Phoenotopia is a platformer flash game made by indie developer Quang H. Tran (more commonly known as Quells T.). By his admission, the game is heavily inspired by Cave Story and the Legend of Zelda series.
Phoenotopia revolves around a young farmgirl named Gale who goes on a journey across the world to find out what happened to all the adults in her village after they were abducted by aliens.
Links[]
Guide[]
If you need help getting through the game, the following guide contains plenty of helpful info:
Old Build[]
There also exists an older build of Phoenotopia, back when it was still in development. It exists as a SWF file and can be played by downloading the file and then opening it with a web browser:
(Note: this old build is largely unfinished and only contains the levels seen in Chapter 1 of the game, along with graphics that are less detailed than in the final product.)
Controls[]
- Left/Right Keys: Move left/right
- Up/Down: Climb ladders
- Down (on the ground): Crouch
- Z: Jump
- Hold Z in midair: Hover (once Rocket Boots have been obtained)
- Z (while crouching): Roll (once Rolling Scroll has been obtained)
- X: Attack (Hold down X to power up a charged attack), Talk (when next to an NPC), Save game (when next to a Save Shrine)
- C: Use tools (once tools have been obtained)
- S: Access your inventory
- 1, 2, 3, and 4: Switch between tools
Gameplay[]
Phoenotopia is very much a Zelda-esque platformer; it is an open-world game divided into several chapters, each of which has a series of quests that have to be completed in order to progress and unlock more levels. These quests usually alternate between infiltrating enemy-infested areas, some of which have a boss at the end, and more casual tasks that involve interactions with NPCs. Along the way, you'll also pick up plenty of new items and gear that make you stronger. The goal is to make it to the game's last dungeon and beat the final boss sequence.
Story[]
THIS SECTION CONTAINS SPOILERS! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!
Note: This description does not consider any of the side quests found in the game.
Prologue[]
The game begins with an opening cutscene that shows the Earth in the distant future, plagued by a massive global war known as the Great War. As humans and aliens battled across the planet, a group of scientists managed to get their hands on a particularly powerful alien specimen which they called Adam, and began experimenting on him. They took Adam's DNA and spliced it with human DNA in an attempt to create a genetically enhanced supersoldier. After a few botched attempts, the scientists were able to create their supersoldiers, which they called Phoenixes. The Phoenix Weapons were released onto the world and saved mankind by destroying their extraterrestrial adversaries, but their sheer power also left the Earth in a state of irreparable damage. This led to the human race being split in half - one half went deep underground and lived out their days in secret bunkers while they waited for the Earth to become habitable again, and the other half, believing the Earth would never recover, built starships and took to outer space in search of a new planet to live on.
Chapter 1[]
Centuries after the events of the Great War, the Earth has become habitable again, though the humans now mostly live in a medieval lifestyle out of fear that reestablishing complex technology might lead to another Great War. The game opens in a bedroom where the main character Gale is sleeping. Suddenly, the ground shakes violently, waking Gale up. She exits the bedroom and enters the main room of her home, where it's revealed that Gale is an orphan living in the orphanage of her village, Panselo, under the care of the elderly Nana. Gale is then approached by her brother Kiter, who is on cooking duty and asks her to round up all the younger orphans for dinner. After searching the village for a short while, she finds out from an older orphan that all the younger ones, led by mischief-maker Alex, went into the forest. Gale searches a little more for her old wooden bat and brings it with her to the forest.
As she explores the woods, Gale manages to find the kids spread out all over the forest. The last ones she finds are Alex and two other kids named Ella and Shelby. They are all standing in front of the entrance to an old temple. Alex explains that he saw a meteor fall and land in the temple, and he rounded up all the kids to help him find it, but there's a large chasm in front of the entrance. Alex asks Gale to explore the temple and find the meteor for him; when she agrees, Alex gives her his slingshot, which she uses to operate switches within the temple that activate platforms to help Gale navigate through the ruins. She eventually reaches the heart of the temple, where she encounters a gigantic monster toad and is forced to fight it. Gale manages to beat the toad and proceed into the next room, where she finds the meteor. Upon closer inspection, Gale discovers that the meteor is actually a robot head, or "golem head" as her people describe it.
Gale takes the golem head and brings it back to Alex. However, as they're talking, a spaceship appears over Panselo, fires a massive laser beam over it, and leaves. The kids are shocked and decide to go back to see if everyone is OK. When they get back, it's discovered that all the adults are gone. Gale and Alex organize a meeting to try to keep the other kids calm and organized. After everyone else is asleep, Gale shows Alex the golem head, who suspects it's connected in some way to the spaceship that took all the adults. He suggests they try to find answers, and Gale agrees to venture out into other cities to ask for help.
