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Phoenotopia Awakening

 
Extended Interview！(Bonus)Mar 17, 2024 - Community Announcements{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38939108/12fb11e5219dca77eb9fd486d145e1516f739279.jpg This interview is from 2022. In this issue, we will present questions in Q&A form that were not asked during the original interviews in this Bonus Complitation」！ Interview #1 is available here→ https://steamcommunity.com/games/1436590/announcements/detail/4179973693293839601 Interview (Bonus) Ochoko　In this issue, I would like to ask some questions in the Q&A form that were not asked during the previous interview articles. Thank you so much for joining me again today. There's a sense of Phoenotopia's charm in that there is more than one way to solve puzzles and the various equipment used. Do you have a personal favorite puzzle, item, etc., that you like? Quang　Being able to solve puzzles in multiple ways was definitely something I wanted to encourage. Games are just more fun when there are multiple solutions. That's something I'm thinking about more and more in my future games as well. As for my favorite puzzle, that would be the 「Megalith」, which is more of a puzzle/enemy hybrid. There are numerous ways to "solve" a Megalith. With the right tools you can disable it, or you can sneak by it, or trip it up with objects or enemies. It was dangerous, but it also had a very predictable pattern, making it very fair. Seeing speedrunners play with it made me like the Megalith even more. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38939108/67486c8f89a185b0e2b89ac21d0d95d2b025b7a8.jpg Ochoko　Do you have origin stories for the names of any main characters, sub-characters, etc.? If so, can you please share those stories with me? Quang　Ah yes, there is generally a reason behind the names. I have a "baby name book" on my desk and I'll flip through it whenever I have to name an NPC, haha. I look for names that sound cool and have a meaning related to them somehow. For example, "Adar" is a bombmaker and his name means "fire". Originally, the main character was named "Gale." And I chose this name because I liked how "gale" sounded and because it meant "strong wind". If the main character had an element, it would be "wind"! Later, I discovered that "Gale" is actually a boy's named, so I fixed it to be "Gail". So the association with wind was lost. There's generally a story behind each named NPC. However, some names were chosen really quickly and don't really have much meaning behind them other than for a joke. For example, the Atai mayor's name is just called "Mayor". {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38939108/99eff13485fb3f03e582db8edc4dcce8b1663236.jpg Ochoko　Do you have a favorite boss? Please tell me about them. Quang　Hmmm... my favorite boss is probably 「Birdy」. Her fight is designed like a pokemon fight, where she'll be shouting out attacks, and the Sand Drake obeys. I also thought the mechanism used to trick the Sand Drake into eating a bomb was pretty clever, so I was happy with how it turned out. You can also attack her directly for some money. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38939108/9ca5babe48df0fcb83d874a9c9d3cd9f9f1e9744.jpg Ochoko...Long Interview！#8Mar 14, 2024 - Community Announcements{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38939108/12fb11e5219dca77eb9fd486d145e1516f739279.jpg This interview is from 2022. Hello, everyone. It's Kou from FLYHIGH WORKS. Today, we would like to present part #8 of an in-depth interview with Quang, the original creator of “Phoenotopia.” The interviewer is Ochoko, "Phoenotopia Strategy Memo. ( フェノトピア攻略メモ。)" blogger who is also considered to be a representative of the Japanese Phoenotopia fans. Interview #1 is available here→ https://steamcommunity.com/games/1436590/announcements/detail/4179973693293839601 Interview(#8) Ochoko　I have only a few questions left for the development team…I would like to ask you questions related to CAPE COSMIC. I hear that CAPE COSMIC is a four-member development team, so how do your 4 members come together? And why is your company called CAPE COSMIC? Quang　Sure! It's an interesting story... the only person officially in Cape Cosmic is myself! We're a very "indie" company. The musician and artists are not employees. The musician actually has a full-time job, one artist runs a cafe business, and another also works on another game. In a way, it's like we're "hobbyists", and I opened a company because I was required to in order to officially proceed with selling the game. The game was officially founded in late 