Phoenotopia: Awakening
- January 21, 2021
- Cape Cosmic
- 36h median play time
Impressive efforts with a few noticeable problems holding them back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth your time and cash.
Get on SteamIn Phoenotopia: Awakening, players assume the role of Gail, a young girl tasked with protecting her village after a mysterious spaceship crash lands. Explore a vast open world, battle enemies, and solve puzzles in this action-adventure game with Metroidvania elements. Discover the truth behind the invading entities and restore peace to the world.
Mac OS
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 4
Windows
Xbox One
Xbox Series X|S
PlayStation
Xbox
Reviews
- Beautiful pixel art and charming character designs that create an immersive world.
- Engaging puzzles and exploration that reward curiosity and clever thinking.
- A rich and humorous story with well-written dialogue and a variety of interesting NPCs.
- Combat can feel clunky and frustrating, especially with a short melee range and stamina management.
- Lack of a map or quest log makes navigation and tracking progress tedious.
- Difficulty spikes in certain areas and boss fights can lead to frustration and repeated backtracking.
- story409 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The story of "Phoenotopia: Awakening" is widely praised for its depth, charm, and emotional resonance, with many players appreciating the intricate world-building and character development. While some find the main plot somewhat simplistic or lacking a strong antagonist, the engaging side quests and well-written dialogue enhance the overall experience. However, the absence of a quest log or map can lead to confusion, making navigation and story progression challenging for some players.
“From the entire storyline to the small little details to the well-expressed character emotions in cutscenes to the small easter eggs for veteran players of the flash game, this game just has it all.”
“The story and world are more fleshed out; if you're the type of person who enjoys talking with NPCs and reading descriptions, the dialogue and flavor text in this game is such fun to read.”
“The story is engaging, the art and music are beautiful, and it has a great sense of adventure.”
“The story feels a little incoherent at times, but gameplay is good.”
“The main problem of the game is the combat mechanic (there are also fewer save points than necessary in the castle, but let's talk about what bothered me the most - I think that for the advancing of this story, combat shouldn't even exist).”
“The story was interesting but a bit lackluster and anti-climactic.”
- music312 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The music in "Phoenotopia: Awakening" is widely praised for its emotional depth, variety, and ability to enhance the game's atmosphere, with many players noting its memorable and catchy tracks. Reviewers highlight the soundtrack's ability to complement different environments, creating a rich auditory experience that resonates with the game's themes and visuals. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's charm and immersive quality.
“The music is absolutely incredible.”
“The soundtrack is beautiful, the story is enthralling, and the gameplay is satisfying.”
“The music is catchy, memorable, and emotional.”
“The music is fairly okay, but some of the mid-game themes you'll probably want to get out of your head after a while.”
“Sometimes the music stops suddenly, just like that, for many seconds... don't know if it's a bug or supposed to happen.”
“While the art and music are very good, the controls are terrible.”
- gameplay237 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of *Phenotopia: Awakening* is a mixed bag, featuring a blend of platforming, exploration, and puzzle-solving that many players find rewarding and engaging. While the game offers a variety of mechanics and challenges, it is often criticized for its clunky controls, frustrating combat, and punishing difficulty spikes, which can detract from the overall experience. Despite these issues, the charming pixel art, intricate puzzles, and a strong emphasis on exploration contribute to a unique gameplay experience that appeals to fans of the genre, particularly those who appreciate a challenge.
“The exploration is really good; it felt consistently rewarding to talk to people and look around for health, stamina upgrades, and moonstones, and there are so many unique puzzles to get them around every corner, and they consistently teach you new mechanics and introduce new ideas.”
“The gameplay is simply fantastic, there are tons of smart interactions in the game design, the puzzles really test your spatial perception: whether it's activating a switch by angling your slingshot the right way, using projectiles to knock moonstones off their platform, piling up boxes and bombs to gain barely enough height to reach a platform, or completing parkour sections full of arrow traps with well synchronized jumps.”
“The worldbuilding and aesthetics of the game are charming and memorable, the gameplay combines platforming and exploration with puzzles and secrets beautifully, and the combat system takes some getting used to but it has an incredible amount of creative expression and depth later on.”
“Game has all the potential of being a solid game, but is let down by repetitive, uninteresting enemies, combat and puzzles, barely passable controls and platforming mechanics, and a distinct lack of basic quality of life features like being able to travel from one side of a town to the other at any decent speed without leaving the town and just going to the other entrance.”
“The gameplay is not good enough to sustain this amount of content.”
“Worst game I ever played; this game managed to make every single mechanic into an absolute chore in a way I have never experienced before.”
- graphics151 mentions
- 54 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming pixel art style, vibrant colors, and smooth animations, creating an immersive atmosphere that enhances exploration and storytelling. Many reviewers highlight the attention to detail in the environments and character designs, noting that the visuals are both cute and expressive, contributing significantly to the overall experience. However, some critiques mention a lack of polish in certain areas, suggesting that while the graphics are appealing, they may not meet everyone's expectations for detail.
“The visuals boast simple yet expressive sprites and incredible backgrounds with notably high attention to detail in the environments, and the music is a standout.”
“The artwork is unique, vibrant, and super charming with each and every area being unique and distinct, accompanied by music that is downright mouthwatering, some of the best I've ever heard in a game.”
“The graphics are lovingly polished low-res pixel art in a style that's both cute and easy to read.”
“The graphics/pixel art are quite lazy.”
“Although it has charming visuals and some interesting ideas, it lacks a level of polish I'd require to stick it out, and isn't a game I'd recommend playing.”
“The end result is very strange--this seems like mostly a kids' game, by tone, by story, by graphics.”
