developer diary

The Faces Behind The Story: Michael Fortunato and Aaron Light

by on May.21, 2014, under developer diary, featured, phoenix people

Ten years of dreams, stories and many faces and names to know. I must admit it hasn’t been easy to grasp so much in so little time. I know it is impossible to share all I want from so long in just a few weeks but it’s been quite a bit of a nostalgia to look back and find myself surrounded with such beautiful and inspiring people. (continue reading…)

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The Resolve – Exploring Moebius

by on May.20, 2014, under developer diary, featured, moebius

There are things in life that become a random draw of luck, they can grow into opportunities or grow into learning moments; however, very few times we find ourselves into a space of certainty and defining choices which make everything somewhat become a true test of endurance and hard work. (continue reading…)

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Phoenix values: Perserverance and Communication

by on May.19, 2014, under developer diary, featured, phoenix values, publishing

We continue to celebrate 10 years in this anniversary month special, and reviewing what we have shared from Phoenix previously we have defined our purpose: Crafting dreams with stories and hardwork. Building hope and evolving through hardship while we support ourselves in what we believe. (continue reading…)

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The Last Door – Episodes 3&4

by on May.15, 2014, under developer diary, featured, the last door

Continuing our look into The Last Door - Collector’s Edition from last week where we dug into the first two episodes of the game, we trek further into the darkness and explore what lies in wait inside Episodes 3 and 4.
Episode 3 - The Four Witnesses

Jeremiah Devitt awakens from a deep slumber to find himself in the streets of Old Nichol Rookery, a dangerous slum deep inside London. He stumbles about, thirst driving him mad, unsure how or why he is there. A strange man catches his attention, yet every time he approaches him the man disappears into the shadows. Lost among the cold and twisting passages of the slum, Jeremiah searches for answers.
Episode 4 - Ancient Shadows

Jeremiah finds himself before an old house, whose owner seems to be someone from his past. Inside, the darkened manor echoes with the stillness of time. The unkempt yard and nearby greenhouse show telltale signs of past life, but now lie in decay. What secrets will Jeremiah find here? Will he be able to put all of the pieces together and find closure, or will madness swallow his mind whole?
Developer’s Diary: Building A True Horror Atmosphere
The Game Kitchen delve further into the inspirations behind their horror adventure, citing classic literary works such as Weird Tales which use settings of everyday, real-world locations and situations to heighten the senses of fear of the unknown encountered in the stories. Much like these stories, The Last Door finds itself set in a familiar Victorian England setting, using low-resolution graphics to help the player use their imagination to draw themselves into the story, much like one does when reading a book.

As we announced earlier this week, The Last Door - Collector’s Edition will be releasing next Tuesday, May 20th on Steam, GOG.com, GamersGate, the Phoenix Online Studios store, and many other places. You won’t want to miss out on this thrilling adventure through madness and horror!
Drew Beardall Social Media Associate Phoenix Online Studios

Continuing our look into The Last Door – Collector’s Edition from last week where we dug into the first two episodes of the game, we trek further into the darkness and explore what lies in wait inside Episodes 3 and 4. (continue reading…)

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Phoenix Online’s Community Voice!

by on May.14, 2014, under developer diary, featured, phoenix people

It’s that time again to share what our community is saying about us. A quick reminder of this feature is that previously to gathering the info we selected a few members who actively interact with us and we know they know us, to provide quick info for a survey. They have shared all the good and all the bad from their point of view. (continue reading…)

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The Faces Behind The Story – Katie Hallahan and Weldon Hathaway

by on May.14, 2014, under developer diary, featured, phoenix people

Last week we got to meet Cesar and Richard’s story, the two who founded the team from early 2004 and on; now we get to discover another two faces from the team that are worth knowing as well: Katie Hallahan, whose name you’ve probably seen around because besides being a game developer she is also our PR Director, andWeldon Hathaway, who once was one of the most helpful community members who eventually became an important technical lead as Programming Director, and the guy we always run to when something breaks. (continue reading…)

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Announcing The Release Date For The Last Door – Collector’s Edition

by on May.13, 2014, under developer diary, featured, the last door

Phoenix Online Publishing together with The Game Kitchen proudly announce that the point-and-click horror adventure The Last Door – Collector’s Edition will release worldwide on May 20th, 2014 for PC, Mac, and Linux! (continue reading…)

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The Reckoning – Exploring Cognition.

by on May.13, 2014, under cognition, developer diary, featured

The Reckoning – Exploring Cognition.

Back in December 2011 the team finally moved forward with their biggest challenge yet; while working on The Silver Lining was a dream come true, King’s Questbelongs to the heart of Roberta Williams and the legal rights to Activision. We had finally come together to put a new story, a new name and a whole new task at hand, considering Kickstarter wasn’t that well known in 2011. (continue reading…)

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Phoenix, growth compromise.

by on May.12, 2014, under developer diary, featured, phoenix values

Phoenix, growth compromise.

Last week we reviewed the purpose of the team: Our Mission is Crafting dreams with stories and hard work. Building hope and evolving through hardship since 2004; as well as the first and one of the most important core values that represent our beliefs: Belonging. We are a community; People matter. (continue reading…)

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Exploring The Last Door’s Story and Sound

by on May.08, 2014, under developer diary, featured, the last door

The Last Door is a unique point-and-click adventure game inspired by the literary works of such authors as H.P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe. The game features a pixelated style of art designed to encourage the player’s imagination, much like reading a book. The story unfolds chapter-by-chapter, and today we take a brief look at what the first two chapters have in store. Chapter 1 - The Letter "Videte ne quis sciat." After receiving a cryptic letter from an old friend, Jeremiah Devitt finds himself filled with uneasy questions. The letter contains a Latin phrase that was used between his colleagues at their old boarding school, which tips him off that this is a rather important situation. He follows the instructions set forth to journey to this friend’s manor, where more information is promised him. Upon arrival, however, Jeremiah finds the manor deserted. With doors and windows left open and food rotting on the table, it seems as if the occupants had fled in a panic. Jeremiah begins carefully investigating the darkened hallways to uncover the mysteries surrounding his friend’s letter and the deserted manor. Chapter 2 - Memories "Nostra culpa in finita est." The boarding school that Jeremiah and his colleagues attended sets the stage for the events in Chapter 2, although Jeremiah quickly discovers that it is now a place run by nuns to care for the physically and mentally ill. Jeremiah is given permission to revisit the halls of his former school, and so begins to look for answers and attempts to unlock lost memories that he hopes will shed light upon recent events. Development Diary - Sound In The Last Door, sound is as much a character as protagonist Jeremiah Devitt or any NPC. The music is created alongside development, and sometimes is the driving force behind the creation of the game itself, guiding the artists with auditory inspiration. The Collector’s Edition will feature better sound quality and more instruments than the original, bringing this dark world to life even more than before. With literary inspiration from renowned horror authors like H.P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allen Poe, and musical inspiration of composers such as Chopin and Bach, The Last Door creates a haunting blend of horror and beauty which plays out perfectly in the point-and-click style of gameplay upon which it is built. Stay tuned next week as we will have more exciting news and information ready which you will certainly not want to miss. Drew Beardall Social Media Associate Phoenix Online Studios

The Last Door is a unique point-and-click adventure game inspired by the literary works of such authors as H.P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe. The game features a pixelated style of art designed to encourage the player’s imagination, much like reading a book. The story unfolds chapter-by-chapter, and today we take a brief look at what the first two chapters have in store. (continue reading…)

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