2017, but we have been working together since as early as 2014. As for how we met. The musician is a friend of mine. We met in college and attended the same church for a while. We were even roommates for a few years! I got very excited when I learned he made music as a hobby. I immediately poached him, "make music for my game!" He probably didn't think I was very serious at the time, haha. As for the artists, I met them online. There was an online forum for pixel artists. I listed a request asking for help, and they answered. Their quality was very good, so I kept returning to them. We just kept working together for years and years hence why I consider them teammates. Anyway, we're not a 4 person development team now. One artist has moved on, and the musician has become very busy with life (he's getting married!) Haha, congratulations Will! I think you'll still hear Will's music in my future games, but he might only be able to score a few tracks. As for the name "Cape Cosmic." I mostly just think it sounds cool, haha. The name has alliteration. I also like starry sky imagery, so I wanted the word "Cosmic" in there. Ochoko　Congratulations on getting married, Will! We wish you many years of peace and happiness. Ochoko　Will you be sharing any information on your blog from now on? Developer blogs are fascinating, so I hope there will be an opportunity for you to resume blogging. Quang　If there's something noteworthy to announce, I will! But for now, there's nothing planned. I think once I officially reveal my next game, I'll begin blogging again :D Ochoko　Also, this is more a request than a question…If possible, I hope you will consider releasing a design works book and a collection of piano ...Long Interview！ #7Mar 11, 2024 - Community Announcements{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38939108/12fb11e5219dca77eb9fd486d145e1516f739279.jpg This interview is from 2022. Hello, everyone. It's Kou from FLYHIGH WORKS. Today, we would like to present part #7 of an in-depth interview with Quang, the original creator of “Phoenotopia.” The interviewer is Ochoko, "Phoenotopia Strategy Memo. ( フェノトピア攻略メモ。)" blogger who is also considered to be a representative of the Japanese Phoenotopia fans. Interview #1 is available here→ https://steamcommunity.com/games/1436590/announcements/detail/4179973693293839601 Interview(#7) Ochoko　I would now like to ask you about RTA (known as Real Time Attack in Japan, a speedrun event) challenges. While playing the game many times, there’s a sense that there is an adjustment to pay attention to the finer details of the system features. I was surprised when I first found out that the game can be cleared without obtaining the main weapon, the bat, and rocket boots. Were speedrun challenges considered during game development? Quang　I did think about speedrunning when I was making the game. I had a mental map of developer-intended speed running "secrets" I would allow. During development, I had the Phoenotopia FLASH game RTA videos as reference, so I was aware of which tricks people had used previously. One trick I didn't like in the FLASH game was how you could move a door if you stacked 2 boxes against it - so I made sure to fix that in Awakening. However, I did like the trick people used where they put a bomb on a door to weigh it down. This would prevent the door from closing. So I kept that trick in from the FLASH game. Ochoko　A crucial technique used during RTA is called the *“Ouroboros Skip,” but I wonder if this technique was considered in development beforehand? There’s a part in which Gail has to make sure that the bomb is stuck into the wall to use it as a platform to jump on (Haha). I heard that you like watching RTA. Can you tell me if a particular speedrun video stood out or left a lasting impression on you? Also, from the developer’s perspective, is there anything that can be done to save time during a speedrun? Quang　Ultimately, the RTA community completely surprised me, and RTA did not unfold the way I imagined! Haha. For example, in Sand Drift Ruins, there is a tower that is out of reach. I intended that if the player could stack 3 boxes, they would be able to enter the tower and this would let them skip the "Forlorn Ruins" area. Instead, RTA players found a better shortcut that allowed them to skip the entire Ouroboros section. Haha, that was way more skipping than I wanted. So all those techniques you described (bridge skipping, no main weapon, no rocket boots) were really not expected. I like to watch speed run videos however! So once those tricks were discovered I figured it was okay to leave them in, since I know the RTA community likes them. So long as a speedrun trick doesn't break the game in a bad way, I think it's fine to leave it in. The last RTA speedrun I saw was...Long Interview！