Phoenotopia: Awakening

Heck yeah amazing pixel art platformer game that's got a hunt of detail put into just about everything you can think of.

choose the hardest "difficulty," which is really just the game as it was meant to be played. with basic critical thinking you can find ways to cheese or just get good in most difficult fights/areas. handholding mode was added to the game because of all the noobs in reviews and some still complain about difficulty so just put 2 and 2 together. this game has good combat, movement, puzzles, music, and worldbuilding. buy it so we get a sequel

There has never been such an incredible game that I hate to play. As most reviews will touch on, Phoenotopia has SO much going well for it! And yet, it is severely held back by movement/combat limitations that suck all the fun away. Environs are colorful and unique as the music and characters. The story is engaging, unusual, and brilliantly manages to weave complex lore in at a pace that feels neither sluggish nor overwhelming. I want to note this is an extremely rare trait to find in games with heavy lore. The world builds itself naturally, and this in turn lends itself to a stimulating game experience that makes you want to progress and keep learning. The writing is phenomenal. Quests are enjoyable and varied, as well! The visual style blends well with the rest of the game and is (crucially) not cluttered, even in areas meant to look busy. Again, this game has so much going well. ...And then, it doesn't. Movement is slippery and attacks are slow. Aim is very sensitive on ranged weapons, while your melee weapons have a range that's effectively zero. Together, this means you miss a lot and take tons of damage. And! The knockback on hit is immense. Now, all of this is frustrating…

I can't do it! I just can't do it! I've been redoing this review repeatedly and I can't recommend the game! If you're a regular person and ya like Zelda, play it! Try it! It's awesome for you! It is what it looks like done to a fantastic degree of quality, and I believe that the developers put their hearts into it! But if you're 'off', as a person, as I am, then, again, the game is what it looks like, make that a basis for your judgement. I wanted to try it because I have been repeatedly hearing extraordinary praise show up in relation to it. I see the game, I see what it looks like, I think I'm missing something (which does happen), so I try it, I play it, I listen further to what people say, I look at reviews, I consider what I've experienced, and my conclusion after all of this is... is that it won't do enough for me. When I was a kid I might have fallen in love with it. Now, I'm not that kind of person any more. I don't disapprove of it, I would in fact actually like to see this game receive far more recognition, but for the people like me I'm going to be honest and say I can't really recommend it. I need some strangeness, some idiosyncrasy, some more [i]something[/i] that b…

It's been a long time since I've played a game that made me want to explore everywhere and talk to all the NPCS. Great worldbuilding and has some touching moments. I kinda wish that they had just a little bit more content near the end.

I'm dissapointed by the ending... sorry... (I prefer the old one)