Fenix Rage follows a battle between the title character named Fenix, who is chasing after a dangerous foe named Oktarus. The villain travels across the galaxy and destroys Fenix's home upon his landing on the new planet. Oktarus always seems to be one step ahead of Fenix, and only player's with plenty of perseverance will be able to reach one of the game's two major endings. The storyline is told with no dialogue, but the non-verbal communication between characters is always easy to interpret. While the game's narrative isn't a big selling point for the title, it does a good enough job of keeping players interested in seeing the game's ending throughout a lengthy campaign.
Fenix Rage is all about getting from a starting point in a level to a special warp block that marks the end of a stage. Any gamer that played even a few minutes of Super Meat Boy will instantly know what to do when the game starts. There are also cookies featured in each level of Fenix Rage that can be collected to unlock real life cookie recipes to create some treats to eat while gaming. Additionally, players can shoot for the best time on each level to earn a star that can then be used to unlock mini-games in the Fenix Rage Arcade.
Though Fenix Rage takes heavy inspiration from Super Meat Boy, the games both have major differences. For starters, Fenix Rage has a strange sense of speed that will have players nearly unable to control the blue blur when speed dashing through the air, but the game becomes a much slow paced, timing puzzle when endlessly jumping over obstacles in the environments. Levels in Fenix Rage also seem to be much more confusing and will require players to solve puzzles to reach a stage's exit many times throughout the game, rather than simply speedrunning without being touched by anything in the environment. Fans looking for an exact Super Meat Boy clone with Fenix Rage will surely be disappointed, but the new game is definitely a lot of fun and brings a lot more to the table than a gamer would see at first glance.
Fenix Rage features 9 different worlds and over 200 levels. While level design is strong in the game, the title suffers from themed environments that look all too similar to the other worlds seen in the game. Traveling from one world to another will see the introduction of new items in levels to master using to reach the end of stages, but the actual platforms and walls that make up levels feel as though they've just received a slightly different paint job. Fenix Rage does have some additional warp zone levels that feel completely different from the other worlds in the game, but these hidden stages come few and far between during the game's campaign.
The character design in Fenix Rage is strong, while the overall art style is full of hard edges and bright, cel-shaded color palates. Cutscenes throughout the game look similar to motion comics and are a joy to watch unfold for the first time. Fenix Rage features a solid presentation that offers player friendly controls including quick restarts on a level at the press of a button and an ability to look at the exit of a level from anywhere on the stage. Players will also enjoy the electronic soundtrack that accompanies the entertaining gameplay.
Fenix Rage is an overall exciting hardcore platformers that comes with plenty of deaths but a real sense of accomplishment with the completion of each consecutive level. Fenix Rage will make you scream expletives at your computer screen, but you'll love every minute of it. The game packs plenty of content including over 200 levels and even unlockable cookie recipes. Players will have to take breaks between certain levels to rest their speed dash finger of choice, and some level layouts are a bit bland, but creative uses of interactive items throughout the game will confound and enthrall players during the main campaign. Fenix Rage is out not on Steam and is coming to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2015.
Fenix Rage is now available exclusively for PC on Steam and is coming to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2015. For more information on the game, check out the official Fenix Rage website.
Game Features:
- Single Player
- Hardcore Platforming Action
- 9 Worlds & 200+ Levels
- Steam Trading Card Support
- Achievement Support
Game Information:
Developer: Green Lava Studios
Publisher: Reverb Triple XP
Available exclusively for PC (reviewed)
Release Date: September 24, 2014
