell the devs behind the game are passionate about improving it and hopefully continue to make more games. I've posted in the discussion forum about issues (as have others) and they've addressed the issues promptly even taking a suggestion I gave and promising to update the game.

This game gets two big thumbs up from me. I would recommend it to anybody looking for a challenging gaming experience alike but also different than games like Celeste or VVVVVV, or who has a buddy that they play games like Chained Together, Paddle Paddle Paddle, or Bread and Fred.

I also promised my Co-op partner a chance to include his thoughts:
Forgotten Fragments co-op is a true test of patience and communication between two players. Some levels take minutes while others take dozens of attempts. Luckily single levels allow for real progression in shorter sessions. Its commendable and welcoming allowing a 2nd player to play without buying a 2nd copy, but for a game with unforgiving pixel perfect platforming using Steam Remote play was a struggle. Even with a strong hardwired internet connection it was common to miss timing with jumps, passes or a reoccurring double box throw. Hundreds attempts failed from that damn double box throw.

A lot of love was put into this game and I'm excited to see what the dev does next.

Forgotten Fragments is a puzzle platformer developed by Binary Phoenix and published by Assemble Entertainment, combining precision movement, environmental puzzle-solving, and cooperative gameplay into a carefully structured adventure that emphasizes timing, coordination, and experimentation. Built around handcrafted challenges and a steadily evolving core mechanic, the game delivers an experience that rewards patience and persistence while offering a world filled with mystery and subtle storytelling. Rather than relying heavily on combat or narrative spectacle, Forgotten Fragments focuses on gameplay systems that constantly encourage players to think creatively and adapt to increasingly demanding situations.
The game follows a journey involving characters named Enid, Ryder, and Dayen as they travel through mysterious locations in search of powerful fragments tied to a larger hidden mystery. Storytelling takes a quieter approach, allowing environments and progression to reveal information naturally rather than interrupting gameplay with constant dialogue or cinematic sequences. Ancient ruins, forgotten places, and remnants of a larger history help create a setting that feels mysterious without becoming overly complicated.
At the center of the gameplay lies an orb-based mechanic that defines much of the experience. Players interact with energy spheres that must be carried, thrown, activated, and positioned correctly to overcome obstacles and advance through stages. While the concept initially feels straightforward, the game steadily builds additional layers around it, introducing situations that demand stronger timing, environmental awareness, and problem-solving skills. Simple actions gradually evolve into increasingly demanding challenges that require both careful planning and precise execution.
Puzzle design stands out as one of the strongest elements throughout progression. Forgotten Fragments consistently introduces new ideas without abandoning earlier mechanics, allowing complexity to develop naturally over time. Players manipulate environmental objects, navigate hazards, manage momentum, and solve increasingly elaborate situations where understanding mechanics becomes just as important as movement skill. The game avoids relying solely on repetition by regularly finding new ways to challenge player expectations.
Movement itself plays an equally important role. Precision platforming becomes increasingly central as progression continues, requiring accurate jumps, proper timing, and careful positioning. The difficulty curve steadily rises, encouraging mastery rather than casual completion. Success often depends on understanding movement systems fully rather than simply reacting quickly. Challenging sections can require multiple attempts, but overcoming difficult obstacles creates a satisfying sense of accomplishment.
One of the game’s more valuable additions comes through its cooperative content. Forgotten Fragments supports both solo play and cooperative experiences, with certain levels designed specifically around teamwork and communication. Playing alongside another player introduces entirely different dynamics, requiring coordination and shared problem-solving rather than individual execution alone. Cooperative design feels meaningful rather than secondary, adding replay value while strengthening the game’s identity.
The amount of content available also helps support long-term engagement. A large collection of handcrafted levels provides steady progression across multiple environments and challenge structures. Hidden collectibles reward players willing to explore more thoroughly while encouraging replayability beyond straightforward completion. The game consistently rewards curiosity alongside mechanical skill.
Visually, Forgotten Fragments embraces a pixel-art presentation filled with personality and atmosphere. The environments carry strong visual identity without overwhelming gameplay clarity. Ancient structures, mysterious ruins, and varied environmental themes create a world that feels distinct while maintaining a retro-inspired artistic direction. The visual design supports gameplay effectively by keeping information readable even during more demanding platforming sections.
Audio presentation further strengthens immersion. Music and environmental sound design complement the mysterious atmosphere while helping reinforce pacing throughout progression. Quieter moments create reflection while more intense sequences gain additional energy through thoughtful audio support. The presentation remains cohesive without becoming distracting.
The game’s challenge level naturally creates some limitations. Players unfamiliar with precision platformers may encounter moments of frustration during later stages where execution demands increase significantly. Certain sequences require repetition and persistence before mastery develops fully. The game expects patience and willingness to improve rather than offering effortless progression.
Players seeking heavily narrative-driven experiences may also find gameplay taking clear priority over story development. Forgotten Fragments builds its identity around mechanics and level design rather than cinematic storytelling. However, players interested primarily in puzzle-solving and platform mastery will likely appreciate that focused direction.
Binary Phoenix succeeds by understanding exactly what makes the game work. Forgotten Fragments does not overload itself with unnecessary systems or distractions. Instead, it refines its core mechanics carefully and continuously introduces fresh variations that maintain engagement throughout progression.
For players who enjoy puzzle platformers built around timing, environmental interaction, cooperative problem-solving, and rewarding challenge, Forgotten Fragments delivers a satisfying experience filled with thoughtful level design and consistently engaging gameplay progression.
Rating: 7/10

Great co-op fun. Puzzles are on the easy side, but skill / dexterity is required to execute. The actions aren't mirrored, so you can switch players if you find some section hard by swapping controllers.

