Phalanx brings back memories of the late 80s and the early 90s. At that time, polygons did not exist. Gaming was all about bits and how many colors each console could display on the screen at the same time. 3D games were nothing more than a dream. That didn't make them any less fun though. Remember, we fell in love with video games back when the technology was very primitive. We had no idea what lied ahead.

In 1992, I bought an excruciatingly difficult game called Super R-Type. I had played a few side-scrolling shooters before, but none of them were as good as Super R-Type. The death rate was so high that I would have quit playing if it were any other game. But SRT was different. I would die, die and die some more, but still want to continue playing. I looked forward to a sequel to this marvelous game, but a sequel was never made.

When the PSone arrived in 1995, most developers gave up on the genre in favor of 3D flight/combat games. SquareSoft decided to give the genre a shot by developing a side-scrolling shooter called Einhander. While the difficulty level was about as high as R-Type, the game wasn't nearly as good. Although I hated to admit it, the side-scrolling shooter genre was dead. Or was it?

More than ten years after Super R-Type was released for the SNES, Kemco has released Phalanx for the Game Boy Advance, a shooter that is, to my surprise, actually better than the games that inspired it! This is a port of an 11-year-old game, but I honestly did not know that at first. The gameplay was so refreshing that I thought it was a brand-new game. I've played thousands of video games over the years, but somehow or other, Phalanx slipped through my fingers. I am able to enjoy it now though and that's all that matters.

The missions are very intense, to say the least. There is always someone attacking you, insuring that you always have someone to attack. For every enemy you blast, there is another enemy ready to blast you. Phalanx crams more action onto the screen than any other GBA game out there. Unlike R-Type, there is rarely a moment in Phalanx when you are able to relax. And unlike Gradius, the onslaught of bombs, energy blasts, and deadly force fields in Phalanx are not impossible to avoid. With that said, there will be at least one point in the game where you just can't win due to either of one of two things: 1) your skills have not fully developed yet, or 2) you do not have enough extra continues to make it through the level. But I never once felt cheated. Phalanx is one of the most perfectly balanced games I have ever played. The game is challenging without being cheap, giving its players a frustration-free experience.

Phalanx's level design is awesome. There is no better way to describe it -- never before has a side-scrolling shooter had such diversity. Most of the levels consistently move forward from the left to the right. However, the fifth stage is completely different. Instead of moving forward automatically, you must control the ship yourself. Not just by moving forward though, an enemy ship is in the area and it won't go away. The only way to take it out is by navigating all around the ship and destroy its weapons, as well as the enemy ships located inside (yes, that's right, there are enemy ships located inside of the ship! The ship is huge, it's several times the size of the GBA's screen). Accomplishing this task isn't easy though, because the enemy ship is always moving. If your ship touches any part of the enemy ship, it will explode. To make the level even more difficult, there are three core areas of the ship that you must enter, all of which are guarded by deadly shields and super-tight corridors, as well as a couple of enemy ships. Not only that, but since flying left is essentially flying backwards, you can't fire at any oncoming enemies! As difficult as all of this sounds, it wasn't that hard for me to beat the level though. I had a lot of extra continues so I was able to win with a little trial and error. Be patient with this stage and you'll beat it in no time.

Phalanx is the quintessential game of serendipity. I wasn't too familiar with the game before its release, so I didn't spend much time anticipating it. But I was interested in playing the game, and I am so glad that I was able to review it. Since I'm pretty tight with myself, I doubt that I would have been willing to spend $40 on this game without playing it first. But if I had played it first, the price wouldn't have mattered to me. Phalanx stands tall next to Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 and Castlevania: Circle of the Moon as one of the very few GBA games that's truly worth the ridiculous price tag. If you love R-Type, Gradius or any other side-scrolling shooter, then you must not pass up the chance to play Phalanx, the best shooter ever made.

Gameplay: 9
Phalanx is side-scrolling shooter perfection. It's so much deeper than the other shooters out there, even newer ones like Einhander. More important than depth, however, is how good it plays. Phalanx is the kind of game that will keep you coming back for more even after you beat it.

Graphics: 8.5 
Believe it or not, Phalanx looks better than most console shooters! Explosions fill the screen, along with ships, weapons and several colorful, fast-moving backgrounds. The water stage is especially pleasing to the eye.

Sound: 7
Phalanx's soundtrack isn't as unique as the rest of the game, but I still enjoyed listening to the music. The sound effects are pretty good too, though nothing I haven't heard in a GBA game before.

Difficulty: 10
Phalanx did not receive a 10 because it's extremely difficult, it received a perfect score because it is the most perfectly balanced side-scrolling shooter that I have ever played.

Concept: 9
Zoom Inc. took the classic R-Type formula and reinvented it with Phalanx.

Overall: 9
Buy Phalanx. That's all I need to say. There is no more advice that I can give you. I've taught you everything there is to teach. Now spread your wings, fly to the nearest retailer and spend whatever amount of money is necessary to purchase Phalanx. Then go home and experience the joy of this awesome shooter.