#6Mar 6, 2024 - Community Announcements{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38939108/12fb11e5219dca77eb9fd486d145e1516f739279.jpg This interview is from 2022. Hello, everyone. It's Kou from FLYHIGH WORKS. Today, we would like to present part #6 of an in-depth interview with Quang, the original creator of “Phoenotopia.” The interviewer is Ochoko, "Phoenotopia Strategy Memo. ( フェノトピア攻略メモ。)" blogger who is also considered to be a representative of the Japanese Phoenotopia fans. Also, Phoenotopia's composer Will Cho makes an appearance. Interview #1 is available here→ https://steamcommunity.com/games/1436590/announcements/detail/4179973693293839601 Interview(#6) Ochoko　This next question relates to a big spoiler . . . . . . Are the guitars in Gail’s room the same ones from where you learned the last songs? I was captivated by the guitars appearing at the story's beginning and end. When comparing them, it seems the guitars have different colors. The hidden episode wherein you learn the last song reminds me of some part of MOTHER 2. Is that one of your other influences? Also, the protagonist's main weapon is a bat (Haha). Quang　We were very careful about what we put in Gail's room since what's in Gail's room is a direct reflection of who she is. So she has dojo robes and weights to show that she's strong, a picture of her family to show she values her family, books to show she's well-learned. And the guitar was to show that Gail enjoys music and has some musical ability. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38939108/2815f56cf8f84461935b3cec7196679e872b8ae4.png Similarly, in the secret room of the final dungeon, that room was carefully crafted to show what the scientists were like. There happened to be a scientist who liked to play guitar as well. But the guitars are different - Gail's guitar in her room is separate from the scientist's guitar in the secret room. (Technically, they do use the same graphic though, haha). And yes, MOTHER 2 is a big influence too, haha! I love that game! I wanted to name Gail's brother "Klaus" as a tribute to Claus from Mother 3. But the artist said that the name "Claus" has a strong association with "old man." So we went with "Kitt" instead. Ochoko　Also, I may be wrong about this, but one of my favorite things about Phoenotopia is that “as the game progresses, no one in the game dies from Gail’s perspective (no deaths are depicted)”, so was that the intentional direction for the game? Quang　Yes, that was intentional. I think if people die the world takes on more gravitas and becomes more serious (unless you're going for "dark humor" but that wasn't what I wanted). I thought of it like early One Piece. When Luffy beats up a bad guy, the bad guy goes quietly and agrees to not cause trouble anymore, haha. I wanted Phoenotopia to be a happy place that players would want to visit and return to. Ochoko　But there is one occasion when the characters appear to be dead, and everyone is tricked or deceived at that point. When a major character is popular, it seems like a big shock... So later on, when they...Long Interview！#5Mar 3, 2024 - Community Announcements{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38939108/12fb11e5219dca77eb9fd486d145e1516f739279.jpg This interview is from 2022. Hello, everyone. It's Kou from FLYHIGH WORKS. Today, we would like to present part #5 of an in-depth interview with Quang, the original creator of “Phoenotopia.” The interviewer is Ochoko, "Phoenotopia Strategy Memo. ( フェノトピア攻略メモ。)" blogger who is also considered to be a representative of the Japanese Phoenotopia fans. Also, Phoenotopia's composer Will Cho makes an appearance. Interview #1 is available here→ https://steamcommunity.com/games/1436590/announcements/detail/4179973693293839601 Interview(#5) Ochoko　I also have a question about the music. I enjoy listening to the Phoenotopia soundtrack while working, and all the songs are lovely. Also, those who have cleared the game share their favorite songs, and it’s not just one. It’s a variety of songs. By the way, what is your favorite song, Quang? Also, I would like to ask the composer what genres of music influenced them while composing tracks? Quang　My favorite song has got to be "Overworld Aether." It's the song that appears when you get the 100% ending. That song was supposed to be used for the sequel, but then the development took too long and so we refocused on recreating the first game instead. One day, that song