Phoenotopia: Awakening
| Phoenotopia: Awakening | |
|---|---|
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| Developer(s) | Cape Cosmic |
| Publisher(s) | Cape Cosmic[lower-alpha 1], FlyHigh Works[lower-alpha 2], Premium Edition Games[lower-alpha 3] |
| Director(s) | Quang "Quells" Tran |
| Producer(s) | Lua error in Module:WikidataIB at line 665: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). |
| Designer(s) | Lua error in Module:WikidataIB at line 665: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). |
| Programmer(s) | Quang "Quells" Tran |
| Artist(s) |
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| Writer(s) |
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| Composer(s) | William Cho |
| Series | Lua error in Module:WikidataIB at line 665: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). |
| Engine | Unity |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Action-adventure, Platform |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
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Search Phoenotopia: Awakening on Amazon.Phoenotopia: Awakening is a 2020 action-adventure game developed and published by Cape Cosmic. It was released on Nintendo Switch in 2020, and later on Microsoft Windows, macOS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S in 2021.
As a remake of the Flash game Phoenotopia originally released on Newgrounds in 2014, Phoenotopia: Awakening expands on the original in all aspects of the game, adding things like a new navigable overworld, more weapons and mechanics, new areas, and a longer campaign. The resulting game has three times the total game area, a plot greatly deepened and expanded, and a script numbering at over 100,000 words.[1] Influences on the game include Cave Story and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link.[2]
Gameplay
Phoenotopia: Awakening is a 2D side-scrolling action-adventure game. The game takes place in a post-apocalyptic Earth ravaged by an ancient war, but since recovered, with modern humans largely rejecting advanced technology and living in pre-industrial conditions. The player assumes control of Gail, a young girl from the farming village of Panselo who seeks to discover what happened to her village after she and the other village children witnessed their abduction while out in the neighboring forest.
Most gameplay takes place in side-scrolling areas, where towns and dungeons alike are found. Various NPCs can be spoken to in towns, providing useful information to help Gail on her quest and providing rewards for various side quests triggered by conversation with them. These rewards range from pocket change in the form of a few RIN to valuable upgrades in the form of heart rubies and energy gems, which increase her health and stamina, respectively. Most NPCs have two or more unique lines of dialogue, which are cycled through during repeated initiation of conversation.
Overworld map and side-scrolling
Different areas are connected by the giant overworld map, similar to Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. As Gail traverses between towns, random enemies will spawn in the overworld map and dart around randomly. Coming into contact with them will put her into a small, side-scrolling area where enemies will attack her, which she can exit by running or fighting her way to the sides. In addition to obvious locales like cities and bridges, there are a number of smaller areas for Gail to visit, such as caves and rural houses, and there are various secret areas hidden throughout the overworld for players to discover.
Combat system
Gail's main weapon is her bat, which she uses to pummel her enemies. By the default settings of the game, each strike is linked to the stamina meter; therefore, the player must strike rather carefully by learning the attack pattern of each enemy and going in when the timing is right. The bat's link to the stamina meter can be disabled in the settings, though, which allows for a faster and more aggressive style of combat if the player so chooses. It's also possible to charge a strike by pressing and holding the attack button, which does much more damage.
An example of this attack style can be illustrated with the Toad, an early-game enemy with a simple pattern. It attacks by leaping at Gail, and there are two distances at which the Toad leaps. The Toad telegraphs whether it will perform a long jump or a regular jump, which allows for Gail to position herself right in front of where it will land and charge up an attack. Then, once it does land, she can quickly strike it one or a few times.
Some of the various monsters in Phoenotopia: Awakening strike hard enough that Gail is launched upon being hit, bouncing on the ground. She can avoid this stunned condition by crouching right before she lands, in a technique called ukemi, therefore allowing for more controlled combat. Some other advanced techniques include Temperance, which allows Gail to store a charged attack indefinitely, and Troll's Guard, which increases Gail's inertia and lowers her damage taken while it's active.
Flute
Some doors are guarded by Song Stones and require the correct song to be played on the flute in order to open, direct inspiration from a similar mechanic in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. [3] Which song is necessary is shown upon the Stone itself. For example, the Song Stone in the image shown bears a depiction of a Sand Drake, which means that the Song of the Ouroboros is required in order to open it. There are several required to pass the story, and there are even more optional Song Stones that hide rewards like RIN, energy gems, heart rubies, or moonstones behind their gates, or even entire optional areas of the game.
There's an important and common subset of Song Stones that bear a treble clef. These do not use one of the canonical songs in Gail's inventory, but instead use a song unique to them; what that song is is the puzzle to be solved. Sometimes, it's scrawled somewhere for the player to imitate, but more often, the song is obscured, with puzzles being as complex as music-note sudoku to figure out the unique melody.
In the late game, there are three combat-related spells bound to songs that heal Gail, increase her damage output, and boost stamina recovery. Unlike the other songs in the inventory, these are hidden, and they must be obtained through sidequests and secret paths.
Reception
Lua error in Module:Video_game_wikidata at line 361: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). Its initial launch on Nintendo Switch received mixed to favorable reviews. Phoenotopia: Awakening's setting, art, and soundtrack were generally praised, but opinion on the combat system was sharply divided, with some prasing its difficulty and others criticising it for the same reason.
Its launch on PC included an update patch, also released on Switch, that allowed for some of the combat difficulties to be alleviated in a settings menu. Thus, the reviews for PC are generally favorable, with praise mainly on the setting, art, and soundtrack.
Development History
Soon after the release of the original Phoenotopia game in 2014, the development for Phoenotopia: Awakening began alongside the potential sequel. Quells later decided to focus on the remake instead, as mentioned in the 2nd year anniversary Dev Blog.[8]
After the official launch date of Phoenotopia: Awakening on August 20, 2020, there were also multiple small updates that added QoL changes and various miscellaneous bug-fixes to the game. Notable changes include the implementation of Accessibility Options that reduce the difficulty of mostly the combat mechanics.
References
- ↑ North American and European Switch release
- ↑ FlyHigh Works published on Switch outside America and Europe and on Playstation 4 and Xbox worldwide
- ↑ physical release
- ↑ "Phoenotopia". Retrieved January 16, 2022.
- ↑ "Interview with the Phoenotopia Awakening Team!". Retrieved January 17, 2022.
- ↑ "2017 October Update". Retrieved January 21, 2022.
- ↑ "Phoenotopia: Awakening for Nintendo Switch Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
- ↑ "Phoenotopia: Awakening for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
- ↑ Handley, Zoey (23 August 2020). "Review: Phoenotopia Awakening". Destructoid. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
- ↑ Gipp, Stuart (20 August 2020). "Phoenotopia: Awakening Review (Switch eShop)". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
- ↑ "Announcing Phoenotopia Remake!". Retrieved January 26, 2022.
External links
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