- humor60 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised for its charm and wit, with players enjoying the funny and endearing dialogue from NPCs that often provides hints and lore. Many reviewers highlight the game's ability to balance lighthearted humor with engaging storytelling, making interactions with characters a delightful experience. Overall, the humor is considered one of the game's strongest traits, contributing significantly to its unique and enjoyable atmosphere.
“The humor in this game is on point and the NPC dialogues are fun and provide necessary information; these minor details show that this game took years to craft.”
“I don't think I've consistently laughed at a game in a while, and this game's dialogue got me laughing throughout the whole adventure.”
“The combination of so many factors, like fantastic gameplay, great story, hilarious sense of humor, wonderful music, and so much attention to detail.”
- grinding50 mentions
- 6 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 94 % negative mentions
The reviews highlight that grinding in the game is often tedious and frustrating, with many players expressing dissatisfaction with the clunky controls and repetitive tasks required for progression, such as farming for coins and completing minigames. While some acknowledge that grinding can be necessary for upgrades and healing items, the overall sentiment is that it detracts from the enjoyment of the game, making it feel more like a chore than a rewarding experience.
“Additionally, the puzzles are fun and well designed, engaging but not tedious.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“A bit grindy sometimes.”
“The hitbox is terrible and because the controls are so clunky and everything you want to do is so tedious, it's a real chore.”
“Controls are janky, floaty, and frustrating, but worst of all is that it's one of those games that makes you play tedious little collection/cooking/farming/fetch minigames, and the reward is a little bit of gameplay of the platform adventure game that you actually want to play.”
“It's slow, tedious, limp, and stays that way - it's the first 30 minutes of every mediocre metroidvania when you have 0% of your arsenal, except that it never gets any better over the course of 6 hours.”
- atmosphere28 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in the game is widely praised for its unmatched quality, with a perfect blend of engaging music, stunning visuals, and immersive world design that evokes a range of emotions. Players appreciate the diverse environments, from bustling towns to serene landscapes, all contributing to a lighthearted yet captivating experience that encourages exploration. Overall, the game's atmosphere is considered one of its standout features, drawing comparisons to beloved titles like Okami and Ori.
“Exploring is always satisfying and the environments are dripping with an unmatched atmosphere through its soundtrack and visuals.”
“The sense of atmosphere and wonder it manages to create just through how the world design looks and feels is honestly phenomenal.”
“From the bustling town of Daea to the incredibly relaxing Moonlight Ravine, this game gets atmosphere down so well that it joined the ranks of Okami and the Ori games to get me to genuinely tear up purely off of the atmosphere that the graphics and music provided.”
“Out on the periphery, the grueling portions of the journey are further softened by Phoenotopia's uniquely inviting vibe; while many games of this ilk tend to revel in their cruelty, constructing worlds full to bursting with oppressive and foreboding atmosphere, the developer here chose to buck the trend and keep the overall mood light, humorous, and cartoonishly charming.”
“Those who criticize the game by saying how the range and choice of weapons are limited, how it doesn't have a list of objectives or a map, or how the game is unfair or punishing in general aren't taking into consideration how these are all deliberate design choices made for a certain playstyle and atmosphere.”
“Expect a childish tone of adventure despite the high stakes, except in a few specific areas where they intentionally invoke a much darker atmosphere.”
- emotional25 mentions
- 96 % positive mentions
- -8 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its wholesome and compelling story, complemented by touching music and well-crafted character interactions that enhance player investment. While some players found the narrative to be somewhat predictable, many praised its ability to evoke a range of feelings, from lightheartedness to deeper emotional moments, particularly in the context of character backstories and world-building. Overall, the game successfully combines heartwarming elements with engaging gameplay, making it a memorable experience for players who appreciate emotional depth in their gaming journeys.
“Its soundtrack is awesome too, the bitterly touching background music of the last wall, for example.”
“The ending credits almost made me cry and I can't wait for the next game!”
“The story, gameplay, and mechanics come together to deliver an experience that is heartwarming, challenging without being stressful, and a lot of fun overall.”
“The emotional depth of the story was lacking, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
“I felt no attachment to the narrative; it was just a series of events without any emotional impact.”
“The game tried to evoke feelings but ended up feeling flat and uninspired.”
- stability2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The game performs well on the Steam Deck, requiring only a simple aspect ratio adjustment in the settings. However, it suffers from significant bugs that can render it unplayable for some users.
“It runs great on Steam Deck; just needs an aspect ratio adjustment, which is easily accessible through the game's settings.”
“It is buggy to the point of being unplayable.”
“The game crashes frequently, making it impossible to progress.”
“I experienced constant frame drops and glitches that ruined the experience.”
- character development2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development is praised for its appealing presentation, including beautiful character designs and animations. The narrative is highlighted as touching, complemented by a well-crafted world design and engaging music, which together enhance the overall experience.
“Great touching story, world design, character design, music, challenges, and secrets.”
“Pros are nice presentation, some lovely character designs and animation work.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Players note that mastering combat and movement significantly enhances performance, particularly in challenging boss fights and parkour sections.
“Mastering both the combat and movement gives you a huge boost in performance when tackling bosses and parkour.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers highlight the game's strong replayability and potential for further development, suggesting that players can enjoy multiple playthroughs and new experiences.
“The game has a lot of replayability and development potential.”
“Each playthrough offers new challenges and experiences, keeping the game fresh.”
“The variety of choices and outcomes makes you want to dive back in for more.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy has been criticized for its poor sponsorship and advertising efforts, which have contributed to a lack of visibility and engagement with the game.
“The monetization strategy feels overly aggressive, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending money.”
“It's frustrating that so many features are locked behind paywalls, which ruins the overall experience.”
“The constant push for in-game purchases detracts from the gameplay and makes it feel more like a cash grab.”
