Play Phalanx Amiga Online

Phalanx came out on the Amiga in 1992, a side-scrolling shooter from developer Zeppelin Games. It arrived during a time when the platform was saturated with shoot 'em ups, each trying to carve out its own identity with unique visuals or mechanics. This one stood out immediately because of its bizarre, now somewhat infamous, box art featuring an old man playing a banjo, which had absolutely nothing to do with the actual game.

You pilot a spacecraft through horizontally scrolling levels filled with enemy formations and environmental obstacles. Your main objective is to survive the relentless waves of aliens and mechanized foes, destroying everything in your path to reach the end-level boss. Signature mechanics include collecting power-up icons that cycle through various weapon upgrades, like spread shots and lasers, and managing a smart bomb stockpile for clearing the screen in a pinch. The pacing is methodical, demanding careful movement and target prioritization rather than reckless speed, and the difficulty escalates steadily into a genuine challenge. It feels like a deliberate and weighty battle against overwhelming numbers, where every shot and every power-up collected matters.