''Phoenix'' is a

single-player A single-player video game is a video game where input from only one player is expected throughout the course of the gaming session. A single-player game is usually a game that can only be played by one person, while "single-player mode" is usuall ...

first-person space flight shooter released in 1987 by

ERE Informatique ERE Informatique was one of the first French video game companies, founded in 1983 by , joined a year later by Philippe Ulrich. The company hired freelance game programmers that received royalties for their creations. History Initially, the com ...

for the

Atari ST The Atari ST is a line of personal computers from Atari Corporation and the successor to the Atari 8-bit family. The initial model, the Atari 520ST, had limited release in April–June 1985 and was widely available in July. It was the first pers ...

. It was later published by Infogrames for the British market. The game consists of piloting a spaceship across hyperspace routes represented by colored wireframe tiles created with vector graphics while shooting hostile gun turrets and

black holes A black hole is a region of spacetime where gravity is so strong that nothing, including light or other electromagnetic waves, has enough energy to escape it. The theory of general relativity predicts that a sufficiently compact mass can def ...

Gameplay

The objective of ''Phoenix'' is to re-open 15 hyperspace routes which were closed by authorities, who also left gun turrets to guard the routes. In order to re-open the hyperspace routes, the player must pilot a spaceship known as the "Phoenix AY 21" to the end of each route. The hyperspace routes are represented by colored vector wireframe tiles. As the

joystick A joystick, sometimes called a flight stick, is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. A joystick, also known as the control column, is the principal cont ...

is moved left or right, the tiles move under the ship, representing strafing movement of the craft, while the craft moves forward at a constant speed. This movement is used to navigate the different colored sections and to dodge gun turrets and black holes. Red tiles increase the ship's energy level, which is slowly depleted as the game goes on, and is also used to fire the ship's guns. Light blue tiles and shots from gun turrets drain the ship's energy level. Green tiles cause the player to lose control of the ship. Purple tiles instantly destroy the ship, as do black holes (represented by two rotating yellow triangles) and flying off tiles into empty space. The Games Machine compared the gameplay to another game released in 1987: '' Cosmic Causeway: Trailblazer II'', which also features colored tiles that affect the player as they move across them. Whether the ''Trailblazer'' series inspired ''Phoenix'' is unclear. The player can also press the R button to enter an instant replay mode which replays the last flight.

Reception

In the months following its release, ''Phoenix'' received mixed reviews. ACE (magazine) in January 1988 gave it a 887/1000, then in November of the same year dropped the rating to a 780/1000, calling the game "a bit simple for full price now". The retail price at the time was £19.95. This is equivalent to £55.37 or $69.92 in February 2024. The Games Machine similarly gave the game a 71% rating in 1988. Happy Computer and Power Play rated the game at 58/100 and 4.5/10 respectively, both indicating the game is initially fun, but gets boring quickly.

Reviews

*''Jeux & Stratégie'' #49 *''

Aktueller Software Markt ''Aktueller Software Markt'' (literally ''Current Software Market''), commonly known by its acronym, ''ASM'', was a German multi-platform video game magazine that was published by Tronic-Verlag from 1986 until 1995. It was one of the first magazine ...

'' (Jan 1988)

Legacy

''Phoenix'' was the first game developed and released by

Paul Cuisset Paul Cuisset (born 1964) is a French programmer and designer of several video games. Career Paul Cuisset was the lead designer of Delphine Software International and the creator of '' Flashback'', which was listed in the '' Guinness World Reco ...

, who later went on to be the lead developer of

Delphine Software International Delphine Software International was a French video game developer. They were famous for publishing '' Another World'' and creating the cinematic platform game '' Flashback'', which bore a similarity to ''Prince of Persia'', both in gameplay an ...

. This company has published games for many consoles, notably including well-received games such as

Amy Amy is a female given name, sometimes short for Amanda, Amelia, Amélie, or Amita. In French, the name is spelled ''"Aimée"''. People A–E * Amy Acker (born 1976), American actress * Amy Vera Ackman, also known as Mother Giovanni (1886– ...

and Flashback.

References

{{reflist 1987 video games Infogrames games Space combat simulators Single-player video games Atari ST games ERE Informatique games Video games developed in France