Phelios Longplay (Arcade) [QHD]

Game Info --------------------------------------------------- Developer: Namco Publisher: Namco Year of Release: 1988 Game Review & Impressions --------------------------------------------------- Released exclusively in Japan, the original arcade version of Phelios is a unique and tortuously difficult entry in the world of coin-op shoot 'em ups. The theme is, unusually, a take on ancient Greek mythology. The player assumes the role of the sun god Apollo, who is fighting to rescue his sister Artemis from the forces of the great Titan, Typhon. From atop his winged steed, Pegasus, Apollo rains down righteous fire upon all those that face him, fighting wave-upon-wave of enemies through a series of multi-scrolling levels. The game features some rather nifty sprite scaling and rotation effects that you don't typically see in this kind of game, and for 1988, it's really impressive in terms of visuals. You won't have time to stand and gawk at the graphics, however, because Phelios is one of the most challenging games of its type. This is a game that requires fast reactions, detailed knowledge of enemy attack patterns and positions, not to mention a sack full of coins to purchase those extra continues. The boss encounters are some of the most innovative I've seen in a shoot 'em up of this kind, involving multiple mechanics that require you remain on the move at all times, avoiding projectiles, timing your shots to hit the boss when they become vulnerable. One of the most unique and challenging of all the bosses is the fire guardian on the fourth stage, which spews forth projectiles whenever you damage it. The usual strategy of hammering the fire button to do as much damage as possible simply will not work here, and the only way to succeed is to stagger your attacks, giving you time to pick a path through the oncoming onslaught of fireballs. It's insanely hard, but one has to give Namco credit for creativity. However, the game comes with something of an unexpected sting in the tail. If you somehow manage to reach the final boss without losing a life, the boss itself cannot be defeated; no matter how much damage you do, it simply will not die. On the subsequent attempt, having lost a life, the boss went down in timely fashion, so I have to conclude that some combination of factors had, indeed, put it into a state of invulnerability. Whether this is a bug or by design, I cannot say, but finding this kind of nonsense in a game is always hugely frustrating. Despite the extreme difficulty, Phelios is one of the more interesting vertical shoot 'em ups of the period. The Greek mythological setting makes a change from the typical sci-fi stuff so prevalent in the genre, and the boss encounter designs are as interesting as they are challenging. For those who really want to test their mettle, Phelios won't disappoint. Chapters --------------------------------------------------- 00:00 Attract mode 01:43 Stage 01 05:13 Stage 02 09:53 Stage 03 13:06 Stage 04 17:56 Stage 05 21:14 Stage 06 24:33 Stage 07 28:52 Final boss 31:21 Ending