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About Phonopolis
Phonopolis is a hand‑crafted puzzle adventure from Amanita Design, the studio behind Machinarium, Creaks, and Samorost. Set in a cardboard dystopia, the city’s loudspeakers dictate every citizen’s life, and the looming Absolute Tone threatens to erase humanity.
You play as Felix, a dustman who becomes immune to the speakers’ commands. By hijacking the loudspeakers and reshaping the paper‑crafted environment, you solve a variety of puzzles that are woven directly into the world’s visual and auditory design.
01 / THE GUIDE
Story and Theme
The narrative follows Felix, the only person who consciously recognizes the threat of the Absolute Tone. The story is loosely inspired by Karel Čapek and George Orwell, exploring social manipulation and individualism while keeping a playful tone.
Phonopolis itself acts as a metaphor for a totalitarian society: a city built of cardboard where loudspeakers enforce the Leader’s commands. This visual metaphor reinforces the themes of propaganda and control without becoming heavy‑handed.
- Listen for changes in loudspeaker messages; they often hint at puzzle steps.
- Compare the story’s tone with classic dystopian works to notice the playful subversion.
02 / THE GUIDE
Visual and Audio Design
Every building, character, and effect is hand‑painted on paper, then digitized into a 3D world that mimics stop‑motion animation at 12 FPS. The art draws from interwar avant‑garde movements such as constructivism, futurism, and suprematism.
The soundtrack, composed by Tomáš Dvořák (Floex), complements the visual style. The soundtrack complements the visual style, reinforcing the city’s mood.
- Notice the low frame‑rate; it adds a nostalgic stop‑motion feel.
- Pay attention to how the soundtrack reinforces the mood of each scene.
03 / THE GUIDE
Puzzle Mechanics
Puzzles are integrated into the cardboard environment. You may turn walls, shuffle floors, control machinery, or tear paper curtains, using the world itself as a tool rather than relying on inventory items.
Felix’s immunity to the loudspeakers lets you repurpose them to influence other characters and objects, turning the city’s propaganda system into a problem‑solving mechanic.
- Experiment with loudspeakers; they can trigger actions beyond dialogue.
- Approach each environmental element from different angles to uncover hidden mechanisms.
04 / THE GUIDE
Platform and Accessibility
Phonopolis runs on Windows and macOS and offers full controller support, including DualShock and DualSense devices, as well as a mouse‑only option. Adjustable text size and subtitle options let players tailor reading preferences.
Steam Cloud saves progress online, and Family Sharing allows the game to be shared with other accounts on the same platform, ensuring continuity across play sessions.
- Try both controller and mouse inputs to see which feels more precise for rotating walls.
- Enable subtitles if you prefer reading dialogue over listening to loudspeakers.
05 / THE GUIDE
Achievements and Replay Value
The game includes Steam Achievements for players to earn as they progress. While the story follows a linear path, the variety of puzzles encourages different approaches on subsequent playthroughs.
Because the world is handcrafted, each run presents the same visual charm, and revisiting puzzles can reveal alternative solutions that were not obvious initially.
- Browse the Steam Achievement list to see what the game tracks.
- Play a puzzle a second time after learning its mechanics to discover hidden interactions.
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