Phozon

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Phozon
Phozon arcade flyer.jpg
Developer(s)Namco
Publisher(s)Namco
Platform(s)Arcade
Release
Genre(s)Puzzle
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer (alternating turns)
Arcade systemNamco Phozon

Phozon[a] is an arcade game that was released by Namco in 1983 only in Japan. It is based on the science of chemistry, and was also the first game from the company that had been confined to Japan since Kaitei Takara Sagashi in 1980.

Gameplay[]

Screenshot of the game

The player must take control of the Chemic, a small black atom with red spikes which must adhere itself to passing Moleks (which come in four different colours: cyan, green, pink and yellow) in order to duplicate the patterns shown in the centre of the screen; if a Molek adheres itself to the Chemic incorrectly, the player must press the reject button to throw it away.[2] The singular enemy in the game is the Atomic, a malevolent clump of balls which moves randomly around the screen, and will kill the Chemic if it merely touches it—however, the Chemic can counter-attack by adhering itself to a Power Molek (which are slightly larger than the regular Moleks, and first appear in the game's second world: once the Chemic has adhered itself to one, the adhered Moleks will spin around rapidly, and their speed will decrease to denote the nearing of the Power Molek's ending time limit). But the Atomic has a nasty habit of splitting up and reforming in order to cover more ground, and even the Power Moleks cannot match up to the Atomic's deadly Alpha- and Beta-Rays which can instantly cause them to float away (along with the regular Moleks) on contact; there are total of eighteen unique patterns which must be duplicated in the game, and every fourth stage is a "challenging stage" where the Chemic can fire yellow Moleks in four directions at the Atomic.

Reception[]

In Japan, Game Machine listed Phozon on their December 15, 1983 issue as being the second most-popular arcade game at the time.[4]

In North America, the game was demonstrated at the Amusement & Music Operators Association (AMOA) show in October 1983, but was not licensed for release in the region. Gene Lewin of Play Meter magazine gave it a favorable review, calling it "a very colorful and challenging game with a different twist" based on chemistry.[5]

Legacy[]

Phozon was re-released as part of Namco Museum Volume 3 for the Sony PlayStation along with Dig Dug, Ms. Pac-Man, Pole Position II and other Namco games. Another port was released for the iOS and Android mobile device, as part of the Namco Arcade application.[6]

Notes[]

  1. ^ Japanese: フォゾン, Hepburn: Fozon

References[]

  1. ^ "Phozon (Registration Number PA0001370031)". United States Copyright Office. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  2. ^ Plasket, Michael (April 17, 2014). "Phozon". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on February 16, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
  3. ^ Green, Earl (1998). "Phozon - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 17, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  4. ^ "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 226. Amusement Press. December 15, 1983. p. 33.
  5. ^ Lewin, Gene (January 15, 1984). "Gene's Judgements: Critiquing AMOA Show Conversions, Dedicated Games". Play Meter. Vol. 10 no. 2. pp. 60–3.
  6. ^ Spencer (January 26, 2012). "Namco's iPhone Arcade Games Are So Retro You Need To Insert Credits To Play Them". Siliconera. Curse, Inc. Archived from the original on September 21, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2021.

External links[]


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