Chapter 2[]
Gale sets off to the west to go find someone who can help with the situation at Panselo. She passes through Sunflower Road, fighting a bunch of giant bees along the way, and reaches the bridge to the desert city Atai, only to find that the bridge has been badly damaged. Some locals by the bridge say that it had been ravaged by a group of Desert Bandits and their Sand Dragons. Gale is able to make it across the bridge, though, and reaches Atai. There she learns that Atai has been under attack from the Desert Bandits for quite some time, the reason for this being that the Bandits are animal rights activists who don't approve of the people of Atai hunting and making a delicacy of Baby Sand Dragons as "Sand Dragon Bacon." She also finds that one of the Bandits was captured but interrogating him hasn't accomplished anything, and the city has put a bounty on the Desert Bandits' leader, offering a $5,000 reward for his capture.
After exploring the city a little more, Gale encounters Lisa, a childhood friend of hers, who somehow managed to rack up a huge debt to the mayor of Atai and is indentured to him. Gale tries to convince the mayor to let Lisa free, but he refuses to do so unless he is payed $5,000 to pay off Lisa's debt. Gale then asks Lisa about some of Atai's attractions and where she can find the house of Adar, an explosives expert who was visiting Panselo and got abducted along with the rest of the village's adults. She then goes back to the city square and visits a potioner, from whom she buys a truth serum called the "Talkinator Juice." Gale sneaks into the prison where the captured Bandit is being held, and gives him the Talkinator Juice, which causes him to accidentally reveal the location of the Bandits' lair, as well as the fact that it's impossible to get into the lair without explosives. With this information, Gale goes to Adar's house, finds some of his bombs, and takes them with her to the Bandits' lair where she fights her way to the Bandit Boss. After infiltrating the hideout, Gale encounters the Bandit Boss, who tries to get rid of her by feeding her to a fully-grown Sand Dragon. However, Gale defeats the Sand Dragon and then captures the Bandit Boss. She brings him back to Atai, after which the mayor expresses his gratitude and agrees to let Lisa go because he knew Gale wanted to use the bounty to pay off her debt. An ecstatic Lisa showers Gale with gratitude and comes back to Panselo with her. After filling her in on the situation, Lisa advises Gale to go find Thomas, another childhood friend who is now a brilliant scientist and lives further north in a private lab.
Chapter 3[]
Since the bridges connecting Atai to the northern parts of the country, Gale has to get to Thomas's lab by crossing through a swampy area called Misty Gorge. While there, Gale finds a shop that sells various aquatic products, from which she buys a floaty donut that allows her to swim. After making her way through Misty Gorge, she reaches Thomas's lab, but it's disguised as a tailor shop because Thomas is very paranoid about being assassinated due to his high profile. Inside the lab, Gale has to solve several puzzles in order to descend deeper into the lab, but just outside of Thomas's room she encounters a giant robot Thomas created to deter intruders, and is forced to fight it. She destroys the robot and goes to see Thomas. Thomas doesn't recognize Gale and panics, but he calms down after she reminds him who she is. Gale shows Thomas the golem head, and he manages to quickly fix it. The golem head activates and a voice speaks from it, introducing himself as Billy. Billy then explains that the Earth is in danger from an alien army on its way to enslave the planet, and he needs to speak with whoever is in charge. Thomas suggest they seek an audience with the king of the nation, who lives in the capital city of Daea and has a connection with Thomas due to his scientific brilliance.
The trio head over to Daea and approach the palace to request an audience. The guards deny it, though, saying that the palace is shut so no audiences are possible. Thomas tries to persuade them to let him in, to no avail. Defeated, the group decides to rest in a hotel and try again tomorrow. However, some soldiers break into the hotel during the night and abduct Thomas. The next morning, Gale and Billy discover that Thomas is missing and set out to find him. Gale stops by Daea's prison and asks the soldier there about Thomas. The soldier doesn't know anything, though; he tells Gale that she'd have better luck if she had an audience with the king. However, Gale is again denied an audience by the palace guards. Luckily, all is not lost; a girl sees Gale's anxiety and tells Gale to find Ruby, a woman who works in the sewers, so she can get into Daea's dungeon through them. After asking several people where to find Ruby, Gale eventually finds her working the sewers. Ruby lets Gale in, and she makes her way into the dungeon where she fights off the dungeon's guards and frees many civilians and soldiers who were wrongfully arrested. One of the prisoners tells Gale that Thomas is in Jail Block A, the last block in the dungeon. Once she's there, Gale is ambushed by a horde of guards, along with a strange wolf-like alien. She defeats them all, though, and proceeds to rescue the last remaining prisoners, including Thomas.
Thomas angrily asks Billy why the alien was there when he said the alien army hadn't arrived yet. Billy explains that this particular alien was actually part of a different group; it was a Kobold Mercenary, an intergalactic bounty hunter hired by someone else to invade Daea. An imprisoned soldier named Sir Max chimes in, saying that the entire palace of Daea has been taken over by Kobolds; he'd tried to stop them, but was subdued. In the meantime, the royal family is being held hostage at the top of the palace; Gale agrees to rescue them and Sir Max gives her his throwing javelin to help her climb the tower where the family is being held. Gale uses a secret passage to get to the tower, and then works her way up while fighting the Kobolds and avoiding their traps. At the top of the tower, Gale encounters the Kobold General leading the invasion and, after a tough battle, defeats him. She goes to find the royal family and finds that the king and queen are missing, but their child Prince Leo is still there, so she offers to take Leo to safety. Leo cooperates, but is embarrassed about being rescued by a girl. The duo reunites with Thomas and Sir Max in the dungeon, where they all decide to hide Leo in Panselo for his safety. They all head back to the village.
