Phoenix Springs

Absolutely did not stick the landing. It feels like it wants me to play it a second time to notice all the hints, but I don't want to even a little bit. The entire second half of the game is guess-and-check-and-check-and-check. I thought the prologue was so good, I was so ready to have a good time, but everything after the prologue was esoteric for the point of being esoteric. Like I'm actually mad. I wanted to know what was going on so bad. I was into it, I was dedicated, I was taking notes, I was excited to get answers to my questions. And then none of it meant anything. It's like they put a bunch of notecards on a wall with really unique and interesting ideas on them, and then the game wants you to bring your own red string and connect them yourself. Were you right? I dunno, time for credits! If there was an epilogue even, that would help. But the gameplay had deteriorated so much by that point that I don't know if I could have trucked my way through it. I left with more questions than answers, in a bad way, and the game simply wasn't enjoyable enough for me to want to squeeze every last drop out of it. It doesn't make sense, on purpose, and then the player is forced to come up with their own explanation of how all of these loose nouns were tied together. It's not David Lynch, it's just sci-fi themed Groundhog's Day with Shutter Island overtones.

Побачивши цю мальовану графіку з контрастними барвами я просто не зміг пройти повз. Але, попри вражаючий візуальний стиль, гра мене розчарувала. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3655295145 Ігролад має цікаву механіку: у героїні в інвентарі замість предметів є слова, які можна застосовувати на оточуючих речах. У разі вірного вибору, відбувається просування по сюжету та з'являється нове слово. Якщо ж логічного зв'язку немає, то ми чуємо коментар героїні без наслідків. Така нетипова для point-and-click ігор механіка могла б стати каталізатором, як мінімум, для купи цікавих коментарів та діалогів, і як максимум - для нелінійного розвитку подій. Більш того, сам нео-нуарний футуристично-дистопічий сетинг неначе до цього спонукає. Але ні. Тут панує холодна серйозність і псевдо-інтелектуальна духота, яка ніяк не розкривається і нічим не чіпляє. Ще й ігролад іноді дратує нелогічністю (або неочевидністю) дій, які потрібно зробити для прогресу історії. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3651247687 Звук тут кострубатий. Починаючи від проблем із його налаштуванням в опціях гри, і закінчуючи слабеньким музичним супроводом. Акторка дубляжу тут одна. Своїм навмисно апатичним, неначе роботизованим голосом вона веде нарацію не лише від імені головної героїні, а й від інших персонажів. Єдине, що мені справді сподобалося, так це фоновий звук кількох локацій, що зміг доволі гарно занурити в атмосферу. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3651247595 Я розумію, що гра намагається в сюрреалізм. І на локації Оазис це навіть виглядає доволі заворожуюче, але існує низка point-and-click ігор, де сюр реалізований значно краще. Не хочу тут писати їх назви, але скажу, що парочка вартих уваги виглядає в стилі claymation.

wet asphalt, oak, and dusty tomes; the stillness of a scorching midsummer. steel. static. air rich with decaying fruit. everyone drunk on music, nostalgia, spirits, memories. sweaty. sobbing. not quite there phoenix springs is a point and click neo-noir mystery game which is enjoyable if you give yourself over to its sensuality and love for the abstract. its mechanics are straightforward - mainly clicking on a list of clues, actions, and objects to tease out information on your missing brother from the grimy world around you - but its story is slow and nonlinear with few clear cut answers. a guide may come in handy if you find yourself running back and forth a little too much. yet, if you can match its pace, it's so worth it. the voice acting is excellent and noise and synths build swells of dread throughout the entire game. also, a major shout out to that art style. you can almost smell the ink from a woodblock print or comic book page in every single scene. it's so striking! there are a few visual things to be mindful of, however. a fine layer of rippling static overlays the whole game. if any of you also experience visual snow, it's pretty similar. there are also some white screens and, near the end, some flashing imagery. this is one of the few cases where i see these elements as being powerful creative decisions, but there isn't any warning in the game or any way to turn them off. so just a heads up. you can turn subtitles on or off, though. so, if you are okay sinking into something gritty and rather lynchian, i definitely recommend giving phoenix springs a try. it demands you slow down, but there's something beautiful in breathing with wherever a game takes you.

The visuals are astounding, and the atmosphere is spellbinding... but vibes alone can't carry a game. As other reviews mention, all of the story's momentum is lost it with insufferable click-until-something-happens sequences, asking the same questions over and over, to the same loopy characters, to finally achieve a gorgeous non-sensical ending. I really wanted to love it, and I did for a bit, but no, I wouldn't recommend it.

Really pretentious but I think that's pretty obvious from the aesthetic and description. Cool experience, I don't regret playing it. Worth it for the atmosphere and art. Maybe wait for a sale though. 13 pounds is pretty steep for what it is.

Surreal and intriguing mystery, wonderful art, and top notch voice acting. Only got stuck a handful of times and this is a genre and type of game I am really not familiar with, so if you've played point and click adventure games before you'll be just fine. This seems like the type of game to reward multiple playthroughs to figure out exactly what was going on. Finished it last night and I can tell it will stick with me for months

If this game seems intriguing to you based on it's art, you're correct. If you're looking for atmosphere, it's hard to beat. If you're looking for clear answers, this is probably the wrong game for you. The interface was interesting and felt like putting things together, but some of the jumps felt like a bit much; I was rarely sad that I checked the walkthrough. Even that is fairly atmospheric and thematic however in a game in some ways about ennui.

五小时通关，感觉要再来五小时才够玩...通过词条与词条的联系推动剧情的玩法非常之唯心（我喜欢），演出也是非常之惊人...！但动画闪得太快台词也念得太快，很有氛围但我个人完全反应不过来。整体玩下来有点像看了场电影（and英语听力）...剧情其实也挺好猜的，很实验性质的小品游戏，一款精装小零食。

Art style was mesmerising, puzzle concept was great, and I didn't even mind the Lynch-esque arthouse cinema story vibes but solving the actual puzzles was SO tedious and only created frustration instead of a sense of curiosity and engagement. The amount of times I talked to that DJ thinking that she'd have a tidbit of useful info for me... LORD. I'd love to see them finesse the gameplay a bit more because if they could improve on that with the same art style, I reckon they'd have a winner!

Leo Dormer, my little brother... Very cool, Lynchian adventure game. Stunning visually with an experimental electronic soundtrack. Using concepts to interact with the environment instead of a traditional inventory works really well and leads to a bunch of interesting interactions. Everything in the game, including dialogues is narrated by the main character, voiced by Alex Anderson Crow and she does a fantastic job. Pacing suffers a bit in the second half as the environments get more sprawling but it counters that with characters and concepts that make you ponder the meaning of what's happening. Highly recommended.