Calligram Studio’s debut game, Phoenix Springs, is a surreal and eccentric point-and-click adventure. Players embark on a journey with Iris, who is searching to find her brother Leo. As she follows the clues, her path leads her to the enigmatic desert locale of Phoenix Springs. But is this place a true oasis or just an elusive mirage?
Phoenix Springs immerses you in a world that is delightfully bizarre, both visually and audibly.
The art style, reminiscent of an art student’s wildest fever dream, is strikingly garish. Despite its assault on the senses, it manages to draw you in, perfectly setting the stage for the peculiar adventure that awaits.
Throughout Phoenix Springs, Iris’s voice guides you, narrating the unfolding events. Her narration often feels oddly out of place, as if it does not fit, sounding off-key and mismatched in tone. This might be a deliberate choice, enhancing the game’s uncanny valley effect. Iris’s matter of fact, emotionless recounting starkly contrasts with the emotional weight of searching for her sibling, perhaps a failure in the noir-style storytelling.
Overall, it left me feeling detached from the experience which strangely made me want to delve deeper and uncover the reasons behind it.
The story left me baffled and captivated; I cannot confidently claim to grasp the narrative of Phoenix Springs but wished to garner further insight into the game as I progressed. I am unsure if there was a clear plot which I failed to follow or a deliberate intent to obscure it, either way if the player fails to decipher unfolding events, then the message is lost.
The characters only add another layer of wackiness to Phoenix Springs. There are a limited number of NPCs are interactable and drive the plot forward, the remainder ramble incoherently. They do not enrich the story or provide any clarity.
Regrettably, Phoenix Springs squanders its chance to deliver a clear and cohesive narrative through its storytelling and character interactions.
Phoenix Springs flips the script on the classic point and click formula and breathes new life into the genre. Its unconventional system takes some getting used to, making me rethink how I interact with the environment. I compare it to learning a new language, as I adapted to this fresh approach to world interaction and puzzle-solving. Instead of picking up and combining objects, we use leads, unlocking further clues and driving the story forward. This mechanic truly immerses you in the investigative spirit of the game.
Phoenix Springs captivates players from start to finish, due to its concise length, emphasise on exploration/experimentation and a link to a comprehensive playthrough guide. This allows the player to continue their journey without losing interest.
Unfortunately, Phoenix Springs strays from the genre’s core principles, where nearly every environment, character, and object play a crucial role in advancing the plot, with only a few red herrings thrown into the mix. Instead, numerous locations serve no purpose, characters that do not contribute to the storyline, and objects that remain unused. This results in a world that feels empty and underutilized.
During my playthrough, I stumbled upon a few technical issues. At times, the music and sound effects overshadowed the protagonist’s dialogue, and while adding subtitles helped, it marred the game’s visual impact. Some cutscenes were fleeting and ended so abruptly that it felt quite jarring. Midway through the game, an update introduced a new bug, making it tricky to move between areas. It often took a while for the protagonist to navigate to a new location, sometimes humorously flitting back and forth between two locations.
As the credits rolled, I felt Phoenix Springs was an enigma. What had I just experienced? What events had truly transpired? Why was I compelled to see it through to conclusion?
Regarding the first question, I honestly do not know. Could it have been a university project that they kept working on that was arty and highbrow, or was it meant to be nonsensical? For the second question, it is not a true reflection that I was completely lost regarding the narrative. I have a vague outline of the series of events of the game, but I certainly did not have the full picture by the end of what transpired. Lastly, why did I finish the game, well in a small part it is a short game but mostly there was a fascination with wanting to understand Phoenix Springs.
To wrap up on a high note, I must highlight the innovative mechanics that drive interaction and progression in the game. It felt like a breath of fresh air and eager to see this system evolve and implemented in other games of this genre.
Pros
- Captivating and Garish Art Style
- Innovative Mechanics
- Kept My Interest
Cons
- Did not Utilise World Fully
- Narrative Incoherent
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