Descpription:
Like many arcade games of that era, Phoenix is an outer space-themed fix shooter.
Gameplay is somewhat predictable: each level has two types of alien birds that fire
at your ship, and a mothership that is guarded by many of the same alien birds.
The spaceship moves horizontally at the bottom of the screen. In addition
to the missiles, the ship is equipped with a shield that can be used to
zap any of the alien creatures that attempt to crash into the spaceship.
However, the player cannot move while the shield is active, and must
wait for a short period (approximately five seconds) before using it again.
Phoenix was one of the first full color arcade games, along with
Galaxian, so at the time it stood out. Also, it has distinctive
shooting sounds that have become very familiar to fans of the genre.
Most importantly, the Phoenix mothership was the first video
arcade game boss where the boss was presented as a separate challenge.
