One Fenix Down Developer Wants To Bring RPGs Back To Their ’90s Roots

One Fenix Down is a ‘90s-inspired turn-based RPG, in the vein of Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, two series’ that creator RC Dunn cites as major inspirations. The title references an occasional misspelling of the word phoenix present in certain JRPGs, like Final Fantasy 3.

Dunn has worked on One Fenix Down for eight years, turning his project into a 40-hour experience. The current plan is to release a Kickstarter and demo in the early summer of this year.

In an interview with GameRant, Dunn speaks about the inspirations behind One Fenix Down, and why he’s so fond of the 1990s era of RPGs, particularly those from Japan.

Blast From The Past

“I would describe One Fenix Down as a retro-inspired classic turn-based RPG,” Dunn begins. “It’s basically designed from the start to feel a lot like the games that a lot of us played in the ‘90s like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest.”

Looking at the early screenshots of One Fenix Down, it’s immediately apparent which games inspired the title. Even the UI of the combat menu is reminiscent of early Final Fantasy titles.

“It is a slower-paced, 2-D grand epic adventure where you have your protagonist and some epic story about saving the world—maybe it’s a little generic story-wise—but I think it’s like comfort food. It’s a comfort game. A lot of people enjoy that sort of story and the characters you can cherish,” Dunn says.

The pixel art animation you see in combat is courtesy of a “well-known” Japanese artist, and their team. Meanwhile, the high-resolution character portraits are hand-drawn by a comic book artist that Dunn has been working with for several years.

Back To Basics

There are still plenty of retro-inspired JRPGs in development today, with Square Enix’s Octopath Traveler and the recently released Eiyuden Chronicles: Hundred Heroes coming to mind. However, we have seen a gradual shift away from this style of RPG in the series’ that pioneered it like Final Fantasy.

“I think a lot of games these days just try to throw so much content into them,” Dunn remarks. “I think how [One Fenix Down] fits into 2024 is that it doesn’t try to throw the whole kitchen sink and everything into the game… There are going to be side quests, of course, but I think the story is very linear and focused. It’s not going to ask you to build a town before you go save the princess. It’s more straight to the point while taking a few risks in the storyline, just to really wow and surprise players.”

There’s certainly a market for games that hearken back to what some consider ‘the golden age of RPGs’, and Dunn understands this, “I think there’s going to be a niche of players who like the slower turn-based style that you got from ‘90s RPGs.”

You can support One Fenix Down on its upcoming Kickstarter.

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