About this project
Update: 100% FUNDED! Thank you so much to all of you, especially those who increased their pledges in the last few days! Now on to the next goal!
Update: We've added 2 Add-Ons! A T-shirt and a custom-built sequencer. Scroll down to the rewards section to find out more.
Update: First round of Early Bird rewards is now sold out - make sure you don't miss out the other offers!
When Iris finally locates the young man she met in a bar, something is not right. He has become a recluse. He is a billionaire. And, most terrifying of all, he’s dying of old age…
To solve this mystery, she travels to Phoenix Springs: a desert oasis, home to a strange community. Under utopian appearances, she soon realises the inhabitants conceal dark secrets that are hard to unveil — and harder to believe.
Phoenix Springs combines point & click mechanics (The Dig, Gabriel Knight, Full Throttle) with multiple choices (Wolf Among Us, Life is Strange).
However, in order to avoid frustrating puzzles (find key > open door), your inventory mainly holds “concepts” (similar to Resonance by Wadjet Eye). These can be memories, questions, or conversation topics. No need to pick up everything you find here.
Your goal is therefore to link these ideas with the right character or place to progress. This creates a focus on discovery and exploration (Gone Home / Firewatch) as well as logic, intuition and human psychology (Her Story).
In short, the puzzles are not obstacles in the way of the story. The puzzles are the story.
Phoenix Springs is designed to please completists and casual gamers alike. To that end, you take control of the mysteries to unveil.
- Will you solve the central enigma as quickly as possible?
- Uncover every bit of lore?
- Dig deeper into Phoenix Springs, its strange inhabitants and yourself?
♡ Point & click gameplay ♡ Mind-bending story
♡ Haunting atmosphere ♡ Exploration & discovery
♡ Logical puzzles ♡ Branching dialogue
♡ Rich backstories ♡ Clear goals
♡ Mature themes ♡ Unique 2D & 3D art
The art style has evolved a lot over the last year - and we're continuously refining it, as you can see in the journey from concept art to playable game below:
We blend 3D with hand-drawn 2D illustrations to create a unique visual style reminiscent of anime and comic books.
One of the goals of this Kickstarter is to allow Eleanor (illustrator) to draw as much of the environment as possible.
She will also create your custom freehand illustration (see rewards).
Alex, sound designer / composer, is working on a number of pieces to immerse you in the strange and beautiful world of Phoenix Springs.
And he doesn't mind getting his hands dirty to record the perfect sound FX.
All the songs will be available as part of the original soundtrack in mp3, FLAC and even pressed as a beautiful vinyl (see rewards).
We’ve been working on this project for 18 months. As a small team with big ambitions, we’d like another 6-12 months to deliver it to you.
The game is currently developed for PC, Mac and Linux. An optimised iOS and Android version is also in the works. We will consider porting to PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch or other consoles. Of course, it depends on budget, reception, and your support!
Phoenix Springs will be released, no matter what. However, there are areas we cannot polish with our small indie budget.
♡ Animation: our next goal will be to motion-capture animations to increase realism and immersion in the game.
♡ Voice acting: one of the most crucial features. Help us hire our professional voice actors so they can truly breathe life into your game.
♡ Geo-localisation (stretch goals): in other words: translations. Our first priorities will be German, followed by French, Spanish and Italian. This Kickstarter will give us a better overview of who are backers are so we can offer your game in additional languages.
There are 3 of us at Calligram Studios: Alex, Eleanor and Florian. We're a small team, but hugely passionate about interactive storytelling, and we think there's still so much room to explore and grow - especially in the world of adventure games.
So this Kickstarter means a lot. It will not only help us complete our first game, but also launch our studio. VR, first person adventure games... We have so many uncompromising artistic visions we think you'll enjoy - and you can bring them to life.
Below is a list of the available rewards. (Illustrations not representative of the final designs.)
Already a backer? You can get these extra items to your package. Just click "Manage My Pledge" and add the appropriate amount. We'll double-check with you when we send our Backer Surveys at the end of this campaign.
The T-SHIRT. Choose between a Calligram or Phoenix Springs shirt. Just add €15 to your pledge.
And if you’re a ♥ Music Lover ♥ - you can get a limited edition Phoenix Springs sequencer. Our sound designer Alex lovingly builds them himself and they will come pre-loaded with audio from the original soundtrack. These beauties retail for €255 and you can get yours for €215.
From Alex, Eleanor and Florian, a huge thanks for joining the adventure of Phoenix Springs.
And remember: everything helps - small to big pledges, and even just spreading the word about this campaign on social media... Now you know where to point and click!
Twitter / Facebook / Website / Press Kit
Risks and challenges
We've taken every step possible to mitigate risk, such as multiple backup systems and source control. Alex (sound designer), also runs his own successful syntheziser business, so we'll be relying on his expertise for sourcing distributors and shipping physical goods.
The main potential hitch would be delays. We have a robust workflow, and the good news is that the game is fully written, so we are unlikely to fall into feature-creep territory. Still, things could take longer than we think in terms of casting voice actors, post production and optimisation.
In any case, we plan on being as transparent and communicative as possible with you through updates, newsletters and social media posts.
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