A mysterious journey through Phoenix Springs

“There’s forever a curious one asking about a lost one.”

Phoenix Springs starts with a simple question: what happened to your brother? The two of you haven’t talked in a while, and with the world crumbling, you are trying to find out.

You play as his sister, Iris, in this point-and-click mystery game out now for PC. You start on a train, trying to learn the answers to the most basic questions. Controls in Phoenix Springs are basic. Clicking the left mouse button allows you to move, talk, look at or use. The right-mouse button brings up a menu of enhancements – questions about certain topics you find in your investigation. Combining the two advances the story by specifying what you want to do or look for in the world.

Memories are fickle in Phoenix Springs. The protagonist mentions burnout and drugs as a potential reason, but there seems to be more to it. Memories can be revived though, by using the right words or the right items. A significant part of the game is finding the clues to use the right combination to help characters remember and advance the plot.

At its core, Phoenix Springs feels almost like a film. The unique cinematography used throughout gives a grainy 8mm feel to the various locations. City, desert and nature areas all have their own characteristics creating a tapestry of beautiful environments. Once you venture outside the city, the changes in time to the sky – going from yellow in the morning to red in the evening – are exquisite.

Dialogue is smart and proper. You learn early on that Iris was a reporter in the before times, and that comes through with how she asks and answers throughout the game. The voice acting is phenomenal, and Iris takes the lead in story explanation. The sound effects and music are strong, and pull the audio together as your venture on your search.

While attempting to determine what happened to your brother, other questions arise. Why does everyone seem drugged out? What happened to the world? Why are books contraband? Some questions will be answered by playing the game. Other remain a mystery. The game does a great job of rewarding curiosity. There are 78 achievements on Steam, and I unlocked only about 20 percent of those in my playthrough.

Mystery is a good way to describe Phoenix Springs. Both the search for answers about your brother and the world inspire questioning. Players will also find mystery within the gameplay. At one point in the later portions of the game, I took a wrong turn. It did not end well for that version of Iris. But I woke up back on a train. Had I died? Was the experience just a dream? The event reduced the number of options I had access to in my enhancement dialogue box, and I needed to find another way to progress the story.

Phoenix Springs is not without its issues. Walking slowly through the deep background in the countryside the first few times is beautiful and relaxing. However, as I continued playing it became tiresome. It turned into an excuse to disengage and look at my phone and find out what’s happening outside this video game’s world.

The game plays in roughly five hours, and upon completion, it brings you back to the beginning. With more questions arising at the end, you might jump right back in for another playthrough. I found myself needing to hibernate after finishing the game, to reflect on the past few hours. Will I start it again? How badly do I want more questions answered?

Some who play Phoenix Springs will come out of it thinking it was dumb. Others will claim it is a straight-up masterpiece. For me, I fall somewhere in the middle. I look forward to expanding my journey within the game, but do not feel compelled to start another playthrough immediately. I give the game 3.5 of 5 stars. Definitely worth picking up during a Steam sale to determine which of the two camps mentioned above you fall into.

Phoenix Springs is now available on PC.

Review Haiku:

A beautiful world
With mysteries all around
True noir at its core

Editorial note: the author received a review code for this game.