Chapter 4[]
The gang holds a meeting in Panselo where they discuss what their next course of action should be. Billy starts by explaining what's been going on. First, he reveals that he is a Stellanite, an intelligent race of aliens aligned with the Free Space Confederacy, which is one of the two main powers that govern the galaxy. For a long time, the Confederacy has had a rocky relationship with the other power, the Galactic Federation, and unfortunately this relationship has been getting much worse recently. At some point, the Stellanites had discovered that the planet Earth didn't meet the Federation's technological standards; as such, the planet and its resources and inhabitants were deemed free for harvesting, which the Federation plans on doing soon. The spaceships that were kidnapping people, though, belonged to a different group: the Collectors, a neutral race that collects endangered species for preservation; they've been collecting humans this whole time because Earth is about to be raided by the Federation.
Thomas asks Billy if he and the other Stellanites can do anything ti prevent this, but Billy explains that he can't do anything for the humans because Earth is Federation territory; if the Stellanites tried to intervene, it would be seen as treason and an intergalactic war would break out. Lisa asks why Billy came to Earth at all if he can't help, and he says he knows a way for the humans to defend themselves from the Federation: the Phoenixes, hidden far in the northern end of the country, hidden in an underground vault known as the Phoenix Lab. Leo is shocked that Billy knows this, as he was told that the Phoenixes were a top-secret subject, and immediately starts grilling Billy on how he knows about them. Billy assures Leo that, although his suspicions are understandable, Billy is only concerned with the fate of Earth. He then has the golem head show a hologram of his true form: a tall, humanoid figure with bluish skin and pointy ears. Billy then tells the humans about the Great War that happened so long ago, and he reveals that the Stellanites are the descendants of the humans who abandoned the planet after the war ended. Leo apologizes for doubting Billy, and offers his key to the Forbidden Lands (a small section of land so badly damaged from the Great War that it was sealed off from the public). This key, combined with the keys from the other nations, can become a powerful artifact that can grant access to the Phoenix Lab. Billy passes Leo's key to Gale, and Sir Max goes out to the Great Wall to tell the guards there to let Gale pass into the Forbidden Lands.
Later, Gale goes to the Great Wall herself, where the guards recognize her and let her through. After passing through some particularly rough terrains, including a wasteland filled with murderous robots and a mysterious cave crawling with giant beetles, Gale makes it to the Ancient Crater, where the entrance to the Phoenix Lab is located. Once there, she encounters some of Billy's Stellanite soldiers. They take Gale's key and fuse it with the other ones to assemble the full Artifact, which Gale then uses to infiltrate the Phoenix Lab and break through all its high-tech defenses. She eventually makes it to the core of the lab, but she first has to shut down the lab's security mainframe as it tries to eliminate her. After a grueling battle, Gale destroys the mainframe computer and finally makes it to the chamber where all the Phoenixes are stored. With the mainframe down, Billy and his soldiers are able to use their technology to teleport into the lab with Gale. Billy greets Gale with a warm hug for all the help she's provided, then proceeds to examine the Phoenixes. The Stellanites manage to open a pod and activate a Phoenix, who identifies himself as Unit 0066. After 66 shows off his power for a little bit, Billy laughs victoriously and then reveals that he had an ulterior motive for finding the Phoenixes: he wanted to use them to destroy the Galactic Federation. Horrified by this, Gale argues that this was not what they agreed upon, and Billy replies that she is correct, as he had bent the truth back in Panselo. He explains that he couldn't tell the whole truth with Leo and Thomas scrutinizing him, as he felt they wouldn't understand the severity of this "destroy or be destroyed" situation. Gale won't have any of it, though; she confronts Billy and asserts that she won't let him get away with his scheme. Billy, amused by Gale's efforts to stop him, decides to destroy her. He has one of his soldiers shoot her, causing her to fall down a pit, and then orders 66 to finish her off, which he does by blasting her with a laser beam so powerful it even vaporizes the wall behind her!
Billy laughs maliciously, presuming Gale to be dead. But suddenly, Gale emerges from the hole, flying and surrounded by an aura of energy, and punches 66, knocking him into the wall. A Stellanite reports that Gale is emitting a massive energy reading identical to that of a Phoenix, after which Billy commands 66 to get up. Gale tries to use an energy attack on 66, but realizes she doesn't know how to use her newfound powers. Billy orders 66 to finish the job, so Gale runs away through the hole that the Phoenix made. At this time, Kobolds had traced the warp signal produced by the Stellanites’ teleportation and proceeded to attack them. A Stellanite announces that the Kobolds have arrived, and Billy orders his soldiers to return fire. Meanwhile, Gale tries to outrun 66 by closing doors behind her as she runs down the corridors to slow him down, and eventually she makes it out of the lab. However, 66 catches up to her; with nowhere to run, Gale pulls out her bat and prepares to fight while he charges up another energy attack. But then, a Collector ship comes out of nowhere and captures both of them in a tractor beam.
