Phelios
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Phelios | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Namco |
Publisher(s) | Namco |
Release date(s) | 1988 |
Genre(s) | Vertical scrolling shooter |
Mode(s) | Up to 2 players, alternating turns |
Platform(s) | Arcade, Sega Mega Drive, Sega Genesis |
Input | 8-way Joystick; 1 button |
Arcade cabinet | Upright, cabaret, and cocktail |
Arcade system(s) | Namco System 2 |
Arcade display | Vertical orientation, Raster |
Phelios (フェリオス) is a vertical scrolling shooter arcade game that was released by Namco in 1988 only in Japan. It was wrapped in the cloak of Greek mythology that used elements from both Gradius and R-Type during gameplay.
[edit] Story
The story behind Phelios was not only based on Greek mythology, it also used the theme of rescuing a princess from evil. In this case, the princess is Artemis, goddess of the moon and the evil is Typhon, one of the Titans (specifically, the one that Zeus dropped a mountain on). You play the heroic Apollo, god of the sun, and you must ride the legendary winged horse Pegasus to rescue Artemis, who is also depicted as his lover, though in the mythology they are actually twins. Along the way, you have to defeat various mythological creatures, such as Medusa, Antaeus, the Siren, Scylla and Cerberus.
[edit] Gameplay
You control Apollo who is mounted on the back of his winged horse Pegasus. Pressing the button makes his sword fire a tiny shot; holding down the button charges the sword, and upon releasing the button the sword shoots a bigger fireball. Even the smallest enemies take multiple hits, so the standard shot is of little use. This game also features voice samples (in Japanese).