Machinarium
Machinarium
Game
Game2026
Phonopolis
Developer Amanita Design
Phonopolis is a point and click adventure puzzle video game, developed by Czech company Amanita Design and released in May 2026. From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
380 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy, Mastodon) · newest Nov 2, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
92
LovedLoved
257 positive · 23 negative
95% range 88–94%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 257 | 23 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 39 | 1 | 50 |
| Lemmy * | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| Mastodon * | 2 | 0 | 1 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
716 of 757 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
91% recommend · 247 yes, 24 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 271 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (1,662 of 1,792 positive).
A few reviewers dislike the narrator, preferring silent storytelling. [1][2][3]
Liked
Representative posts
- [2]
I'm really surprised to leave a negative review for an Amanita Design game. I loved Machinarium and the Samorost series, but this game is not it for me. First of all, I really don't like the fact that there's a narrator instead of the little noises the characters made in previous games. I feel like the way he explains every little thing, as if the scenery didn't make it obvious, is a bit infantilising. On top of …
- [4]
As artwork, Phonopolis is spectacular: everything from the hand-painted cardboard sets to the fluid animation to the music is stunning. As a game, it's… okay. There are no spoilers in this review. Story + Gameplay After installing loudspeakers to brainwash Phonopolis's citizens into mindless compliance, the Leader plans to cement his power by broadcasting the Absolute Tone. Felix, a mild-mannered garbageman, finds …
- [5]
If someone ever asks you "Can videogames be art?", just show them this game, and the process behind making it. Getting an artistic masterpiece like this in the middle of the AI slop era is a blessing, and a testament to how true art will never die
- [1]
Whoever convinced these developers, who are masters at non-verbal storytelling, to add a narrator to their game did them a tremendous disservice. I really encourage the developers to add a patch to the game that just removes the narrator. The game profoundly does not need it. The non-verbal storytelling is as spectacular as always. I am on team **loving** the puzzles. They responded to the Machinarium critique that …
- [10]
To be honest: I don't particularly like Phonopolis as an adventure game. Its puzzles are often middling, the game doesn't do a great job of signalling what is expected and a bunch of them are repeated too often. The adventure part of the game is perhaps best approached like a toy book, where weird and wondrous things happen if you push this button or pull this lever. I'm also not a huge fan of the story, and that's …
Summarised from 34 of the 364 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 12, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Phonopolis sits at 92% positive across 280 opinionated reactions from 4 sources. Fresh or rotten — where do you land?
Critics, per Wikipedia
Phonopolis received generally favorable reviews from critics, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. Fellow review aggregator OpenCritic assessed that the game received strong approval, being recommended by 88% of critics.
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 380 · most liked firstHello! 📣 We're working on an adventure game called Phonopolis where every single texture is hand-painted on a piece of cardboard, and even particle effects like flames and smoke are hand-painted frame by frame. Please wishlist on Steam if you like:)
positive · AI labelView post →Another wonderful treat from Amanita Design. I am in my 88th year and I wish more Seniors knew about the large number of problem-solving computer games like Machinarium, Portal, etc. that tell interesting stories and exercise the 'little grey cells' as Poirot would say. There is so much imagination and creativity devoted to creating these games. Although most of my body is worn out, my eyes, ears and brain are still working great and playing these games makes me feel young again. So,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hi folks! We're Amanita Design, an indie game studio based in Prague. The games we've made: 🤖 Machinarium 🚀 Samorost 1/2/3 🌳 Botanicula 🍒 CHUCHEL 💡 Creaks 🏕️ Pilgrims 👻 Happy Game The games we're making: 📣 Phonopolis ❓ ????? ❓ ????? ❓ ?????
neutral · AI labelView post →📣 Hello everyone, I'm the art director and co-author of the upcoming hand-crafted adventure game #Phonopolis by the beloved #AmanitaDesign. Nice to meet you!