Epilogue[]
Billy, along with all the Stellanites who survived the skirmish with the Kobolds, is seen walking through their area where Gale and 66 had been abducted. The ground is littered with Kobold corpses. A Stellanite informs Billy that Gale and 66 were caught by the Collector Ship. Billy shrugs it off, as Gale will be trapped forever there and 66 was only one of hundreds of other Phoenixes still at his command. Another Stellanite tells Billy that the Galactic Federation's harvest ships are on their way to Earth, and advises Billy to activate more Phoenixes to prepare a counterattack. Billy does not take the advice, as he believes it is better that the harvesters spread terror through the lands, and after that, he shall make his appearance as a savior leading the Phoenixes. This way, everyone will see him as a hero and beg him to become their leader. Billy then laughs evilly at the thought of his idea.
The Collectors comment on their latest catch. They see 66 still struggling to stay awake, so they hit him with a suspension beam to knock him out. They're happy with themselves for catching 66, as they can see that he is special. They don't see the unconscious Gale as anything special, though, so they decide to "toss her with the others." She is dropped in a metal cage, where some of her friends who'd been abducted earlier are being stored...
Levels[]
- Panselo: Gale's home village. Contains little more than a few small houses and shops where Gale can acquire basic gear, such as the Wooden Bat and Rolling Scroll. Gale also returns here periodically during critical parts of the story.
- Duri Forest: A forest area with a few simple enemies and hazards. Gale obtains the Slingshot here.
- Anuri Temple: A smaller level within Duri Forest. Contains a few puzzles, most of which require use of the Slingshot to get through. The Monster Toad is the boss of this level.
- Sunflower Road: A sunny pathway full of gigantic sunflowers populated by dangerous Bull Bees and Spiders. Also contains a shop area.
- Atai Bridge: The bridge leading to Atai. Although it's badly damaged, the bridge is relatively easy to navigate, though there are some bottomless pits to look out for. Fran is first found here and can be rescued by using the Bombs (once obtained) to destroy the stone blocks around her.
- Atai: A desert city known for its large marketplace. Has several shops, including one where Gale can buy mid-level gear like the Iron Hammer and Leather Vest. Also contains the mayor's palace, which has a secret room full of gold and treasures, and a hidden cave where some secret items including the Nebula Armlet can be found.
- Adar's House: The abandoned abode of Adar the Bombmaker. The Bombs can be found here. Also contains a secret area where the Ancient Armor can be found.
- Bandits' Lair: The Desert Bandits' main hideout. Bombs are needed to break through the sealed-off entrance. Contains booby traps and is full of Desert Bandits and Baby Sand Dragons, plus some other enemy types. Bubbles the Sand Dragon is the boss of this level.
- Misty Gorge: A misty swamp area that is mostly covered in water. Contains a shop where Gale can buy useful utilities like the Lamp and the Floaty Donut, which allows her to swim. Also contains aquatic enemies that appear sporadically.
- Thomas's Lab: Thomas's dwelling, disguised as a tailor shop and secured by a series of puzzles that have to be solved in order to get through. Thomas's Robot is the boss of this level.
- Fran's Lab: The lab and home of Fran, the Moonstone expert. Gale can come here and give Moonstones to Fran in exchange for rewards. Also has a teleporter that can take Gale to Forgotten Forest once she has given Fran 30 Moonstones.
- Crossroads: A large hotel that features a wide assortment of NPCs with various sidequests. Also contains a treehouse full of Slimes (this is part of one of the NPC sidequests, which is to kill all the Slimes there). Also includes an NPC named Aella, one of Gale's childhood friends, who will give her a series of quests and reward her with the Ki Spear Technique Scroll once all of them have been completed.
- Farmer's Block: A small farm area. Contains a sidequest which rewards Gale with the Lucky Belt upon completion.
- Daea: A very large city area, possibly the largest one in the game. The upper half of the level contains many shops, including one that contains high-level equipment like the Cosmic Morningstar (once both Asteroid Rocks have been obtained) and Chain Mail. The lower half is an underground dungeon guarded by Lancers, Archers, and Guard Dogs. This section contains an enemy rush where Gale must defeat three waves of the aforementioned enemies. Gale obtains the Javelin here after defeating the enemy rush.
- Prince Tower: A large marble tower that is part of Daea's palace. It is guarded by Kobold Mercenaries and Flying Mines, as well as many booby traps. The Kobold General is the boss of this level.
- Great Walls: A giant wall built to keep people from going into the Forbidden Lands. Features several NPCs, some of which have sidequests.
- Dread Lands: A barren wasteland that appears to be the crumbling remains of a city that was badly ravaged by the Great War. Contains dangerous enemies, including Zombots and Rolling Mines.
- Mul Cavern: A cave area full of glowing mushrooms and plants. Contains very hostile enemies including Cave Beetles and Cave Toads among other things. Gale can find the Rocket Boots here.
