Amanita Design, known for its creative titles like Machinarium and Botanicula, has released a demo for its upcoming game, Phonopolis, during the Steam Next Fest. The game is a point-and-click adventure featuring Felix, a garbage collector in a city dominated by an authoritarian Leader who employs loudspeakers to control citizens. Felix discovers a headset that allows him to negate this control and aims to stop the Leader from unleashing the Absolute Tone, a catastrophic event threatening to strip humanity and freedom from the populace.
While the game’s themes echo works by Karel Čapek and George Orwell, addressing social manipulation and individualism, it maintains a playful and lighthearted tone. The demo showcases unique puzzles and a distinctive visual style, along with a soundtrack by Tomáš Dvořák. Despite moments of humor, there’s an underlying darkness, reflecting on the destruction of cultural artifacts by regime enforcers.
The game invites exploration without penalizing failure, allowing players to engage freely with the setting. Phonopolis promises to be an engaging experience for fans of Amanita Design, and its timely thematic content mirrors current global issues, although the game was in development before these events intensified. The demo is now available on Steam, offering newcomers a chance to explore Amanita’s creative world.
