The Phoenix Gene is an on-rails shooter for the Meta Quest and Steam VR platforms by HEROmation and sees you controlling a phoenix and its rider through a series of levels, just like any other on-rails shooter.
The difference here is that, unlike other games in the genre, you don’t control your phoenix with the control sticks; instead, you have to grab it with the side buttons on your controllers and literally drag it around the screen. You don’t control a reticule to shoot either; instead, it works like a lightgun game, where you point at what you want to shoot and pull the trigger. At least to me, it’s quite a unique control system and one that I’ll be coming back to in a bit.
Presentation
The story of The Phoenix Gene is simple. You control a phoenix named Firestorm, who rescues a girl named Jackie from an evil corporation involved in some kind of immortality experiments. As levels progress, you learn more about Jackie and the corporation, all told through either graphical storytelling throughout the levels’ backgrounds or in dialogue as your phoenix and Jackie converse. It can be quite impressive at times, with you fighting various enemies while also watching the story unfold in the background at the same time. It really can be an assault on the senses at times!
Graphics and Sound
The graphics are a bit of a mixed bag. At times, things look stunning; at other times, they can look a bit bland and generic. In level two, it’s a bit hard to make out, as everything there is a bit yellow and orange, with little else to make out. The sound is great, though, with background music and sounds that fit the action, and high-quality voice acting.
Controls and Mechanics
Where things don’t quite work, however, is the aforementioned control system. It takes some real getting used to, learning how to grab the phoenix and shoot using two different control systems at the same time. While it works well on the first level, the second level introduces a couple of additional mechanics that muddy things somewhat. Firstly, it adds phase shifting, whereby pressing a button lets you make certain objects in the levels solid or non-solid, allowing you to pass through them unharmed and revealing crystals you can collect, or making them solid to serve as a bit of protection against enemies.
It’s also in this level where they introduce the concept of coloured bullets and how which phase you’re in depends on whether you can damage enemies or not. It then says whether their shots will harm you or power you up. This system is very much like Ikaruga from the early 2000s and adds another dimension to the game’s mechanics.
Comfort Levels
However, I think it’s probably a step too far as it overcomplicates a game that’s already fairly complicated with the dragging and shooting mechanics. Add to that The Phoenix Gene has quite a large playfield, which will have you literally at arm’s length to avoid both backgrounds and pick up the needed crystals. Unless your brain functions on multiple levels at the same time, throwing yourself physically around the vast playfield, while trying to concentrate on phase shifting, as well as keeping an eye on enemy placements on top of what colour bullets are heading your way, and which ones you’re firing at the same time, all gets a bit too much. I found myself having to stop playing because it overwhelmed me to the point of a headache.
Final Thoughts
It could just be me having these issues, but I can’t see the average player putting this on for a few minutes to relax. It ended up hurting me physically and left me with a headache, which is a shame, as what I was able to play of it was quite impressive and I’d love to see more.
Try a Phoenix Gene demo if you can find one (I believe there’s a trial option out there depending on the format) to see how you get on with the controls and mechanics, but it’s just too complex for me. I’d certainly welcome a patch with “normal” stick-style controls. With those, then I’m sure it would be a much more enjoyable experience.
Platforms: Meta, Steam
Publishers: HEROmation
Developers: HEROmation
Played On: Meta Quest
Key Provided By: HEROmation
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