- Forgotten Forest: A much larger forest area that can only be accessed through Fran's teleporter once it's activated (by collecting 30 Moonstones). Contains extremely powerful enemies including Harpies, Orcs, and Plant Dogs, and an improved version of Thomas's Robot appears as a miniboss.
- Hidden Village: A small village area inhabited by friendly Harpies and Orcs that is unlocked as a reward for making it through Forgotten Forest. Contains a shop where Gale can buy very powerful items, such as the Blood Ring and Bottles of Glowy Wisps.
- Ancient Crater: The crater where the Phoenix Lab entrance is located. Is protected by booby traps, as well as Mega-Eye Sentries and Turrets. Gale obtains the Artifact here.
- Phoenix Lab: The last area of the game; a high-tech facility filled with numerous complicated traps, along with enemies from previous areas. The Computer Guardian and 66 are the bosses of this level.
- ????: A secret area that is unlocked once you 100% the game. It is a forested area located near Forgotten Forest that has no enemies or hazards; the only objective is to climb to the top of the mountain, after which you get an achievement.
Items[]
Pick-Ups[]
These are items that affect Gale immediately upon being picked up.
- Rai: Used as currency. Comes in three forms: bronze coins, worth 1 Rai; silver coins, worth 3 Rai; and gold coins, worth 5 Rai.
- Heart: Recovers a tiny amount of health when picked up.
- Duri Seed: Same effect as Hearts.
Consumables[]
These are items that, when collected, are stored in Gale's inventory for later use at the player's convenience. Most of these items have good effects on Gale, but a few of them can do harm.
Healing Items[]
These heal Gale when consumed.
- Pumpkin Muffin: A delicious dessert. Occasionally found in Panselo. Restores 10 HP.
- Raw Toad Leg: Occasionally dropped from Toads (both regular and Cave Toads) when defeated. Restores 3 HP, but can also be given to Kiter to have it cooked.
- Roasted Toad Leg: Given by Kiter after giving him a Raw Toad Leg to cook with. Restores 25 HP.
- Puki Milk: Found in various shops. Restores 12 HP.
- Panselo Radish: Found in various shops. Restores 10 HP.
- Duri Herb: Found in Panselo and Duri Forest. Restores 7 HP.
- Duri Fruit: Found in Duri Forest and Atai. Restores 10 HP.
- Mikan Fruit: Found in Duri Forest. Restores 12 HP.
- Perro Egg: Found in Panselo. Restores 7 HP.
- Puki Kebab: Found in Atai. Restores 30 HP.
- Sand Dragon Bacon: Found in Atai and Bandits' Lair. Restores 30 HP.
- Cheese: Found in Atai and Hidden Village. Restores 15 HP.
- Misty Dewdrop: Found in Misty Gorge. Evaporates if Gale leaves Misty Gorge with it in her inventory. Restores 9 HP.
- Daea Sandwich: Found in Daea. Restores 30 HP.
- Tempura Bento: Found in Daea. Restores 25 HP.
- Sushi Bento: Found in Daea and Prince Tower. Restores 35 HP.
- Mystery Bento: Found in Daea after giving Translucent Meat to the cook in Daea. Restores 45 HP.
- Spotted Lepista: A rare mushroom found in Mul Cavern. Shrivels up if Gale leaves Mul Cavern with it in her inventory. Restores 15 HP normally, but only restores 3 HP when shriveled up.
- Old Ration: Found in Mul Cavern and Ancient Crater. Restores 45 HP.
- Bauple Nut: Found in Forgotten Forest and Hidden Village. Restores 25 HP.
Energy Items[]
These boost Gale's speed and stamina when consumed.
- Honeycomb: Found in Sunflower Road. Boosts speed and stamina for 1 minute.
- Purple Honeycomb: Very rare variant of the Honeycomb found in Sunflower Road. Boosts speed and stamina for 4 minutes.
- Jar of Honey: Found in Sunflower Road and Hidden Village. Boosts speed and stamina for 2 minutes.
- Lilac Honey: Found in Sunflower Road after giving a Purple Honeycomb to Hachi, the merchant at Sunflower Road's shop. Boosts speed and stamina for 8 minutes.
Hybrid Items[]
These act as both Healing and Energy Items.
- Honeyed Turmond: Found in Sunflower Road, Bandits' Lair, and Dread Lands. Restores 7 HP and boosts speed and stamina for 1 minute.
- E-Soda: Found in Forgotten Forest and Ancient Crater. Restores 20 HP and boosts speed and stamina for 2 minutes.
Hazardous Items[]
These deal damage to Gale when consumed.
- Stale Bread: Found in Daea. Will either restore 5 HP or drain 10 HP when consumed.
- Food?: Found in Fran's Lab. Drains 5 HP.
- Translucent Meat: Occasionally dropped from Phantom Prawns when defeated. Drains 10 HP, but can be given to the cook in Daea to create Mystery Bento.
- Jelly Goo: Rarely dropped from Cave Jellies when defeated. Brings HP down to 1 when consumed, but can be given to the potioner in Atai to create the Power Potion.
