Phoenix

Overview

Originally released in December 1980, this top-down shoot 'em up was, like Galaxian and Galaga, one of the first full color games of its time. Player controls a spaceship that can move left and right and the bottom of the screen that fires up. The ship is equipped with shields activated by a button, which will prevent destruction.

Phoenix was a rare game in its time in that it had 5 stages with 3 unique themes. The first two stages has the player shooting small attacking space birds, reminiscent of Galaxian. The second two stages brought approx 8 large flying eggs that, if not destroyed right away, hatch into large birds that must be shot in the center. Shooting a wing will remove the wing, which can eventually respawn. The final stage is the boss stage featuring a giant mothership that the player must chip away at it's hull eventually destroying the boss in the center of the ship.

Phoenix was quickly ported to the Atari 2600.