neutral · AI labelView post →The city of Phonopolis is taking shape, and we look forward to sharing more about the game as the year unfolds! 📣
neutral · AI labelView post →I'm really surprised to leave a negative review for an Amanita Design game. I loved Machinarium and the Samorost series, but this game is not it for me. First of all, I really don't like the fact that there's a narrator instead of the little noises the characters made in previous games. I feel like the way he explains every little thing, as if the scenery didn't make it obvious, is a bit infantilising. On top of that, the fact that by default he makes remarks during puzzle solving adds to this…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →One of the first posters for Phonopolis game. @amanita-design.net
neutral · AI labelView post →i really loved Phonopolis and i think you will too 📢 my review > youtu.be/nmzswlo2K9E
positive · AI labelView post →As artwork, Phonopolis is spectacular: everything from the hand-painted cardboard sets to the fluid animation to the music is stunning. As a game, it's… okay. There are no spoilers in this review. Story + Gameplay After installing loudspeakers to brainwash Phonopolis's citizens into mindless compliance, the Leader plans to cement his power by broadcasting the Absolute Tone. Felix, a mild-mannered garbageman, finds an old pair of noise-cancelling headphones and proceeds to stumble through…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Truly wish a "Mixed" rating existed. Visually and sonically, a really beautiful experience. The attention to detail in the animations and interactions is definitely the quality you can expect from Amanita. While I don't mind a short game, there was so much potential here to do more with the narrative and actually explore the characters. Instead, it's a straightforward story told a million times, leaving me feeling indifferent. When the final scene played, I thought I had reached the halfway…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Poster. The old times are gone... The dictator is destroying the old days in the #Phonopolis game. @amanita-design.net #gamedev
neutral · AI labelView post →This is all hand drawn and there is much more...#Phonopolis game @amanita-design.net
neutral · AI labelView post →PHONOPOLIS by @amanita-design.net is an absolutely wonderful game. Art direction and animation, music and sound, gameplay and story: everything is a handcrafted masterpiece, and Amanita at it's peak. Play it, everyone. store.steampowered.com/app/1206070/...
positive · AI labelView post →Phonopolis - a puzzle-adventure game with hand-painted 3D cardboard visuals, from the devs behind Machinarium, Creaks, and Happy Game - is launching on May 20. (Read more at Gematsu)
neutral · AI labelView post →Over 10 years in the making, a game with a political message released just at the right time. Phonopolis is the latest work of Amanita, a studio that is well known for its charming story-focused point and click games. I had no doubt that they will make me fall in love with this game again, and I cannot say that I'm not. Phonopolis feels like an amalgamation of the studio's previous works while also trying something new. An insane amount of time, energy and quality went into this game,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If someone ever asks you "Can videogames be art?", just show them this game, and the process behind making it. Getting an artistic masterpiece like this in the middle of the AI slop era is a blessing, and a testament to how true art will never die
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Leader urgently requests that you report to goldenjoysticks.com and vote for Phonopolis! 🎨 Best Visual Design 🕹️ Best Indie Game - Self Published The Leader thanks you for your cooperation. #GoldenJoysticks
neutral · AI labelView post →This game leaves me quite confused. How is it even possible for us to get art like this nowadays? How much enthusiasm will we see in gamedev after 10 years? Few will choose spending an eternity to record a musical album, compose dozens of scenes filled with hand crafted cardboard objects and bring fresh ideas to a legacy genre. This game deserves so much more than just a few thousand reviews on Steam and I really wish teams like Amanita Design will never go extinct.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a big one. Stop everything and read Daniel Yam’s review of Phonopolis adventuregamehotspot.com/review/6589/... @aghotspot.bsky.social @amanita-design.net #indiegame #adventuregame #cozygame #pcgame
neutral · AI labelView post →What a fantastic and beautiful game! The puzzles are fun and not too obscure, for the most part; though there is a bit of random clicking at times in some scenes, it’s usually quite fun and enjoyable to play around with the objects that can be interacted with to see which different combinations work and which don’t. The music is absolutely top-tier. Floex is the composer. I love the voice acting, too, though I realize that’s new for Amanita, and some players may possibly not find that a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Was waiting for this for soooooooo long, and it's here!! The most unique art I have ever come across in a game. Amazing music and an immersive experience, as usual, from Amanita Studio. A really thought provoking premise of the story. So cool.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Phonopolis Review: Cardboard and constructivism collide in Amanita Design’s masterful marriage of story, puzzles, and hand-crafted aesthetic in Phonopolis.. [Phonopolis on Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1206070/Phonopolis/)
neutral · AI labelView post →What it takes to bring down a totalitarian regime: courage, ingenuity, and noise-canceling headphones.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Whoever convinced these developers, who are masters at non-verbal storytelling, to add a narrator to their game did them a tremendous disservice. I really encourage the developers to add a patch to the game that just removes the narrator. The game profoundly does not need it. The non-verbal storytelling is as spectacular as always. I am on team **loving** the puzzles. They responded to the Machinarium critique that the puzzles felt disconnected. The puzzles are completely embedded in the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Don't miss this documentary by @amanita-design.net on making Phonopolis!! www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQlh... I'm 20 minutes in and getting more excited by the minute. Game development as craftsmanship, artistry, full of personality; real inspiring stuff.