Miscellaneous Items[]
These have unique effects on Gale that don't fit into any of the above categories.
- Chocolate Protein Shake: Found in Panselo. The first five increase Gale's max health capacity by 2. All subsequent Shakes heal 50 HP.
- Power Potion: Found in Atai after giving the potioner Jelly Goo. For 1 minute, it boosts Gale's speed and stamina and turns all her attacks into charged attacks.
- Bottle of Glowy Wisps: Found in Hidden Village. Revives Gale if she dies, completely refilling her health. Only revives Gale once, and she can only carry one at a time.
Quest Items[]
These are mainly used for NPC sidequests, although a few of them can also be used by Gale herself.
- Talkinator Juice: Can be bought from the Atai Potioner. Used to make certain NPCs talk too much and reveal information to unlock new parts of the game. Restores 3 HP if consumed.
- Mikan Fragrance: Can be bought from the Atai Potioner after giving her a Mikan Fruit. Works as a natural deodorizer and bug repellent, and can be given to certain NPCs in exchange for a reward. Restores 10 HP if consumed.
- Small Baton: Sold in Atai's shop. Can be given to certain NPCs in exchange for a reward.
- Gold Bar: Sold in Atai's shop. Can be bought from and sold to various merchants, and is constantly fluctuating in value. Can also be given to certain NPCs in exchange for a reward.
- High Quality Silk: Found in various locations and given by certain NPCs. Can be sold to silk traders in Atai and Daea in exchange for Rai.
- Albert's Love Letter: A love letter from an Atai soldier named Albert, to be delivered to Gale's friend Lisa.
- Lisa's Rejection Letter: A harsh rejection letter from Lisa to Albert. When delivered, Albert will be heartbroken but give Gale a Heart Ruby for her troubles.
- Knight's Letter: A letter given by one of the guards at the Great Walls after completing two other sidequests there, to be delivered to the guard's mother at Farmer's Block.
Equipment[]
These are items Gale uses for various things, such as combat and exploration. These include weapons, armors, and utilities.
- Wooden Bat: Basic melee weapon that deals light damage. Found in Panselo.
- Iron Hammer: Stronger melee weapon that deals decent damage. Can be bought in Atai.
- Asteroid Rocks: Two stones that have to be collected to craft the Cosmic Morningstar. One is hidden in Misty Gorge, and the other is received as a reward from Fran for collecting 30 Moonstones.
- Cosmic Morningstar: Extremely powerful melee weapon that deals heavy damage. This weapon must be crafted by collecting the Asteroid Rocks and then giving them to the Mastersmith in Daea.
- Leather Vest: Light armor that reduces 1 point of damage Gale takes from enemies and hazards. Can be bought in Atai and Daea.
- Chain Mail: Tougher armor that reduces 2 points of damage. Can be bought in Daea.
- Ancient Armor: Very tough armor that reduces 3 points of damage. Found in a secret area in Adar's House.
- Slingshot: Weak weapon that launches small stones. Can be used to hit out-of-reach switches and stun enemies, although especially weak enemies like Slimes and Cave Jellies will die from this weapon. Certain stronger enemies can also be killed by the Slingshot, but it takes many hits for them to die. Obtained from Alex in Duri Forest. Can be equipped with the hotkey 1.
- Bombs: Explosive weapons that can be placed near or thrown at enemies, but the explosions also hurt Gale if she gets caught in them. The Bombs can also break stone blocks. Found in Adar's House. Can be equipped with the hotkey 2.
- Javelin: A large spear that can be thrown at enemies or walls. If the Javelin hits a wall, it'll stick to the wall and can be used as a platform. Obtained in Daea's dungeon after defeating the enemy rush. If Gale obtains the Ki Spear Technique Scroll, she can also perform a charged attack with the Javelin by holding down the C key, causing it to explode and deal massive damage if it hits an enemy. Can be equipped with the hotkey 3.
- Artifact: Shines a beam of light that can be aimed in any direction. The beam can be used to reveal hidden platforms, activate high-tech switches, shut down Flying Sentries, and destroy Mega-Eye Sentries. Obtained from the Stellanites in the Ancient Crater. Can be equipped with the hotkey 4.
- Rolling Scroll: Gives Gale the ability to roll. This ability can be used to dodge enemies and squeeze through small passages. Can be bought in Panselo.
- Ki Spear Technique Scroll: Allows Gale to perform charged attacks with the Javelin. By holding down the C key, the Javelin is filled with energy and, when thrown, will explode if it hits an enemy. The player can also detonate it manually by pressing the C key again while the Javelin is still active. Obtained from Aella in Crossroads after completing all her quests.
- Floaty Donut: Allows Gale to swim in water. Can be bought in Misty Gorge.
- Lamp: Allows Gale to explore dark places. Can be bought in Misty Gorge.
- Adventure Bag: Adds an extra slot to Gale's inventory. Found in various shops, and one is given as a reward from Fran.
- Nebula Armlet: Lets Gale charge up her attacks faster. Found in the hidden caves beneath Atai.
