Play Phalanx Online Free for Super Nintendo.
Phalanx hits different when it boots instantly in your browser. Released in 1991 on the Super Nintendo, this retro classic from ZOOM Inc. (X68000), Kemco is ready the second you press start — no downloads, no setup.
Phalanx is a 1991 horizontally scrolling shooter developed by ZOOM Inc. and Kemco for the X68000, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and Game Boy Advance. The game was released for the X68000 in Japan in 1991, for the Super NES in Japan on August 7, 1992, in North America in October and in the same year in Europe, as well as for the Game Boy Advance in 2001 in Japan on October 26, in Europe on November 23, and in North America on December 27.
🎮 USB or Bluetooth controller? Plug it in, Once Detected Click Here to Open Your Controller Options
No controller detected yet — plug one in and press any button.
Your controller lights up here as you press buttons. Premium members can remap every action to any pad button.
⭐ Premium members can click any key below to remap the controls. Go Premium
| Action | Keyboard | Controller |
|---|---|---|
| D-Pad Up | ↑ | D-Pad up |
| D-Pad Down | ↓ | D-Pad down |
| D-Pad Left | ← | D-Pad left |
| D-Pad Right | → | D-Pad right |
| B (bottom) | X | Bottom face |
| A (right) | Z | Right face |
| Y (left) | S | Left face |
| X (top) | A | Top face |
| L | Q | Left shoulder |
| R | E | Right shoulder |
| Start | Enter | Start |
| Select | V | Select |
⚠ Report this game not working
You’re playing the preview
Create a free account to unlock the full experience for :
- 💾 Save states — snapshot & resume anywhere
- 🎮 Full controller setup & custom key mapping
- ↩ Rewind, fullscreen & display options
You're in! Now go FULL PREMIUM
- 🏆 FREE Tournament Entry — quarterly comps with REAL PRIZES
- 💾 High-score saving — your runs on the boards, forever
- 🚫 ZERO ads — no preroll window, no banners, ever
- 🟢 Unlimited game play + the entire Premium vault
Show the world what Retro is really about.
First registered run claims the top spot. It won't stay easy for long.
Playing counts once you're signed in — register free in the player above.
The Story Behind Phalanx
One particular group of researchers lands on and partly colonizes the alien planet Delia. C – C-Type Missile: A standard side-weapon which launches guided missiles, mimicking the A-144's vertical movement as they fly forward, that detonate on impact. The only clue they are given is a message regarding a hazardous leak.
A "mini" version called Tiny Phalanx was featured in the 1995 fighting game Zero Divide. Its Smart Bomb attack causes the ship to spin rapidly, firing powerful bullets outward in a spiral pattern, while rendering the ship invulnerable. Phalanx is infamous for the incongruous box art in its American release: it displays a bearded, elderly man dressed in overalls, wearing a fedora and playing a banjo while a futuristic spaceship flies in the background.
How Phalanx Plays
A – A-Type Missile: A standard side-weapon which launches homing missiles that detonate on impact. Successive upgrades cause the options to fire beams as well, fore and aft, while increasing the beams' power. A variety of weapons can be picked up from items that certain enemies leave behind, and up to three can be stored at a time; further weapons replace the currently equipped weapon when acquired.
P – Power-Capsule: The game's combination healing and weapon enhancement power-up; simultaneously upgrades weapons systems by one level, and heals one point of ship health. The Super NES version was met with average reviews. SNES Force commended the game's sharp graphics, but were critical to its "frustrating" gameplay.
Why Players Still Load It Up
C – C-Type Missile: A standard side-weapon which launches guided missiles, mimicking the A-144's vertical movement as they fly forward, that detonate on impact. The Japanese publication Micom BASIC Magazine ranked Phalanx fourth in popularity in its August 1991 issue. The Game Boy Advance release used a redesigned cover with a prominent image of a spaceship.
Sometime after their stay, an emergency transmission is sent from Delia to their security force orbiting the planet. Phalanx is infamous for the incongruous box art in its American release: it displays a bearded, elderly man dressed in overalls, wearing a fedora and playing a banjo while a futuristic spaceship flies in the background. Phalanx received a 21.45/30 score in a 1993 readers' poll conducted by Super Famicom Magazine, ranking among Super Famicom titles at the number 106 spot.
Phalanx — Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a controller to play Phalanx?
No. Keyboard controls work out of the box (see the controls panel), and any USB or Bluetooth gamepad is detected automatically.
Who developed Phalanx?
Development was handled by ZOOM Inc. (X68000), Kemco, with ZOOM Inc. (X68000), Kemco publishing the release.
Where can I buy the original Phalanx?
See the "Other Places You Can Get This Game" section below the article for legitimate places to buy real-world versions.
What console was Phalanx released on?
ZOOM Inc. (X68000), Kemco shipped Phalanx for the Super Nintendo back in 1991, and this page runs that release.