Phoenix 1980

Is it still worth playing?

A 1980 fixed screen space shooter for the arcades, released in Japan under Taito's name, in which your ship fires at enemies descending from the top of the screen. You move left and right to dodge missiles and charging enemies, and a force field blocks attacks for a few seconds, then needs about five seconds before it can be used again. Five stages repeat at a higher difficulty. Two have small phoenixes in formation, and some dive at you. Two have eggs that hatch into large phoenixes which you have to hit in the body because their wings regenerate. The last is a fortress with a rotating shield band that you shoot through to reach its pilot. It was among the first shooters with a boss battle, an element that became common in the genre. The reason to play it now is a force field that cannot be used twice in a row, which makes every dive a decision about timing.