will get the proper stage it deserves! （※Back in 2015, Quang began to work on a sequel to Phoenotopia's FLASH version. However, after deciding that developing a sequel from scratch would be difficult, and not knowing if the first game was popular enough, it was finally decided that a "remake" of the first game should be made instead. (Below is footage of the Phoenotopia 2 prototype from 2015 that we received, so please feel free to check it out.） Composer Will Cho　For the soundtrack, Quang would send me song recommendations from other games to help describe how he wanted the music to sound. Thanks to that I was introduced to great soundtracks from games like Wild Arms, Tower of Heaven, and Paper Mario. Aside from that, there were many game soundtracks I enjoyed listening to while growing up, so I tried to incorporate elements I liked into my own songs. For example, Chrono Cross's acoustic guitar, lighthearted piano from Kirby's Epic Yarn, upbeat battle music from song arrangements by S.S.H, rock organ from Tales of Phantasia, and so on. Ochoko　I like the battle music for the first battle against the last boss. My interpretation is that the electronic sound in the song's first half conveys Gail's confusion and conflict against the enemy’s will. In contrast, the second half has a powerful and beautiful piano melody that expresses Gail's resolution and will. Please tell me if you have any thoughts on this composition. Will Cho　When creating this song, I had intended for the first half to evoke feelings of despair until a glimmer of hope arrived as Gail's theme played in the second half. But I really like your interpretation of the electronic sound clashing against the piano as a para...Long Interview！#4Feb 29, 2024 - Community Announcements{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38939108/12fb11e5219dca77eb9fd486d145e1516f739279.jpg This interview is from 2022. Hello, everyone. It's Kou from FLYHIGH WORKS. Today, we would like to present part #4 of an in-depth interview with Quang, the original creator of “Phoenotopia.” The interviewer is Ochoko, "Phoenotopia Strategy Memo. ( フェノトピア攻略メモ。)" blogger who is also considered to be a representative of the Japanese Phoenotopia fans. Interview #1 is available here→ https://steamcommunity.com/games/1436590/announcements/detail/4179973693293839601 Interview(#4) Ochoko 　While I’m at it, I’d like to ask you a design-related question…There seems to be an issue with choosing what eye colors to use for the characters for fan art. Can you please tell me the colors of Gail, Lisa, and Birdy’s eyes? Also, when drawing Gail fan art, do you have any points you want to make, like “I hope you all will understand this point!” Quang　Haha, this is not the first time I've been asked this question. And it's because we haven't been consistent with Gail's eye colors. Different artists working on the game have drawn Gail differently throughout the years. Historically, I think there's been 3 colors for Gail's eyes. Amber (used in most official art), Pink (for the "Gail vs Zero" art, drawn by Thuy), and dark blue (used in her pixel sprite). We can discount her pixel art, since it's so low-res, it's more "symbolic" than an actual representation of her. Most other characters similarly have just dark dots as their eyes in their pixel sprites. So really, of the official arts there's just amber and pink eyes for Gail. So in my head canon, Gail's eyes are amber-colored and they glow pink when she's "powered up". That's the story I'm going with anyway! As for Lisa, her eyes are green in a cutscene art. But then they're brown in the ending art. Hmmm... I'm going to say the ending art doesn't count since they're very chibi/symbolic. So going by her more detailed art, her eyes are green! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38939108/6f9da7a4274ded0891a69bd1fc9c7ec479897e68.jpg {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38939108/8781ebdc970864921de61a48d7a2df36f3389fa7.jpg （Lisa's eye color is green! It's lovely!） Birdy's eyes are hard to answer. Outside of her pixel sprite, I think the only "official" art of her is on the game's boxart, and her eyes are closed! This is a tough question. Haha, let's let the fans decide this. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38939108/70343304326a9718dc02b3049835846d8eb1eb7b.png As for people drawing Gail fanart, hmmm... I have no complaints! I'm just happy the fanart exists and that players like her. I think because she is a silent protagonist, fans project the personality they envision on her. So it's been really fun to see what the fans come up with! Ochoko 　Also….this took a lot of courage to ask but…the key characters have shortcuts and ahoge (meaning “idiot hair” because there are strands of hair that stick out at the top of the head), especially a lot of the female characters wear that style, so I wanted to know ...Long Interview！