Phoenix Springs
...a slippery exploration of memory, time and space grounded in Iris’s quest to uncover the mystery of what happened to her brother... This elliptical game dares not to bend over backward to explain itself...
The New York Times – A Philosophical Journey With Clicks of a Mouse
Phoenix Springs deals with the abstract, from its twist on genre mechanics to its narrative, and I’ve never seen anything quite like it. I’ve tried to find examples to compare it to and come up short. The point-and-click genre may never be the same, and neither will I.
The Gamer – A Vibrant Reinvention Of The Point-And-Click
Ideas-as-inventory is an elegant revision of point-and-click mechanics, transforming what can often feel like an opaque and sometimes clunky genre into something more supple, streamlined, and modern.
The Verge – Phoenix Springs reimagines the point-and-click adventure as weird noir
Phoenix Springs is playable art, and I could see it fitting beautifully into a museum exhibit, especially because you could really start the game at any given point and still find it fulfilling.
Polygon – Phoenix Springs is a lesson in using negative space, both visually and narratively
Playing Phoenix Springs feels like David Lynch spliced together the ripped pages of a pulpy sci-fi comic with the storyboards of a broody noir.
Rock Paper Shotgun – A surreal detective mystery that's both old-school and new wave
The debate over whether video games should be considered art has been ongoing for years, but Phoenix Springs feels like a definitive answer to that question. I’ve never been so mesmerized by a game like this, where every detail feels intentional and completely unique.
Game8 – This is Why Video Games are Art
What’s exciting about Phoenix Springs is that it excels as both a piece of art and a detective game. It occupies a similar territory as Kentucky Route Zero, another title that offers depressing social commentary in a visually fascinating package
Engadget – A dazzling and disquieting sci-fi mystery
I love the art, I love the sounds, I love the voice acting, and I love the way you interact. This looks like everyone I want. A mystery adventure with an aesthetic I want to use to decorate my home.
This is a heady, serious work whose story nods to bioethics, toxic fungi, and a mysterious green paradise in the heart of a desert. Yet it is driven by an undeniably affecting mystery: A tech journalist is searching for her missing brother; how far is she willing to go to find him?
Vulture – The Very Best Video Games of 2024
Much like David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive, nothing is spelt out here, and the appeal comes from pondering what it all means.
Showcases, Nominations and Awards
• Finalist, Herman Melville Award for Best Writing, NY Game Awards 2024
• Winner, Are Games Art? Yes, Of Course Award, TGAGWCAGA 2024
• Official Selection, Aesthethica Film Festival 2024
• Official Selection, DevGaMM Lisbon 2024
• Official Selection, Day of the Devs 2024
• Finalist, Best New Studio, YAGA 2024
• Finalist, Best Art Direction, YAGA 2024
• Finalist, Best Score, YAGA 2024
• Finalist, Best Performance – Alex Anderson Crow as Iris YAGA 2024
• Finalist, Best Small Dev Team, YAGA 2024
• Finalist, Wings Prize, A MAZE Berlin 2024
• Finalist, Best Narrative, Gamescom Latam, Big Festival 2024
• Finalist, Best Art, Gamescom Latam, Big Festival 2024
• Official Selection, Best of British, London Games Festival 2024
• Finalist, Critic's Choice, Indie Cup UK 2023
• Finalist, Most Anticipated, Indie Cup UK 2023
• Finalist, Rising Star, Indie Cup UK 2023
• Winner, Best Art Direction, IndieX 2023
• Official Selection, SXSW Sydney Games 2023
• Official Selection, Curios Showcase, WASDxIGN London 2023
• Official Selection, Indie Live Expo Winter 2023
• Official Selection, Mini Indie Showcase 2023
• Official Selection, Be a Hero Showcase, ComicCon Stuttgart 2023
• Official Selection, DreamHack Beyond Game Awards 2023
• Official Selection, Save&Sound Festival 2023
• Official Selection, AdventureX 2022
Lose yourself in the mystery of Phoenix Springs, a modern point-and-click set in a striking neo-noir world. It begins with an investigation: find your brother Leo. You already know where it ends.
• Buy Phoenix Springs on Steam.
• DRM-Free on GOG.
• Original soundtrack on Bandcamp.