Shoutout to PR Hound for reaching out, and Binary Phoenix for providin a key for the game.
I'm not good with writing short and concise texts, so I'll be rambling a bit. But I hope my experience can give others a better picture of how the game is :)
It's been a while since we finished our playthrough so I might've forgotten some stuff, but this should cover most of it.
(I didn't intend to write this much but here we are).
Note that my experience is specifically from the co-op campaign, which is likely veeeery different from single player.
TLDR: Hard puzzle-platformer that is very fun (and difficult) as a co-op experience. I would recommend playing single player before jumping into co-op. Use Assist Mode if the game feels too hard, it's really fun. Really nice pixel art. And the devs are really cool!
Intro:
This was advertised to me as "think of Celeste, but with the ability to play with a bud". I don't necessarily feel this is a very accurate description of the gameplay (as there is no jumping tech or climbing), but I also don't really know what to compare this game to. I probably would not have gotten this game if not for PR Hound, as this isn't really my type of game genre, but as a silly co-op experience this was top tier (we both sucked at Celeste).
Level Difficulty:
We went straight into the co-op mode without playing single player. In hindsight I would not recommend this. I have yet to fully play the single player campaign, but the difficulty of the early levels is quite easy compared to co-op.
The level difficulty fluctuates quite a bit. It didn't feel like there was any logical ramp-up in difficulty from one level to the next. We could spend an hour trying to clear one level because of how ridiculously hard it was, then clear the next one in one try. It felt very strange and kept happening.
Note: The devs have since made several updates to the game, making adjustments to multiple levels, so it may not be as bad now.
Our progress through each level went something like this:
1) Try to understand the level
2) Think of a plan
3) Fail to execute plan multiple times until it works (either due to skill issues or level difficulty)
*repeat steps 1-3 as needed due to misunderstanding the level or having a bad plan or because we missed something because we're both colorblind lmao
Criticism: Controls
This could be a skill issue on our part, but both of us had a really hard time getting a hang of the controls. Something about them doesn't feel intuitive. The ones that kept messing us up were the orb targeting rotation, and creating platforms+releasing the orb.
- For the targeting, maybe being able to use the right stick would feel more natural, at least as an option. A way to pre-aim was also something we wish was a thing.
- For orb release after creating a platform, we felt using the same button to lock in place and release the orb would feel more natural instead of splitting the actions between 2 different buttons.

Criticism: Co-op Pacing
Due to levels being split in two and the nature of dying and retrying a level over and over, the player who doesn't start with the orb can end up doing nothing for a looooong time. This could sometimes mean an hour or more of downtime depending on how difficult the opening of a level is.
For us this often led to the orbless player forgetting how to play the game and having to slowly relearn the game once the opening became somewhat consistent and you actually got the orb. The orbless player has no way of interacting outside of backseating.
Feature Suggestions:
I feel the game could benefit from having a sandbox level where you can test new mechanics or just warm up. Many of our resets happened because we weren't sure how some interactions would work out in practice. Whenever we failed to execute something, we could never be sure whether it was due to a missplay on our end or our strat just being wrong. The assist mode options sort of allow something like this, but not quite, and using assist mode also marks the level with an easy mode tag after clearing.
Another thing that we were missing was the option to swap starting positions at the start of a level. On one of our final sessions we finally figured out that it's possible to swap characters through the remote control co-op menu. But I feel this could be an actual feature in the game itself.
Final comments:
Forgotten Fragments Co-Op is an infuriating series of mishaps and massive satisfaction once you finally succeed. There were some levels that we cleared in a way that definitely felt unintended, but "cheating the system" in this way a few times felt quite satisfying whenever it worked. Assist Mode is also really fun to mess around with, even if you don't necessarily need the help. We started using it towards the end of our playthrough and wished we had tried it earlier. Good game, I'll probably play through the solo campaign at some point as well.

Very difficult, very polished. If you enjoy harsh difficulty and precision platforming give the game a try :)

Well , this is one of the most enjoyable game I played , first of all the Art in the game is really magic and i am so happy to know it has been made by human hands not by Ai
The game is not that difficult its meant to be for all the gamers in my opinio
LvL’s : has done in really amazing style that makes you feel really good when you pass them
Boss’s : you gonna think its really no way to defeat them but onec you know you will know .
Game play : 10/10
Sounds :10/10
Art : 10/10 <~ great done
Grafics : for all pc’s well have the amazing looks even poor pc it won’t eat your Cpu+gpu
Co-op :10/10
What i am hoping in 2026 -2027 is more games like this one this type of games that really what we need that make you really feel in gaming mod
And you can see my hours and I will keep playing this game every time i feel it
I highly recommend
Thank you so much for the Dev’s i wish there is more project like this one