They Built This Out Of Cardboard - Phonopolis (2026) | The Beautiful Games Club

A book club for games, but one more chapter becomes one more quest 🎧

The Beautiful Games Club is a community for people who love games that move you - emotionally, visually, creatively. Each episode, we pick a game that deserves some extra special attention and explore it together, one beautiful game at a time.

For episode 7 we're talking about Phonopolis by Amanita Design, the studio behind Machinarium and Samorost. You play Felix, a bin man in a city where loudspeakers tell everyone exactly what to do, until he finds a pair of headphones and becomes the only person in town capable of having his own thoughts. Every set, character and prop was handcrafted out of cardboard before being digitised, animated at 12fps to feel like stop motion, and it took roughly six years.

This game is a real labour of love, and we think that comes through in abundance!

But. Is Phonopolis a beautiful game?

⚠️ FULL SPOILERS for Phonopolis throughout, including the ending. Listen with caution if you haven't played!

Phonopolis is available on Windows and Mac via Steam and Epic Games for around £20.

Host: Angel

Guests: Alannah, Lale and Mike

Game: Phonopolis (2026), by Amanita Design

The Beautiful Games Club is brought to you by ustwo games - the studio behind Monument Valley, Alba: A Wildlife Adventure, and Assemble With Care.

CHAPTERS:

00:00 - Introduction 00:41 - Do You Like Uniform? 08:42 - What is Phonopolis? 10:44 - What Did You Expect Going In? 16:18 - Discussion: Favourite Puzzles 25:38 - The Light Bulb Puzzle 28:25 - Discussion: The Ending 38:58 - How the Mechanics Tell the Story 42:04 - Discussion: Felix's Voice 43:33 - What Impressed Us as Developers 47:23 - Discussion: The Graphic Design 52:42 - Will Phonopolis Influence How We Make Games? 54:45 - Is It a Beautiful Game?