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Phoenotopia: Awakening Review


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phoenotopia-awakening-switch-hero.jpg.c03b6f2950fbec1a2298a73a65647769.jpgSix years ago, Phoenotopia debuted on Newgrounds as a Flash game. Not content with the dated capabilities of that platform, developer Cape Cosmic fully revamped the game to give it a new life with updated graphics, script, and an all-around bigger scope. Phoenotopia: Awakening is a far cry from its original Flash incarnation, and now takes players on a massive side-scrolling action/adventure packed with side quests, challenging boss fights, and secrets to uncover. Rest assured this is not your typical indie pixel art adventure, particularly due to its charming presentation and fiendishly difficult combat system.
 
You play as Gail, a young girl living a quiet life in a small country village, until a mysterious flying object kidnaps all of the adults. As the oldest member of the community, Gail leaves the children in the safety of the village and sets out on a quest to rescue the adults and uncover the source of the strange ship. Soon enough the scope of the adventure grows massive, with a number of twists and turns in the narrative that will certainly keep you guessing as to what could possibly happen next. In fact, the story gets a little wild by the end, resulting in a finale that feels a bit rushed given the events leading up to it. Still, there's a lot to love about the game's writing thanks to an abundance of humor and heart. This is clearly a fully fleshed out world and every single person you meet has a few lines of dialogue that are cute, funny, or some combination of the two. You'll absolutely want to take the time to talk to everyone when you enter a new town.
 
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The gameplay has some clear similarities to Zelda II, even down to the overworld map with roaming random monster encounters. In terms of adventure and exploration, Phoenotopia: Awakening is a wonderfully rich experience. Each area of the game is packed with things to uncover, both inside and outside of the main dungeons, and you'll be well rewarded for treading off the beaten path. You'll find both health expansions and stamina expansions, both vital to your survival, as well as other key items such as Moonstones that can be spent on other upgrades. It is incredibly easy to get caught up in exploring every nook and cranny you can find, to the point where you can spend hours and hours just poking around the game's hidden areas or working through side quests/mini-games. It's definitely the kind of game where you'll feel compelled to re-explore everything you can when you find a new item, in the hopes of uncovering more secrets. The lack of an in-game map does make it difficult to keep yourself oriented at times, but it's not so bad that you'll be constantly lost. Just finishing the main quest will likely take you at least thirty hours or so, and doing everything the game has to offer could easily double that number. Frankly, the amount of content in Phoenotopia: Awakening would be impressive for a AAA game, so coming from an indie developer it's pretty astounding.
 
The complexity and design of the game's puzzles is also what makes Phoenotopia: Awakening such a compelling experience. You'll encounter some standard adventure game puzzles or obstacles—hit the switch to open a new path, utilize all of your items to progress, etc.—but there are also some fairly intricate puzzles that are a lot of fun to work through. These are the kinds of puzzles you'll need a pencil and paper to properly work out and visualize, and that old school puzzle mentality fits perfectly with the game's retro aesthetic.
 
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Phoenotopia: Awakening's combat system is no less intricate but the challenge is a bit more punishing and a bit less fun. This game doesn't hold much back when it comes to battling even basic monsters. For one thing, all attacks and item use are tied to your stamina meter, so you can't just swing wildly. Requiring a thoughtful approach is fine, but the game also pairs this with relatively little in terms of dodging or blocking (you can sprint away but that also drains stamina). Gail's main weapon is a short range club that actually gets weaker upon multiple hits, so you have to back off and "recharge" a bit between swings. None of Gail's attacks or items are particularly fast either, which gives you narrow windows for striking. You can recover health by eating food, but much like Monster Hunter or Dark Souls there's an animation period while eating which can leave you vulnerable. And the biggest frustration is the lack of invincibility frames when you're hit, which means you can easily be juggled by multiple enemy attacks in a row (which actually happens quite often, whether due to multiple enemies or rapid-fire attacks).
 
All of this isn't to say that the combat system in Phoenotopia: Awakening is bad, but it is extremely challenging, much more so than you might expect given the otherwise friendly appearance of the game. You really have to time your moments to strike, and boss fights will likely take numerous attempts as you learn their patterns. It can also be rather discouraging, especially since there's no immediate retry option—you'll have to go back to your last save point—which can be tedious when you're out exploring and just plain time consuming when you're in a boss fight and just want to jump in again for another attempt. The difficulty of the combat system might blindside a lot of players and put them off, which is a shame since the exploration side of the game is certainly worth pursuing.
 
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The game's presentation puts pixel art graphics to excellent use, and pairs them with a stellar soundtrack. At a glance this might look like yet another pixel art indie game on the Switch, but the environments are wonderfully detailed and the characters' relatively simple designs actually allows for some outstanding animation—Gail rising out of bed with a yawn and a stretch is absolutely charming every time you see it. Just like the writing, there's a lot of hidden depth to the visual design to enjoy. The music is also phenomenal, featuring a wide array of songs that are lively, engaging, and perfect for both exploration and combat. The soundtrack sets a perfect tone for adventure and mystery, whether in dark caverns or bustling towns.
 

Phoenotopia: Awakening is a stunning achievement from such a small indie team. Clearly the developers have spent the past few years fleshing out everything they could from the original Flash game, and the result is an incredibly rich action/adventure packed with intriguing and compelling scenery to explore, townsfolk to meet, and monsters to slay. The combat does feel perhaps overtuned toward experienced fighters and the unforgiving difficulty might easily dissuade more casual players from giving the game a chance, but if you stick with Phoenotopia: Awakening its addictive exploration gameplay and charming presentation make it an adventure worth taking.

 
Rating: 8 out of 10 Moonstones
 
Review copy provided by publisher
 
Phoenotopia: Awakening will be available on the Switch eShop on August 20 for $19.99.
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