Pheenix

Starting a Game

NOTE To play this game using a controller, select Kempston in the Select Joystick menu.

To begin configuring the game, press the start button on the controller or the S key on the keyboard.

To play the game using a controller, press the select joystick button on the controller when the ‘Select joystick or keys’ menu appears. Press B to play using the keyboard.

To select a difficulty, press keys 1-5 on the keyboard. To select difficulty 1 or 2 while using the controller, press the Difficulty 1 or 2 buttons (To choose a higher difficulty, use the keyboard keys)

Gameplay

Pheenix is an arcade shooter which challenges the player to battle through waves of increasingly difficult bird-like alien crafts, in order to reach and destroy a heavily defended mothership.

The player’s ship is equipped with a powerful blaster cannon which can be fired by pressing the fire key.

The ship also has a defensive shield which can be activated by pressing Down or Enter on the keyboard, which can be used to make the player immune to damage for three seconds. The shield has a brief cooldown after being used.

Enemies

There are four enemy types in Pheenix:

Small Birds

Small birds are seen in level 1 and 2, appearing as different colours. Small birds can be destroyed with one hit from the player’s blaster. Each small bird destroyed gives the player 25 points. Small birds have a random chance to move down the screen, moving towards the player and destroying the ship if hit.

Large Birds

• Large birds appear from level 3, starting as an egg which doesn’t attack the player. The egg continually moves in the same pattern as the small birds, but slowly cracks and hatches a large bird after 3 trips across the screen if they are not destroyed.
• When hatched, large birds require significantly more hits to destroy requiring more careful dodging.
• Destroying a large bird’s egg is worth 100 points. Destroying a large bird after it has hatched grants between 150-250 points.

Mothership

The mothership is a large stationary craft which appears in level 5. The mothership contains a big bird, which must be destroyed to progress. The big bird is protected by a blue barrier, which can be slowly destroyed using the player’s blaster.

Level

Pheenix consists of five levels which loop upon completion of the final phase. Each time level 5 is completed, the player is returned to level 1, and the game speed increases slightly.

• Level 1

  • Consists of several small birds with a low rate of fire.

• Level 2

  • Consists of more small birds. The rate of fire for enemies and the player is increased.

• Level 3 and 4

  • Introduces large birds, starting as unhatched eggs.

• Level 5

  • The mother ship appears - a large structure with a big bird inside. Destroy the shields and eliminate the bird to progress!

Interface

1. Player Score
2. Player Lives
3. High Score
4. Current Level

Lives

The player begins the game with 4 lives. A bonus life is given every 10,000 points.

Story

You are the only hope against the attacking Space Pheenix, and must travel to the alien mothership and destroy it to save the Earth. Before you get there, there are numerous waves of bad guys to be destroyed and an asteroid belt to be navigated through.

Finally arriving at the mothership, you must blast your way through the defensive shield to kill the alien queen inside! Once done, you progress to the next, more difficult mothership.