#3Feb 28, 2024 - Community Announcements{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38939108/12fb11e5219dca77eb9fd486d145e1516f739279.jpg This interview is from 2022. Hello, everyone. It's Kou from FLYHIGH WORKS. Today, we would like to present part #3 of an in-depth interview with Quang, the original creator of “Phoenotopia.” The interviewer is Ochoko, "Phoenotopia Strategy Memo. ( フェノトピア攻略メモ。)" blogger who is also considered to be a representative of the Japanese Phoenotopia fans. Interview #1 is available→ https://steamcommunity.com/games/1436590/announcements/detail/4179973693293839601 Interview(#3) Ochoko　I wanted to know if there are any particular characters that you’ve become emotionally attached to? Characters that are not directly related to the main story and not a character on the enemy side, or the like. Quang　Hmmm... I like writing the silly characters. So I enjoyed writing the orphanage kid Seth and Astrid. Seth's gimmick is that he says something silly that other characters want to whack him for it. Since Astrid covers all the Lunar artifacts, she has a lot of lines - but half of them are likely made up. Ruby is another one of my favorites for all the zany situations she gets caught in. I also like Floret, the peace minister. She has an antagonizing relationship with Thomas so I think there's opportunity for a lot of humor there. If I get to create a sequel in the future, I'd like to explore more of her character. Ochoko　The characters are cheerful and lively, largely due to Quang san’s personality. By the way, my favorite characters are Prof. Fran and Cobette from the band. For a long time, I wondered….how old is Prof. Fran? Quang　Haha, as for Fran, she's 26. Ochoko　Prof. Fran is 26…Honestly, I thought she was older than that (Haha）！ Quang　Haha, depending on when you had asked me I'd likely have had a different answer regarding the character's ages. Character ages and other details are all ambiguous and vague in my head until it comes up in the script. When it does, that's when I have to decide definitively. ＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝ Ochoko　From this point, I want to ask about design and artwork-related questions. Compared to the FLASH version, some significant changes have been made to the game design. Particularly “Moonlight Ravine” stands out to me the most. Is there any reason why you change that stage to be such a vividly colorful stage? {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38939108/b99382fed64c01830ac6c1820326692a1eb7f037.jpg （FLASH version compared to the current version） Also, there are color ring pictures in the Gallery mode, which shows that the color of the stages is lined up as the color hue wheel chart. The picture is very beautiful and remains to be impressive. I would love to hear more about the decisions made for determining the color schemes for the stages and some of the pros and cons of selecting the colors. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38939108/f16865406b82d9f67a40d19b08f1b72369310f51.jpg （Images compiled from the in-game art gallery） Quang　The game had a very long development time (6+ years) and the game also wasn'...Long Interview！#2Feb 25, 2024 - Community Announcements{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38939108/12fb11e5219dca77eb9fd486d145e1516f739279.jpg This interview is from 2022. Hello, everyone. It's Kou from FLYHIGH WORKS. Today, we would like to present part #2 of an in-depth interview with Quang, the original creator of “Phoenotopia.” The interviewer is Ochoko, "Phoenotopia Strategy Memo. ( フェノトピア攻略メモ。)" blogger who is also considered to be a representative of the Japanese Phoenotopia fans. Interview list is available here→https://steamcommunity.com/games/1436590/announcements/detail/4179973693293839601 Interview(#2) Ochoko　I didn’t know that. By the way, this is a bit off-topic, but in the dungeon that is at the midpoint of the game, there is something on display in a glass case. It’s an NES, right? {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38939108/545ef08125bc144fbfcdd8ae1adfbf394cffe619.png (Is that an NES (originally known in Japan as Famicom)?) We also find something similar to “Space Invaders” and “Donkey Kong” that appears in the game, showing respect and honor towards those classic games. Aside from the “Zelda series,” are you a fanatic of other