positive · AI labelView post →To be honest: I don't particularly like Phonopolis as an adventure game. Its puzzles are often middling, the game doesn't do a great job of signalling what is expected and a bunch of them are repeated too often. The adventure part of the game is perhaps best approached like a toy book, where weird and wondrous things happen if you push this button or pull this lever. I'm also not a huge fan of the story, and that's mainly because the spoken text (is this a first for Amanita?), while acted…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →High quality work. An almost unbelievable level of creativity and effort has gone into this. It is worth the money. I believe it is about the correct length too. Puzzles are a good difficulty level, you wont get too stuck. You will probably get a little stuck. But not too stuck.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →solve playful puzzles to escape the dystopian leader of a hand-painted cardboard world in Phonopolis, a point-and-click adventure game inspired by avant-garde art
neutral · AI labelView post →📢 These are our actual paper-crafted characters from the game. In the dystopian world of #Phonopolis, cleaners and clerks play a vital role. 🧹📐
neutral · AI labelView post →Amanita Design always constructs the most beautiful memorable worlds. If you loved Machinarium you will love this. It's not as long as Machinarium unfortunately but still worth it!! Love everything Amanita Design puts out and anticipate what their next project might be.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's really heartbreaking to leave a negative review, I do love Amanita Design's games and wish them well. I don't want this game to perform poorly, but a positive review would be dishonest. The game is... fine? I guess? It just kind of lacks anything. The puzzles aren't great, in my opinion. Most puzzle games, including Point & Clicks, require you to fundamentally understand some core concept at a pretty deep level. This game is very susceptible to brute force, and in fact to some degree…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →On this week's Crewcast, Forza Horizon 6 is everything a Japanese car enthusiast could ask for, hand-crafted adventure game Phonopolis is a blast, and Jeremy goes down a fake PS1 lets play rabbit hole. youtu.be/MRbjBZZjdFI
positive · AI labelView post →I don't think anything as a "bad Amanita Design" game is possible. As always, the game is crafted with such insane attention to detail, such beautiful sound design and music. It genuinely amazes me that such a small studio can produce things of such insane quality time in time. Phonopolis is visually stunning, I've not seen such a beautiful artstyle in a game since a long time. While not as challenging as Machinarium or some of their other games, the puzzles are still fun. The story is also…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →We have a new Hotly Anticipated adventure game list. Since we haven’t gotten any recent news on Broken Sword 6 & Phonopolis we gave them a temporary break from the list & there are some fun new ones added. what do you think? For the full list, head on over to the website: adventuregamehotspot.com
neutral · AI labelView post →I struggled with this one but I had to give thumbs down. This is the worst game I've seen from Amanita. The good: the new art style is whimsical and stunning in some spots. The game engine is upgraded, and each location has a 3D feel to it and can be rotated slightly. Floex turns in another wonderful soundtrack. The bad: the writing, specifically the puzzle design. Things are so abstract and nonsensical that the entire game is an exercise in frustration. There's no logic to anything, so…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →They always crush the art style, this is no exception. Runs perfectly on the Steam deck. If your a fan of Amanita games or puzzle games in general, this is a must buy. 10/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →With the release of Phonopolis this week I grabbed my physical copy of Amanita Design's Machinarium this #RandomGameSaturday. I absolutely loved Machinarium when it came out. The art, the little characters, Floex's music 😘👌 It's so fun to see how far they've come in 17 years!
positive · AI labelView post →Need help deciding what games to play this month? Let Tamil and AGH help. Five Top Upcoming Adventure Games – May 2026 Bonus- Phonopolis was just announced. adventuregamehotspot.com/preview/6481... #adventuregame #indiegame @amanita-design.net
neutral · AI labelView post →Phonopolis concept art is so cool. We'll definitely create a physical art book once the game is released.
neutral · AI labelView post →Im sad to give a "Would not recommend" rating, but.. Other people here say the puzzles are easy, but it was really hard for me to find some logic in them. Most of the time it was just trial and error with very little logic (i still don't know what is the logic behind dancing Impresionists level. It just feels like a random sequence of clicks.). I was also a bit sad with the 3D/2D inconsistency. It feels like there is 3D in easier scenes for no reason othre than an effect while the city is 2D…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'd say it's a whole new level for an Amanita design game, even though they always have been special. In their art you see the soul, their hand-made worlds have a warm atmosphere, even if the story is a bit dark, like here with the dystopian theme. Here they went above and beyond everything they've done before - an entire hand-crafted cardboard city, transferred into a game, it's simply insane. Also now they have a voiceover, rather than a purely visual story, which also makes the game stand…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Absolutely delightful! Amanita are masters of their craft and its truly a privilege to play any of their games.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Came to a puzzle where I needed to take 5 minutes for a cup of tea and a think so posting a day one review now. Music is superb, Floex is doing good things. The game feels very tactile, which is an odd thing to say about a computer game but the ability to pull and push and drag feels really good to do and there's a lot of little interactions there to play with. And, of course, the art is just incredible. I love how the avant-garde ideas of the early twentieth century have been picked up here…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Videos do not do it justice. Playing it shows the incomprehensible attention to every little detail. Truly one of a kind work of art.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Right now I can't recommend Phonopolis for those who suffer from discomfort due to chromatic aberration. I don't remember it being in the demo but in the full game it is very prevalent around the outside portion of the playfield (screen) without any way to disable it which gave me some vertigo and a bit of a headache within about 15 minutes. I requested a refund and will wait to see if the developers add an option to disable chromatic aberration. I'm not sure why it exists at all since it…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Phonopolis [Amanita Design: Machinarium, Botanicula, Chuchel] coming on Steam in 2026 [demo available].
