$24.99Phonopolis A cardboard city that talks back
Phonopolis is a puzzle adventure from Amanita Design, set in a dystopian city built entirely of hand-painted cardboard. Loudspeakers rule every citizen's life, and only Felix, a young dustman, can hear the danger. Turn walls, tear paper curtains and bend the Leader's own commands to his detriment.
Is Phonopolis worth it?
Phonopolis is worth it if…
- you want a gentle, low-pressure puzzle game for a few cozy evenings
- you love hand-crafted art and would happily linger over painted cardboard scenery
- you enjoyed Machinarium, Samorost or Creaks and want Amanita's next world
- you like stories with a dystopian sting but a playful, light-hearted tone
- you prefer puzzles that amuse you over ones that stump you for hours
Screenshots
A city that talks back through its loudspeakers
In Phonopolis, the Leader's voice pours out of loudspeakers on every corner, and the citizens obey. Felix, a dustman, is the one person who notices what is coming: the Absolute Tone, a sound that would strip everyone of their humanity for good. Because the commands no longer reach him, the loudspeakers become his tool instead of his master. You use them to steer other characters through puzzles, while the Absolute Tone looms closer. It is a dystopia told with a wink: the story touches on conformity and individualism, loosely nodding to Karel Čapek and George Orwell, but stays playful and light-hearted throughout.
Puzzles made of paper and cardboard
The city itself is the puzzle box. You turn walls, shuffle floors, tear paper curtains and run machinery, all built from the same cardboard as the buildings around it. Each puzzle is woven into its location, so a cafeteria, an apartment block or a set of rail cars comes with its own challenge. Felix can also nudge the citizens around him, using their obedience to the loudspeakers to get things moving. The puzzles lean more playful than punishing: several can be cracked by trying things out rather than long deduction, so come for the charm of each contraption more than a stiff mental workout.
A world painted by hand, frame by frame
Every building, character, wisp of smoke and lick of flame in Phonopolis was painted on paper, then digitized into a 3D world. The animation runs at a traditional 12 frames per second, which gives it the warm, slightly jerky charm of classic stop-motion films. The look borrows from interwar avant-garde movements like constructivism and suprematism, movements that once served propaganda, which fits a city ruled by a loudspeaker. Tomáš Dvořák, known as Floex, composed the music, and his soundtracks for Machinarium and Samorost 3 set the bar. Together it feels like a picture book someone built in real cardboard, then let you walk into.
How long does Phonopolis take to finish?
Are the puzzles difficult?
Mostly no. The puzzles vary in style, and some of the cardboard contraptions take real thought, but many can be solved by experimenting with what is on screen, and the narration often points you toward the goal. If you want brain-melting logic challenges, this is not that game; if you want to fiddle with delightful paper machines, it is.
Does the game have spoken dialogue?
Yes, and it is a first for Amanita Design. Felix narrates events in English, and characters speak their lines aloud, unlike the studio's earlier wordless games. Some players find the narration explains a bit much, others enjoy having a voice carry the story.
Do you need to know Amanita's earlier games first?
Not at all. Phonopolis is a self-contained story about Felix and the Leader's city, with its own characters and ending. Familiarity with Machinarium or Samorost tells you something about the studio's sense of humour and craft, but nothing about this plot.
