Phoenotopia Awakening
"While the difficulty and some features may grate against individual preferences, its immersiveness and gameplay variety combine to make Phoenotopia Awakening an absolute masterpiece."
Metroidvania fit: Medium Fit. Events are primarily story sequenced, and ''Zelda-like'' is probably a better descriptor overall, but many e
- Developer
- Cape Cosmic
- Time to Beat
- ~30 hours
- Release Date
- 2020/08/20
OpenCritic〉
Read critic reviews
Final Verdict
Phoenotopia Awakening
"While the difficulty and some features may grate against individual preferences, its immersiveness and gameplay variety combine to make Phoenotopia Awakening an absolute masterpiece."
Metroidvania Breakdown
The button scheme is a little over complex, and perhaps being hit is a little too punishing, but ultimately the combat is strategic and rewarding when you get good at it.
There are definitely times that Phoenotopia tests your platforming dexterity, but it's not a constant focus with the exception of puzzle platforming
There is so much stuff in Phoenotopia to discover, and all of it gives you incremental benefits when they're not wildly game changing. It can keep you busy for well over 40-50 hours.
There's a ton of variety ranging from deciphering clues for music puzzles to figuring out the correct pathway to proceed forward or into secret areas
Meticulously well-crafted lore creates a believable universe while also enabling laugh out loud humor, charming moments, and valuable lessons.
Soft colors and incredible detail on the backgrounds make for a relaxing visual world to immerse yourself in
Not only is the music basically perfect for the mood the game sets, but it also plays into the gameplay, with melodies that will be stuck in your head for days.
While it's not likely you'll want to 100% complete the game every time you play, you do have many choices that could diversify any new playthrough. Puzzles of course lose some value once you've solved them once, so some space between playthroughs may be recommended.