neutral · AI labelView post →2024 IGF Awards. -Excellence in Visual Art ($2,000) - Phonopolis (Amanita Design) -Excellence in Audio ($2,000) - Rhythm Doctor (7th Beat Games) -Excellence in Design ($2,000) - Cryptmaster (Paul Hart & Lee Williams) -Excellence in Narrative ($2,000) - Mediterranea Inferno (EYEGUYS) -Nuovo Award ($2,000) - Anthology of the Killer (Thecatamites, Tommy Tone, A. Degen) -Best Student Game ($2,000) - Once Upon a Jester (Bonte Avond) -Audience Award ($2,000) - RAM: Random Access Mayhem (Xylem…
neutral · AI labelView post →Proud producer moment! 💛 Micromega is nominated for a DEVGAMM Award for "Excellence in Visual Arts", alongside amazing games like Phonopolis by Amanita 🤯 ! Wanna help?? Follow our Kickstarter campaign and click "Notify me on launch" 👇 www.kickstarter.com/projects/cov... #indiegames #gamedev
neutral · AI labelView post →I recently quit Phonopolis mid-game. Not because it's bad – it's gorgeous and well-made – but because it was not the experience I expected to have when I launched it. It seemed like a good material for a blog post, so there you go: blog.vigeo.dev/post/8267452... #gamedev #indiedev #gamedesign
neutral · AI labelView post →#19 of The So Many Games Podcast is out now! This month we talk with producer, Lukàš Kunce, on @amanita-design.net latest puzzle game Phonopolis! Listen now at somanygames.co.uk or check pod.link/1793825654 for link to major podcast platforms.
neutral · AI labelView post →The upcoming Phonopolis from @amanita-design.net is one of the 50 games included in my book Indie Game Works. It features dev interviews and behind-the-scenes artwork, giving you a sneak peek of the game ahead of its launch. But it here amzn.eu/d/0gmcEegV or at other retailers. #indiegames
neutral · AI labelView post →Note: This is still a fun game overall, so see this as more of a neutral review, if you will. Phonopolis is set in a dictatorship: Through loudspeakers, every single citizen receives an electrical shock and instructions on what to do; not just at work, but in their daily life as well. Our main character discovers that he can escape these commands by wearing headphones, and works towards rescuing the mystical Rachel, a singer who has disappeared as part of broader campaign against the "old"…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Upcoming Amanita Design hand-crafted adventure game Phonopolis confirmed to feature Arabic localization at launch.
neutral · AI labelView post →Comments on four games that happen to be all about music! Almost. - Phonopolis - Wax Heads - Mixtape - Call of the Elder Gods blog.zarfhome.com/2026/05/game...
neutral · AI labelView post →Good old Amanita Design quality. Another little masterpiece, as always!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's arguably their most beautiful game yet, static and in motion, and Floex's soundtrack is as characteristically brilliant as his previous work with Amanita (give Railway Electro a listen https://innerfx.bandcamp.com/track/railway-electro). There are some really creative, whimsical and satisfyingly musical puzzles here but there are also a few too many that my partner and I solved by accident or dumb luck. The last segment of the game felt particularly bad for this which tarnished an…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Another great Amanita game. I recommend watching the 50 minute 'Constructing Phonopolis' documentary on Youtube!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Phonopolis Review: Cardboard and constructivism collide in Amanita Design’s masterful marriage of story, puzzles, and hand-crafted aesthetic in Phonopolis.. [Phonopolis on Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1206070/Phonopolis/)
neutral · AI labelView post →Phonopolis is a story driven puzzle adventure game developed and published by Amanita Design. The game is set within the dystopian city of Phonopolis, a hand painted three dimensional world entirely constructed out of cardboard materials. Every resident living in this strange city including the player is strictly controlled by massive loudspeakers spread across the streets. These speakers dominate every single aspect of human life. The citizens appear hypnotized and stripped of individual…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →> Thanks for asking! Here's a list (all links are Steam Store links) **[Death of the Reprobate](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1739900/Death_of_the_Reprobate/)** - I highly recommend this guy's previous games, which use the same style. Genuinely the funniest games I've ever played. **[Still Wakes the Deep](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1622910/Still_Wakes_the_Deep/)** - Upcoming horror game from The Chinese Room. **[Old…
neutral · AI labelView post →
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