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Game Info

Cover art of Phelios
Platform
Arcade
Genres
Shooter · Arcade
Player Perspective
Top-down
Developers
Namco
Publishers
Namco · Namco Bandai Games
Release date
December 1, 1988

Summary

Phelios is a striking vertical‑scroll shooter that lets you pilot the sun god Apollo astride Pegasus through a series of fast‑paced, myth‑themed stages. The core mechanic revolves around a chargeable sword: tap the fire button for a quick shot, hold it down to unleash a powerful fireball, a twist that feels familiar to fans of Dragon Spirit. Enemies range from harpies to skeletal warriors, and each level culminates in a larger boss that tests your timing and charge‑attack strategy. The arcade cabinet offers an easy/hard toggle, though the easy setting trims the game to the first half of the content. Japanese voice samples add flavor, while the score counter tricks you with non‑zero endings despite a 10‑point minimum per kill. Though it never saw a US release—citing graphic inter‑stage scenes—it ranked third in Japan’s arcade charts upon debut, earning a solid 21/25 from GamePro.

Storyline

In the arcade shooter Phelios, players assume the role of Apollo, the sun god, who mounts the legendary winged horse Pegasus. The mission is to fly through myth‑inspired stages and free Artemis, the moon goddess, from the clutches of the Titan Typhon. While the game borrows names from Greek mythology, it treats Artemis as a damsel‑in‑distress rather than Apollo’s sister, presenting her as a typical princess figure. The storyline is simple: a heroic sun deity battles the forces of the fiend Typhon to rescue his beloved Artemis and restore order to the heavens.

Edited by Maya Carter

Game Videos

Game Screenshots

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Arcade Machine

Developers
Namco
Machine Style
Upright
Control Panel
Single-player
Input Devices
Joystick · Buttons
Screen Orientation
Portrait
Sound
Mono

Multiplayer

Multiplayer setup
Hot Seat