Computer Phoenix Springs Review

Phoenix Springs begins with reporter Iris Dormer in search of her estranged brother, Leo Dormer. When they finally reconnect, Iris is compelled to journey to Phoenix Springs, despite her brother's advice against it. This desert oasis houses an off-grid community that hides the answers to mysteries that Iris has to uncover. Are you ready to learn about them?


When I first laid my eyes on Phoenix Springs, I was immediately enamoured by its art style. Its artistic scenes, using only a couple of colours, appealed to my minimalist side. Each scene, featuring hand-drawn art, could easily be used as an art print or digital wallpaper.

Scenes are also imbued with originality that breathes life to the game's universe. One example that struck me early on was in an abandoned university. In it, the auditorium was turned into a nightclub by a DJ experimenting with sleep deprivation. The whole landscape was described by Iris as I poked around. The professional voice acting and haunting soundtrack supplement the presentation. However, the voice acting is done solely by Iris as a monologue but this approach adds some character to the game and fuels the neo-noir aspect of the universe.


The artistic palette choice also makes interactive items stand out, inviting investigation. For example, a red sticky note on the side of a terminal will catch your attention in a room that's otherwise mostly colored in green and black.

Calligram Studio has to be commended for its artistic vision as Phoenix Springs is one of the most unique-looking games of the year.



As a story-driven game, much attention has been paid in crafting a compelling story. While the game begins with Iris' quest to find her brother, this is only the beginning as our protagonist sets off to find the cryptic Phoenix Springs and the community within. The persistent secrecy is intriguing and the story even evolves with some unexpected science-fiction twist.

While the ending might have been intentionally left ambiguous, the characters that Iris comes across her journey are unique and memorable. Some don't even have much of a part to play in helping you progress in the game, but they still stand out as original characters.


Calligram Studio blends Phoenix Springs' minimalist presentation with the gameplay. In essence, the game is a classic, mouse-controlled point-and-click game. Controls blend with the artistic scenes as there's no UI, save for a circular pointer. By moving the mouse and pointer around, you can highlight environmental elements to interact with.

Interactions are limited to three actions: 'Talk to', 'Look at' and 'Use'. By poking around and talking to NPCs, you will gather clues which is where one of this game's main mechanics kicks in. Instead of collecting and combining items like other entries in this genre, Iris collects clues which can be viewed by clicking on the protagonist. These are presented as keywords in Iris' "inventory" which are key to helping her solve the mystery behind Phoenix Springs.


Clues can be combined with environmental elements, such as when inputting a password or to question an NPC. This can lead to follow-up clues and leads for Iris to pursue. Once a clue/lead has been pursued, it is greyed out in the inventory.

Some keywords seem to be there to put you off guard, without ever needing to use them. As such, you'll have to deduce the appropriate combination to progress as this is how Phoenix Springs challenges the player.


In a sense, this mechanic is akin to "puzzle solving". You have to find and match keywords in order to progress in the story. You'll have to talk to NPC and explore and interact with your environment extensively in order to solve a given puzzle. This can include, for example, helping someone remember their name and in order to do so, you have to investigate where they are based and their surroundings. Such investigations can guide you along the quest. There is a non-linear approach to progressing and this entices exploration, which in turn helps you get acquainted with Phoenix Springs' unique characters.


Despite Phoenix Springs' original looks, the controls are fairly classic in the genre. This means that it brings along some of the persisting challenges as well. The main one being "puzzles" not always being obvious to solve. For example, to progress in a secretive area, you have to match a keyword with some rocky formation of a specific shape in the environment. It's not really clear that you should do this and the formation in question isn't exactly what the keyword looks like in the first place. Another example is when you have to match words in a specific sequence, with no real hint as to what the sequence even relates to.

This old school approach might not warm up to everyone and can feel frustrating. A hint system would help address this issue, without the need to spoil the whole puzzle for you. Currently, Calligram Studio does provide hints on its website but they are clear walkthroughs which provide the specific combinations you need.


The game's seamless approach to the visuals and control is done nearly to a fault. This can have downsides as, when first starting the game, it can even be confusing to know how to even progress in the game as the clue-matching mechanic is not explained.

One final gripe that's worth mentioning is the lack of controller support. Sure, it is a PC-only release and keyboard+mouse controls are the default. But handheld gaming PCs are very popular and are great platforms to play such games on. I hope that the developer does include controller support in a future update.

Even with these issues, Phoenix Springs delivers a memorable experience. This is largely thanks to its artistic direction, which must be commended. The clues-matching mechanic is an interesting one as it weaves well into encouraging and rewarding exploration in a cryptic and intriguing setting.