games? Quang　Regarding the screenshot, that is indeed a NES! In the same room, there is also a "PC-98". That never made it to the United States, but the games for it look so fascinating, that I asked my artist to put it in there. And now that you mention it, I did have an homage to "Space Invaders" and "Donkey Kong" as well. Enough time is starting to pass that I'm starting to forget what I put in the game. One day, when I've really forgotten Phoenotopia, then I can really play my game, haha. There are a lot of other games I like, and depending on when you ask me, my answer will likely change. When I was really young for example, I really liked Megaman! However, my top #3 picks have stabilized and they haven't changed for years. They are: Zelda: Ocarina of Time Skies of Arcadia Resident Evil 4 So I really love JRPGs! When I was a kid, I had a Playstation and I had a shelf full of nothing but JRPG games. It was a point of pride for me that the only genre I had was RPGs and nothing else, haha. I'd like to create a JRPG one day too, but right now, my artist and I are sticking with what we know, which is something similar to Phoenotopia. Ochoko　I love the Resident Evil series. I have never played Skies of Arcadia…I will check it out soon! Quang　I hope you enjoy Skies of Arcadia! It might not have aged as well due to the prevalence of random battles. The story and characters are timeless however! Ochoko　By the way, this may be a little off-topic again, but at the beginning of Phoenotopia, there is a scene in which Gail wakes up and yawns. When I first played it, I was surprised by her movements' beautiful animation. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38939108/12c5bb419e0a982d1c3783ba4e4efd0c050c8219.gif Also, for example, There are three types of movements prepared: slowly walking, walking normally, and dashing when moving around. Can you please elaborate on how you were able to add details to the animation and...Long Interview！#1Feb 21, 2024 - Community Announcements{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38939108/12fb11e5219dca77eb9fd486d145e1516f739279.jpg This interview is from 2022. Hello, everyone. It's Kou from FLYHIGH WORKS. Today, we would like to present an in-depth interview with Quang, the original creator of “Phoenotopia.” The interviewer is Ochoko, "Phoenotopia Strategy Memo. ( フェノトピア攻略メモ。)" blogger who is also considered to be a representative of the Japanese Phoenotopia fans. Interview(#1) Thank you both for your cooperation today. Quang　Hello. Ochoko　Hello. Kou　First of all, Quang, could you please introduce yourself again by giving us a brief background of yourself and the part you are in charge of in this work? Quang　Sure! My full name is Quang Hue Tran, 34 years old. I was born in America to Vietnamese parents. I loved video games and anime when I was growing up and it was a childhood dream of mine to join Nintendo and create Zelda games one day. I even minored in Japanese when I was in college. 日本語できるぜ! ちょっと... (I can speak Japanese! Just a little bit...) After college, I worked as a programmer for a couple of tech companies, but I still burned with a desire to create games. Getting a job at Nintendo seemed unrealistic, but games like Cave Story, which was created by one man, impressed upon me that there were other avenues to scratch the creative itch I felt. When I was 25, I decided to quit my job and go full-time into indie games development. It was a long hard road filled with trial, error, and learning, but I think I made it out okay. For Phoenotopia, I'm the programmer and director. We're a very small studio, so I also did most of the story writing, sound effects, level layouts and so forth. What I don't do is graphics, art, and music - I rely on my teammates for that. Kou　Thank you. Now then, Ochoko, could you give us a brief self-introduction? Ochoko 　My name is "Ochoko," and I am the creator of the Phoenotopia Awakening's strategy support blog. I would like to thank you for giving me this opportunity today. Kou has asked me to "Please ask Quang maniacal questions that only Phenotopia fans can ask"... (lol) So today, I would like to ask you questions with that intention. Kou　Thank you. Now then, Ochoko, could you give us a brief self-introduction? Ochoko 　First of all, congratulations on releasing the Phoenotopia physical/retail version. In fact, I have already pre-ordered the retro version and am looking forward to its arrival... Is there anything that impressed you about this packaging that you didn't have when you produced the downloadable version? Quang　Thank you for ordering a copy! I've actually yet to hold the physical