- Blood Ring: Brings Gale's health up to 10 if it ever falls below that amount, unless she is hit by an especially powerful attack that instantly brings her health down to 0. Can be bought in Hidden Village.
- Rocket Boots: Allows Gale to hover in the air for a few seconds. Found in Mul Cavern.
- Lucky Belt: Causes defeated enemies and destroyed crates to drop better items more often. Obtained from the old man at Farmer's Block after completing his sidequest.
- Heart Ruby: Increases Gale's maximum health capacity when collected. There are 23 Heart Rubies in the game.
- Moonstone: Collectible item that can be given to Fran for a reward. There are 42 Moonstones in the game.
Enemies[]
- Slime: Simple enemy that can be found sleeping on the ground or on ceilings. When Gale gets close, it'll wake up, look around, and move towards her. Can be defeated by any weapon in the game, even the Slingshot.
- Toad: Jumps towards Gale and is able to swim.
- Scaber: A spiky robotic slug that is completely indestructible but not aggressive. Slowly crawls across floors, walls, or ceilings, and deals light damage on contact. Attacking a Scaber will cause it to change directions.
- Bat: Is normally found sleeping on a ceiling, but wakes up and flies in Gale's general direction when she gets too close. Can be defeated by any weapon in the game.
- Bull Bee: Dangerous enemy that is initially non-aggressive and flies in preset patterns, but if Gale kills one all other Bull Bees onscreen will get angry and chase her in short bursts of flight.
- Spider: Hangs from the ceiling and drops down whenever Gale passes under it.
- Baby Sand Dragon: Emerges from underground and attacks Gale. If she's close to the Baby Sand Dragon, it'll try to roll into her; if she's further away from it, it'll spit sand at her. After attacking, it digs underground so it can pop up somewhere else and restart the cycle.
- Red Bandit: Runs up to Gale and tries to whack her with his ax.
- Blue Bandit: Throws axes at Gale. Runs away if she gets too close.
- Phantom Prawn: Passive enemy. A translucent flying shrimp that occasionally appears in large groups and flies across the screen.
- Jumping Fish: Occasionally jumps out of water.
- Spitting Fish: Occasionally jumps out of water and spits a waterball at Gale at the peak of its jump.
- Guard Dog: Similar to Toads, but is more aggressive and has higher HP. Sometimes howls to draw the attention of other enemies. Gets angry and moves faster when attacked.
- Daea Lancer: Chases after Gale and performs dash attacks with his lance.
- Daea Archer: Keeps her distance and shoots arrows at Gale.
- Kobold Mercenary: Shoots a tight volley of three laser bullets. Teleports away if Gale gets too close.
- Flying Mine: Flies after Gale, exploding after a few seconds.
- Rolling Mine: Pops up from underground and rolls in Gale's general direction, exploding once it collides with something.
- Zombot: Runs very fast. Chases after Gale and attacks by scratching and spitting acid. After taking enough damage it shuts down and can be easily destroyed.
- Scrapped Zombot: Same as a normal Zombot but is immobile because it has no legs.
- Red Zombot: A red indestructible Zombot that runs even faster but can't spit acid. Can be shut down but not destroyed. The only way to get rid of one is by pushing it down a bottomless pit.
- Cave Jelly: Harmless enemy. Flies around aimlessly and will try to avoid Gale. Can be defeated by any weapon in the game, but is good at dodging Gale's attacks.
- Cave Toad: A more powerful Toad that moves faster, has higher HP, and can alternate between low and high jumps.
- Yellow Beetle: Very aggressive enemy. Attacks by biting, and can run, fly, and swim. Relentlessly pursues Gale.
- Purple Beetle: Same as a Yellow Beetle, but also explodes when killed or if it collides with Gale.
- Green Beetle: Same as a Yellow Beetle, but also drops three globs of acid onto the ground when killed.
- Beetle Nest: Spawns Cave Beetles until it either runs out of Beetles or is destroyed.
- Orc: Is basically a Red Bandit and Blue Bandit combined; uses his axes as both melee weapons and throwing weapons.
- Harpy: Very dangerous flying enemy. Attacks by divebombing Gale, shooting needles from her wings, and dropping bombs.
- Plant Dog: A more powerful plant-elemental version of the Guard Dog that moves faster, can run up to Gale before jumping at her, has higher HP, and shoots projectiles from the flower on its back.
- Turret: High-tech automatic turret that shoots lasers at Gale.
- Flying Sentry: Mobile version of the Turret. Flies after Gale in short bursts and shoots lasers at her. Can be knocked to the ground by attacking it with either the Slingshot or the Artifact.
- Spark Globe: Latches onto the floor and ceiling with chains, and attacks by sending electric sparks that travel across the ground.
- Mega-Eye Sentry: Extremely powerful enemy. If Gale gets too close, it'll constantly fire lasers at her until she gets out of its range. Also destroys any projectile shot at it. Can only be defeated by shining the Artifact's beam in its crystal eye. When defeated, it sends three waves of electric sparks across the ground.
