There were not a lot of shooters made for the Super NES. Due
to the SNES's slow processor most developers figured there
wasn't much use in trying to pull of a miracle and actually
make a decent shooter that could move with numerous sprites
on the screen at once. But for those who remember correctly,
Konami pulled a big one out of their hats and did the
impossible with their shooter called Axelay and then a few
more developers decided to take a crack at it. Unfortunately
most attempts at a shooter for the Super NES failed
miserably. But then along came Phalanx. I will say this,
with the multi-level parallax scrolling and the sheer speed
at which Phalanx moves I was very surprised at how smoothly
the game runs. Not nearly as much slowdown as I would have
expected. The story is nothing unusual, just basically your
save the galaxy storyline found in most other shooters. Is
it worth your time...take a look below and find out!
Graphics [8/10]:
Although the graphics in Phalanx are not mind-blowing, they
are impressive nontheless. And just the fact that
Kemco-Seika were able to get everything to move at the speed
they move is also very impressive. Several layers of really
smooth parallax-scrolling backgrounds really give the game a
sharp look to it. It also makes the game seem as though it's
moving faster than it actually is. A very nice trick indeed.
The bosses are also really sharp. In fact probably the high
point of the game. Makes the effort of playing this game
well worth it just to be able to see the next boss.
Sound and Music [8/10]:
I must admit that shooters generally rely on a good
soundtrack the way an RPG relies on a good storyline. And
this is the one area that Phalanx actually comes up a little
short. Not that the soundtrack is terrible...it's just a
little on the vanilla side. Kinda plain in a lot of areas of
the game. Personally speaking, with the overall speed of
this shooter I would have liked a good rocked up soundtrack.
I usually play this game with the sound off or turned way
down just because to me it's not very seemless with the
game. Maybe I've been playing Lords of Thunder and R-Type
too much lately. I seem to be getting pickier by the day.
Gameplay [9/10]:
The single most defining point of a shooter is game play.
And this is where Phalanx really shines. Very responsive
control make avoiding the many projectiles a lot easier. It
also comes in handy against the bosses. In fact, next to
R-Type, Phalanx has some of the best control I have ever
seen in a shooter. Nice to see a developer remember just how
to make a really challenging shooter playable.
Challenge and Replay [8/10]:
The challenge in Phalanx is definately real. In fact at
times this game will test your sheer will. I thought some of
the bosses were extremely difficult to beat. You better gear
up when you get ready to play this one. As far as replay
goes, Phalanx is an enjoyable shooter but probably not so
enjoyable that you will wanna play through it more than once
or twice. Definately not an R-Type. But a good shooter is
hard to come by on the SNES so you better take what you can
get!
Conclusion/Overall [8/10]:
Overall Phalanx is a really good shooter in itself. It does
have its shortcoming, but compared to most other SNES
shooters this one is very good. And as I said before with
the severe lack of quality shooters for the Super NES, you
better grab the good ones while you can. I would have liked
a better soundtrack, and maybe a little bit better use of
the Super NES's special effects, but other than that a very
decent shooter that will prove to be quite a challenge for
even the most experience shooter fan. So maybe the SNES's
slow processor wasn't such a big deal after all.
