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Review: The Phoenix Gene
The Phoenix Gene is the next game that looking to rekindle the nostalgia of childhood, where you would fly toys around your room and defeat the villains. When executed properly, this concept thrives in virtual reality and will undoubtedly keep you captivated. However, did HEROmation succeed in achieving this?
Game Details
Release Date: June 5th 2025
Developer: HEROmation
Publisher: HEROmation
Price: £19.99
Reviewed On: Meta Quest 3
* Access Provided For Review *
You have The Phoenix Gene
The Phoenix Gene narrates the tale of Jackie, a janitor at one of the largest corporations globally. Out of the blue, a dragon-like being named Firestorm emerges, revealing that Jackie possesses the Phoenix Gene. This revelation launches Jackie into a sci-fi adventure filled with familiar themes: rogue AIs, a world steeped in corporate greed, a deceased parent with a hidden truth, and the discovery that Jackie is the hero the world desperately requires.
Contradicting Design Choices
As noted, The Phoenix Gene feels like you’re controlling a Firestorm toy, hovering right in front of you. You grip the controller to guide him with your hand, allowing you to steer him through both the world and a realm called the slipstream. You’ll find yourself spending more time in the slipstream, as it offers a lot more to navigate through and introduces unexpected difficulty spikes. In some games, these spikes can lead to frustration, but the sense of achievement when overcoming them usually makes it worthwhile. Unfortunately, The Phoenix Gene fails to provide that rewarding feeling.
In your gameplay, you’ll be skilfully dodging obstacles by manoeuvring Firestorm around them to gather fire tokens and power-ups, while also aiming Firestorm like a weapon to shoot at enemies and shootable obstacles. However, you’ll need to switch between a red and blue version of Firestorm simultaneously; this will alter the reality around you, introducing certain enemies while phasing out upcoming obstacles, allowing you to pass through them but bringing new ones into play. Mastering this technique takes time, which can lead to some of the frustrations mentioned earlier. You will start to get the hang of it, but by that point, the game is almost finished. This is because the game consists of only eight levels, which most players can complete in about two hours.
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The color-changing mechanic in Firestorm adds a layer of strategy that can determine your survival. Red enemies fire red bullets, while blue enemies shoot blue bullets; matching your colour allows you to absorb the damage. However, switching colours can also change the obstacles in your environment. While mastering this system is possible, some decisions left me puzzled. The most significant issue is that Firestorm cannot be rotated 360 degrees. This means if enemies are behind you, you must turn around, which can lead to you not facing incoming debris or platforms. This makes it easy to collide with them since you have to physically turn to shoot. Given that the game demands quick reflexes and awareness of your surroundings, this design choice feels strange and seems to contradict the gameplay requirements.
The fire tokens you gather serve as your upgrade currency, enabling you to improve skills like health regeneration or damage resistance. You won’t be able to unlock all these upgrades in a single playthrough, so if you aim to acquire them all, you’ll have a reason to come back. The unlocked abilities will also help you discover all the secrets hidden in each level. The team strives to create a variety of mission focuses to keep the game feeling fresh and inviting for your return. However, based on my experience with the game and the issues I’ve encountered, I doubt I will feel the desire or need to come back.
A little Bit Messy
The visuals in the presentation matches the game’s energy and multidimensional concept through its stylised graphics. However, there are some shortcomings in the visuals; overall, the game appears to be more fitting for the late Quest and early Quest 2 era. This is attributed to a low-resolution feel and the texture effects in the splitstream, which create an outdated, visually cluttered impression.
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It seems that the primary focus on visual quality has been directed towards Firestorm, and I was genuinely impressed by his appearance. Holding him in your hand, you can appreciate the impressive flying animations and the intricate details of the flames; it truly looks fantastic. However, your attention, especially outside of the tutorial, shifts towards the levels and the enemies approaching you, rather than the delightful details of Firestorm. The fluid animations of Firestorm also highlight the more rigid movements of the human characters you encounter in the slipstream and Jackie.
The issues persist with the audio, leaving a sense of disappointment. While the music selection aligns with the game’s events, it remains rather typical of video game soundtracks, lacking anything that genuinely distinguishes it. Additionally, the spoken audio quality is not particularly impressive, sounding rather flat. Audio has the potential to enhance the overall experience, but regrettably, The Phoenix Gene’s audio fulfils its role without leaving a lasting impression.
Comfort
The Verdict
The Phoenix Gene appears to have had a vision and aimed high to deliver a more robust experience reminiscent of childhood toy play. However, it ultimately falls short in executing this concept, leading to a disappointing gaming experience. This failure stems from a combination of gameplay elements that clash with one another. The game requires quick reflexes to dodge obstacles as you move along rails, yet at times, you must turn your back to these obstacles, making them nearly impossible to avoid. While the idea of an on-rails shooter that navigates through various dimensions and mechanics to alter environments and provide buffs sounds like an ideal blend, the execution is lacking. The controls are only manageable as you near the game’s conclusion, and the outdated visuals reminiscent to previous generations, along with conflicting design choices, contribute to a clumsy rather than enjoyable experience.
Copyright / The VR Realm / 2016 -