Phoenotopia: Awakening

 PC
Metascore
85

Generally favorable reviews - based on 4 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. The Indie Game Website
    Jan 21, 2021
    90
    Overall, Phoenotopia: Awakening is a triumphant PC port that thoroughly polished its flaws and comes out shining. Chock full of charm and wonder, it’s a delight for any pixel art platformer enthusiast looking for a new adventure to throw themselves into and while away the hours with.
  2. GameGrin
    May 12, 2021
    85
    A very nostalgic-style RPG with cute art and an interesting story. If you're looking for something new yet old-school-inspired with occasional notes of goofiness, this is a game for you. Definitely consider giving it a try.
  3. Noisy Pixel
    Jan 25, 2021
    85
    Phoenotopia: Awakening is a grand adventure with a heart just as large. It wears its influences on the sleeve, but the team’s passion is consistently visible and unabashed. There are some gameplay hiccups, and balance for newcomers is more on the unfriendly side. Still, it’s no doubt a must-play adventure for any seeking a classic action-adventure game experience.
  5. KeenGamer
    Feb 1, 2021
    80
    Appropriately, this adventure of rebirth was the product of the glory from the past. Metroidvania fans will feel right at home with Phoenotopia: Awakening, a modern answer to the 2D action-adventure born from the passion provided by the genre. Some may seem surprised at the volume of content available in a seemingly simple indie game. Yet passionate indie developers around the world have shown that with enough work, anything is possible, even triumphantly fun games such as this one. It's all that an adventure should be: you look back at all that you've done after so long and realize that none of it was wasted.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 7 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 7
  3. Negative: 1 out of 7
  1. JoeyCannoli
    May 16, 2022
    10
    This game is a remake of an older Flash game just called Phoenotopia. I loved playing the original Phoenotopia all those years ago, and I'mThis game is a remake of an older Flash game just called Phoenotopia. I loved playing the original Phoenotopia all those years ago, and I'm pleased to say that Phoenotopia: Awakening definitely did its predecessor justice. This game took everything great about the original Phoenotopia and cranked it up to 11. There's an impressive amount of locations to explore along the world, each one full of stuff to do, collectibles to find, and beautiful scenery to take in. My favorite thing about the game is the sizeable amount of weapons and upgrades you can find to spice up the combat against all the different enemy types you'll encounter along the way. My only gripe against the game is that the difficulty is pretty high up there and some of the bosses can be a pain to deal with, but this is still an excellent game overall.… Full Review »
  2. Marioman123
    Nov 12, 2021
    9
    This is a game with an insane amount of passion and polish put into it. The world is very fleshed out with many interesting npcs to interactThis is a game with an insane amount of passion and polish put into it. The world is very fleshed out with many interesting npcs to interact with and sidequests to complete. The game is briming with a ton of content, easily over 50 hours long if you like to explore for all the goodies.

    My only complaints are that the lack of maps makes it a bit difficult to backtrack through some areas and that the range of the main bat weapon is a bit too short for my liking. Other than that, this is a game that is truly a gem and is most certainly worth the $20 price with the sheer amount of great content that it has.    … Full Review »
  3. Shilfein
    Oct 6, 2021
    10
    Easily the best Metroidvania in 2021. Just finished it after 60+ hours and I am eagerly waiting for the sequel. Think "Cave Story" with betterEasily the best Metroidvania in 2021. Just finished it after 60+ hours and I am eagerly waiting for the sequel. Think "Cave Story" with better story, better characters and Zelda-like items and puzzles.

    PROs:
    Great worldbuilding.
    Great sci-fi story.
    Quirky, well written, charismatic NPCs.
    Lots of rewarding exploration and sidequests.
    Lots of clever spatial reasoning puzzles.
    Awesome music.

    CONs:
    Pixel art design is kinda hit and miss.
    No maps. Areas are easy enough to navigate, but still...
    No journal to track quests (paper and pencil is required).

    Fair warning though: The game is hard as nails. However it gives plenty of accessibility options for you to enable/disable and configure it to your tastes at any time.

    Seriously, if you like story-oriented metroidvanias give this one a chance, it deserves way more recognition.    … Full Review »
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