version of Phoenotopia in my hands myself. I'll receive a physical copy at the same time when everyone else gets a physical. I did order a copy of another game from the same publisher I'm working with (Premium Edition Games) to ensure they were capable. While I haven't held a physical copy yet, I have worked with the physical publisher to decide things like the art for the boxes a...Two small bug fixes and a Korean script updateMay 12, 2022 - Community AnnouncementsKorean Language Script has been updated! Bug Fix 1 : When learning the GEO song from Georgia, talking to her while she is whistling will cause the song to become unlearnable. This was previously worked around by exiting the room and talking to her again. With the new fix, talking to Georgia while she is whistling won't cause the song to be unlearnable. Bug Fix 2 : Mashing the text in Ouroboros Hideout may cause an Ouroboros Proof to not be given to players. With this new fix, even if this occurs, the player can still proceed through the boss door so long as the three trials are finished.Hotfix to revert change affecting RTA / speed running communityAug 6, 2021 - Community AnnouncementsThe change where the "player is blocked from leaving until they also learn the song from Zeke" was reverted as to not adversely affect the RTA/speed running community.Korean localization added!Aug 6, 2021 - Community AnnouncementsPhoenotopia finally supports the Korean language! Major thanks to Solarias and the Smilegate LQA team for making it happen. A few additional things have also been added: - menu reorganization ("Accessibility Options" menu split into "Preferences" and "Difficulty Options") - Reworked a difficulty option to support more invincibility frames when damaged - gameplay flow (After receiving the flute, the player is blocked from leaving until they also learn the song) See full list of changes here.Update Notes for April 21st, 2021Apr 21, 2021 - Community AnnouncementsGame build is now updated to v1.2.7. The major wins for this update are script improvements, releasing of the soundtrack to the app store, and *almost* steam community items! Major thanks to the "PLAY on Words" team for huge edits and polish to the Chinese script . See the detailed update notes of v1.2.7. here. The Steam soundtrack page can be found here. Lastly, community items are unfortunately still stuck undergoing Steam's review. I'm hopeful they can pass soon and be available within the next 1 or 2 days. Expect a more full announcement on that when they arrive.Happy April Fool's!Apr 1, 2021 - Community AnnouncementsSome changes have been made to improve the user experience.April Fool's Build testingMar 30, 2021 - Community AnnouncementsApril Fool's Build testingUpdate Notes for 2021 March 12Mar 11, 2021 - Community AnnouncementsThe main feature of this update is that a MAC build is now available. Other changes include: - various fixes to levels (fixing various visual, tiling, and collision errors) - ending credits song extended to last entirety of credits - a few grating sound effects reworked - slight updates to Chinese and English script See more in-depth update notes here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1YGXD86y745rT-k0c8AgqJQ_BUWV9XND-XTk1AIPRVoQ/edit#gid=939331021Experimental Branch UpdateMar 9, 2021 - Community AnnouncementsThe "experimental branch" has now been updated to include the WIP Korean translation. (Note, It's also v.1.2.4 now)Experimental BuildFeb 26, 2021 - Community AnnouncementsJust for testing purposes[Optional] older build of the game (v1.2.1) now available through BETA branchFeb 24, 2021 - Community AnnouncementsI've received reports that the newest build v 1.2.3 of the game gets slower performance for some, so I'm making available the previous build (v.1.2.1) through Steam's BETA feature.Update Notes for Feb 23, 2021Feb 23, 2021 - Community AnnouncementsThis update brings the game to version 1.2.3 - main character reworked to use a "variable" update step. This will improve general smoothness of the character and environment. - when shooting crossbow with the mouse, if the player doesn't move, the subsequent crossbow shot will aim at the previous location - Four graphical options now exist from the screen settings menu. - notes from flute are correctly shifted one semi-tone up and down when holding left or right trigger - some corrections to script for more clarity - Ouroboros gates open more quickly Read the full patch notes here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1YGXD86y745rT-k0c8AgqJQ_BUWV9XND-XTk1AIPRVoQ/edit#gid=939331021

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