Anyone looking for a side-scrolling RPG should give this game a chance. It’s a big, ambitious game that nails that nostalgic feel but still feels modern. Phoenotopia: Awakening is a lovingly crafted RPG that’s well worth your time. It’s a nice mix of tracks that evoke emotion as well as help craft this vast RPG world. It evokes nostalgia but is layered in a way that it also feels modern. The 60 tracks are wonderfully composed, utilizing pianos, plenty of synths, and a mix of some chiptune music here and there.
The soundtrack does wonders when it comes to making each area you visit unique. It makes the world a joy to explore and a treat to lose one in. Whether exploring temple ruins or a futuristic science lab, it’s all lovingly crafted.
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Colors are well utilized to full effect, creating a nicely detailed world. Visually, the game has a nice pixel-art style. From side-quests from NPCs to secrets to find to mini-games for rewards, there is plenty to do in this game. The main combat loop may involve a lot of combat and light puzzle solving, but this RPG also does a good job of not making things feel stale. They are simple enough that I didn’t need a walk-through but still challenging enough to offer some head-scratching moments. Overall, I found the combat to be challenging, but completely doable: a rewarding kind of challenge that relies on smart placement and timing instead of button-mashing.īesides combat, the game has a lot of light puzzle-solving throughout: stacking boxes to reach higher ledges, plenty of switch puzzles and combination puzzles, etc. Enemies can be punishing because there is a lack of defensive options in this game. Although the combat feels responsive and straightforward, the enemies in this game do a lot of damage. This game features a fairly familiar-feeling combat system: basically close-range attacks as well as long-range attacks like a throwable spear or a crossbow. It’s balanced well, and it really did a great job making me feel like I was slowly getting more resilient. I found that money is harder to come by, overall, compared to other RPGs, but not so much so that it felt like a grind just to buy new equipment. This gives the game more of a focus on finding and spending money wisely. Rather, you grow stronger via better equipment and weapons. The game doesn’t have a leveling up system. Phoenotopia: Awakening has that Metroidvania trend of visiting areas later to fully explore them, and it did feel rewarding to come back to areas I had made mental notes about once I had the proper equipment. I might stumble across a cave with a rock that can only be destroyed by bombs, for example, or ruins that had a locked door that could be unlocked via a specific song I had to play using my flute.
It’s more challenging this way, though, and definitely gave me flashbacks of playing Ultima VII. This may be a turn-off to some, and I can see why: there were times when I was scratching my head, unsure of where to go next. It felt rewarding having so little hand-holding in this regard. Instead, I had to talk to NPCs who would give me hints on where to go next or whom to talk to. It’s a really freeing experience that makes Phoenotopia: Awakening feel like a real adventure, not muddled by quest objective markers. It reminded me of the 2D gameplay of The Legend of Zelda 2. It doesn’t even have auto-saving, instead requiring that you save at specific points, like a 16-bit era game.
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It initially starts strong, but later, as the game progresses, its narrative takes a backseat to more familiar RPG gameplay.Īfter the initial starting area, the game sets you free on your quest: no quest log, no map, just freedom to explore the open world. The narrative setup is engaging from the start, and I like how the game really makes you want to learn more about what happened. The object activates upon Gail’s arrival, summoning a spaceship that abducts all the adults from Panselo, so Gail sets off on a quest to figure out what happened to the adults, and see if they can be rescued. Gail finds that most of the children curiously ventured into a mysterious ancient temple housing a peculiar object. It’s the home of our main protagonist, Gail, who is tasked with venturing into the forest to retrieve the village children.
Phoenotopia: Awakening starts off in the humble village of Panselo.
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