Bosses[]
- Monster Toad: A gigantic toad with stony armor that covers most of his body. Encountered in Anuri Temple. Attacks by stomping the ground to make spiky fruits (and sometimes Slimes) fall from the ceiling, inhaling the fruits, and spitting them at Gale. To defeat the Monster Toad, you have to use the Slingshot to hit the fruits hanging over his head so that one of them falls on him and makes him turn around, revealing his exposed backside. Attack his backside to deal damage.
- Bubbles the Sand Dragon: A fully-grown Sand Dragon fought in the Bandits' Lair. Attacks by curling into a ball and either rolling or bouncing around the room, and by digging underground so he can pop up and try to eat Gale while boulders rain from the ceiling. When Bubbles digs underground, drop a Bomb where he's going to emerge so he eats it; the Bomb will explode inside of him and leave him stunned so you can attack him. Once he recovers, though, he'll retaliate by spitting lava at Gale.
- Thomas's Robot: The security robot put in charge of protecting Thomas's Lab. Fires a barrage of lasers at Gale, then charges right into the wall as it tries to ram Gale. After it charges, the Robot will be stunned for a little while. Push it onto the nearest trapdoor on the floor and hit the switch to make the Robot fall. Doing this three times will destroy the Robot.
- Kobold General: The leader of the Kobold Mercenaries, stationed in Prince Tower. Attacks by running around the room, shooting lasers, and sending sparks along the ground. Has a force field that makes him invincible most of the time. However, he has a special attack that creates a small opening in the force field while he charges his gun. Throw the Javelin into the opening to destroy the force field and stun the Kobold General so he can be damaged; otherwise, he'll launch a giant plasma ball that deals massive damage and can't be avoided! He also launches Flying Mines when his health is low.
- Forest Robot: A more advanced version of Thomas's Robot encountered in Forgotten Forest. Attacks exactly the same way as Thomas's Robot, but also leaves behind a trail of bombs when it charges.
- Computer Guardian: The Phoenix Lab's security mainframe. It uses a pattern of attacks from which it never deviates. First it summons four Spark Globes (six when its health is low); then it generates a strong breeze to try to push Gale into a bottomless pit, while simultaneously firing lasers at her; then it summons a few Flying Sentries; then it generates another breeze, this time accompanied by Rolling Mines; then it fires two giant laser beams, one on across the floor and one across the ceiling; then the cycle repeats. To defeat the Computer Guardian, use the Artifact and shine its beam on each of the four orange eyes embedded into the floor and ceiling to destroy them; once they're all destroyed, the Computer Guardian's armor will deactivate and you can attack its core to deal damage. Note that the Computer Guardian will not stop attacking when its armor is deactivated.
- 66: A Phoenix soldier who chases Gale through the Phoenix Lab after being ordered by Billy to kill her. Final boss of the game. 66 cannot be fought; instead, you have to escape him by using your tools to close doors behind you to slow him down. If he catches up to you, he'll perform a very powerful attack that kills you instantly.
Legacy[]
Due to its success and popularity in the years it's been online, the game's developers decided to make a remake and a sequel for Phoenotopia. The remake, titled Phoenotopia Awakening, was released for Nintendo Switch on August 20, 2020, and later ported to Steam on January 21, 2021. An XBox version and PlayStation version are also underway.
Phoenotopia 2 was originally under development and planned for release a few years later, but was shelved due to Phoenotopia Awakening's sales being lackluster. It's unknown if or when work on Phoenotopia 2 will ever resume.
Trivia[]
- Before the name Phoenotopia was settled upon, the game was previously known as Legend of Stone Hero. Other names like Strong Gale were also considered during development.
- Gale has a little-known special ability that lets her stack up to three charge attacks in a row; this can be done by mashing the attack button immediately after charging up and releasing a charge attack. This ability was originally a glitch which let Gale stack charge attacks infinitely; upon discovery, Quells decided to simply adjust the bug and leave it in as a secret ability for players to discover instead of removing it entirely.
- During Phoenotopia's development, the story underwent several changes. Originally, the game was meant to be a parody of the guy-saves-the-princess trope, with the gender roles reversed. Though the game's actual story is much different, this idea still exists in a small part of the game, where Gale defeats the Kobold General and rescues Prince Leo, much to the latter's embarrassment.
- Later in the game's development, the game briefly took on a much heavier story that revolved around the theme of searching for lost brothers and sisters. This idea also appears in the final version of the game, but is greatly mitigated as Gale spends part of the first chapter searching the forest for her siblings to get them back to the village for dinner.
- Interestingly, the main antagonists of the game were originally going to be a group of Orcs, led by one particularly intelligent Orc.
- Gale herself also underwent some design changes throughout the game's development. Early concept art shows that she was originally meant to have shorter hair, and this detail was carried over into her first official sprite. However, a lot of people had trouble telling if Gale was supposed to be male or female because of this, so her sprite was redesigned. Her next sprite looked much more similar to her final design, with the only differences being that her hair was black and she had a hairband. Later, the hairband was removed and Gale's hair color was changed back to pink, just like in her original design.