Phalanx

aka: Phalanx: The Enforce Fighter A-144
Moby ID: 7142
Buy on Game Boy Advance
$29.99 used, $108.00 new on eBay
Buy on SNES
$39.99 used on eBay
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Description official descriptions

A futuristic shooter, Phalanx is the name of the prototype starfighter flown by Wink Baufield, a genetically enhanced pilot. It is sent to protect and reclaim Delia IV, a planet in the Andromeda galaxy, which has been colonized by humans for interstellar research purposes. However, an unknown and powerful alien force has overtaken the planet, the military defenses have been completely overwhelmed, and all hope rests on the Phalanx.

You fly through eight levels, first through various locations in Delia IV, and then you invade the aliens themselves. Like most shooters, you can upgrade your weapons by picking up bonus items dropped by enemy craft.

Spellings

  • ファランクス - Japanese spelling

Groups +

Screenshots

Promos

Credits (Sharp X68000 version)

23 People (12 developers, 11 thanks) · View all

God Father
Original Story
  • Cool Boy!
Main Program
Object Program
Map Program
Object Entry
Opening
Ending
Staff Write
Main Designer
Object Designer
Original GFX
BG Design
Title Design
Package Art
Music & Sound
Special Thanks
[ full credits ]

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 69% (based on 22 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.6 out of 5 (based on 11 ratings with 1 reviews)

Possible the hardest game ever made

The Good
1)Pure ungodly challenge 2)The several different aliens you fight 3)The music 4)Final Boss is the hardest boss I had ever fought in all the games I played 5)The design of the aliens 6)The colors 7)The story 8)The 4 different difficulties(easy, normal, hard, funny) 9)Funny difficulty is so hard that it is funny 10)It keeps a score 11)It is very hard and beatable 12)You can memorize the positions of where the aliens come out(thats the only way you can beat it)

The Bad
1)It actually has a cheat(YOU WON'T GET THE GAME AT ALL IF YOU CHEAT) 2)It took me 7 years just to memorize and beat the easy mode and the only showed a small ending and said "This was only the beginning, now try the normal"(I cried when it said that)

The Bottom Line
The game is a 3rd person perspective sci-fi game. There was an unexpected alien attack in your system and you(Wink Winifield) are the only person that can go out there and counterstrike. Your ship, A-66Y or Phalanx, is a prototype still but is able to do the mission. The game contains 8 levels full of odd looking aliens. You basically fly and shoot. You got three speeds for you ship for certain situations(like narrow spots or a closing gap). Your ship can hold one of the three types of missiles, piercing, homing, or controlled. Your ship can hold up to three power-ups. The power-ups are homing beam, energy charge, laser, and reactor shield. The power-ups can get their own power-ups so they can deal more damage. The aliens shoots red dots at you that travel in there own manor. Some shots go straight forward, some stay stationary, some speed across the screen, some go crazy, and some chase you. There are other shots the aliens can shot at you, but that is the main bullet you will see.The game needs you to have fast hand-eye coordination and good reaction time. You need to constantly plan on your next course of action.You really just need to kill the bosses, but if you want more lives you need to kill as many aliens as you can. The bosses and mini bosses(which run after a while) are no picnic. Each has there own style of fighting that just annoys you. The final boss is especially hard. It has 3 forms(2 really, but I can't say this for sure, my blood rush was to high on the third for me to make significant notes on it). The first form takes up near the whole screen. It has a circular structure. At one end is a real small gap that you somehow got to shoot in(there are two unidentified things near the gap that not only blocks your shot, but shoot back as well). Beyond the gap is the core of the first form. The core got a shield that spins around it and blocks your shot also. Then, if you get past the first form somehow(the time I beat it, I had several lives that I could waste, so I just charged in and keep shooting while I was in the center) you got the second form to fight. This form looks something like a mushroom that has been split open at the top of it. In the middle of the split is the next core that you got to hit. In front of that core are bubbles that constantly regenerate and blocks your shot. If front of the bubbles is a probe that follow your shot and blocks it. In front of the probe is your ship facing to the core(O CRAP! NO! NOT THAT!) And behind your ship is another probe that constantly shoots at you. To make matters worse, the mushroom object shoots indestructible missiles at you. When you finally get through that you got the third form. My blood rush was up quite a bit so I didn't take much note what was happening. All I remember was a little worm thing and a heck of a lot of explosions. Have fun....It took me 7 years just to figure out how to beat easy(Not all together, four years was age 6-10, the last 3 was 14-17, and those three years wern't hardcore playing time, so really about 1year). I had let 35 different people borrow this game for a month and most people couldn't get past the 3rd level, some couldn't get past the 4th, only one got to the 5th level(all on easy). If you are looking for a pure challenge, I promise you that this game will provide you with the greatest video game challenge you could ever had(I have 35 people who agree with me as soon as they played this). Unless you are some kind of Hyper Player, have a lot of free time, or cheat, I doubt that you will beat this game in 2 months or less. If you are looking for the hardest game ever made(and is beatable), then Phalanx is the one you should get. Like I said before, I promise that this WILL be the hardest beatable game you ever played.

SNES · by John Rosbach (8) · 2003

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  • MobyGames ID: 7142
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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by SAGA_.

Wii added by Rik Hideto. Sharp X68000 added by Kabushi. Game Boy Advance added by Audacon.

Additional contributors: formercontrib, Rik Hideto.

Game added August 21, 2002. Last modified February 22, 2023.