5/5 ★ – Sefferson's review of Phoenotopia Awakening.

Phoenotopia Awakening is the textbook definition of a hidden gem. The further I made it into the game, the more I began to question why I had never heard of the game prior. There’s so little about this game out there, and it deserves to be so much more well-known. I initially played Phoenotopia Awakening because I saw it recommended as a high quality Metroidvania. And while yes, by definition, this is a Metroidvania, it is so much more than that. I think of Phoenotopia Awakening as a spiritual successor to Zelda 2. It wears its inspiration on its sleeve, with many mechanics being pulled directly from Zelda 2. Yet, even that doesn’t give it enough credit. It feels like Zelda 2 on every performance enhancing drug you can think of, with the charm and puzzles of later Zelda games. It’s got a pinch of Metroidvania going for it as well, it gets really hard to really break down what the game is like without actually playing it. Aesthetically, Phoenotopia Awakening made me think of games like Wind Waker and Earthbound; all while maintaining its own unique identity. There really is nothing that looks and feels quite like Phoenotopia Awakening. Every new location you visit feels so intentionally designed, and every new village you find is full of fun characters with dialog that on multiple occasions made me laugh out loud. The charm of this game is undeniable, and was there from start to finish. The story, while not groundbreaking, is really fun. There's a clear goal that evolves in a seamless way as you get further and further into the game. The final area of the game was really one of my favorite points in the game, just because it was so drastically different from where the game begins, but it felt built up to. The climax is quite great. The sound design in Phoenotopia Awakening is also top notch. The soundtrack is just banger after banger. Every song fits the theming of the part of the world you are in so well, and the battle themes get you amped up. There were several songs where I just stopped playing just to listen to them, they are that good. Every time I thought it couldn’t top itself, it would immediately prove me wrong in the next area, all the way to the end of the game. The actual sound effects are very satisfying as well; I particularly love the noise that plays when you charge your attack, and the heavy crack of the bat that follows those strong charged attacks. The sound effects of Gail walking on different types of surfaces is a level of detail I just was not expecting, and even had some puzzles to go along with it. One of my only real issues with the game isn't even really an issue, as much as it was me just struggling to understand how to play the game properly. Combat is quite difficult for me in this game, but I can see the potential is there. I never really thought outside of going for charged up hits, or quick bashes, but I can see the potential of swinging your bat at bombs to send them flying into the enemy; and I definitely underestimated how powerful the slingshot was until towards the end of the game when I realized you can spam it to do really fast chip damage. The boss fights themselves are designed around the slower pace of the combat and really punish the player for not thinking and instead just acting. I enjoyed every boss in the game, though some definitely took quite a few attempts. What really kept me going though, was the puzzles, and I am sure I only scratched the surface based off of my completion rate. There are whole puzzle dungeons that range from baby-mode easy, to quite difficult and obtuse. Of all the puzzles I solved, there was not any that I felt were unfair. I did have to look up the solutions for some of them, but the solutions made sense. Some of my favorite puzzles in the game utilize the flute instrument that you get, and it once again just made me feel like I was playing a long lost Zelda game because of the similarities of the Ocarina or the Wind Waker. I whole-heartedly recommend Pheonotopia Awakening. My final runtime was around 46 hours, and it really didn't feel like that. It never dragged, especially once it really started going. The first hour or so felt a bit slow, but I feel it's unfair to judge a game of this caliber off of that. I do see myself coming back to this game many times in the future, whether to chip towards the boss that is hidden behind collecting all the heart and stamina upgrades, or just to replay it again. This game is truly special, and I loved every second of it, I cannot wait to see what comes next from this studio of passionate developers, and with them recently announcing Star Iliad, I couldn't be more excited!