Phantom Slayer
Encyclopedia
Phantom Slayer is a computer game released by Med Systems in 1982 for the TRS-80 Color Computer
and Dragon 32/64
. Written by Ken Kalish
, Phantom Slayer is considered by some to be a very early forerunner of the modern First-person shooter
genre.
The game combines a relatively sedate pace and a then-rare first-person point of view
(using simple fixed-perspective graphics) to produce high levels of dramatic tension for a game on such primitive hardware. The player moves around the maze, and his or her only indication that a Phantom was encroaching is an ominous sound, played when the Phantom is a few squares away from the player's position.
A power-up time is required for the player's weapon, leading to the player holding a position in order to charge the weapon while stalking (or being stalked). The phantoms can take multiple hits (usually two). Combined with their creepy ability to get in close and blind-side the player, this is remarkably effective in elevating the fear factor.
TRS-80 Color Computer
The Radio Shack TRS-80 Color Computer was a home computer launched in 1980. It was one of the earliest of the first generation of computers marketed for home use in English-speaking markets...
and Dragon 32/64
Dragon 32/64
The Dragon 32 and Dragon 64 are home computers that were built in the 1980s. The Dragons are very similar to the TRS-80 Color Computer , and were produced for the European market by Dragon Data, Ltd., in Port Talbot, Wales, and for the US market by Tano of New Orleans, Louisiana...
. Written by Ken Kalish
Ken Kalish
Kenneth Kalish wrote many games for the TRS-80 Color Computer and Dragon 32/64 home computers in the early 1980s, including:-* Danger Ranger* Dungeon Raid* El Diablero* The King...
, Phantom Slayer is considered by some to be a very early forerunner of the modern First-person shooter
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
genre.
Gameplay
The player moves around a randomly-generated maze, attempting to kill the eponymous phantoms by shooting them. As each level is cleared, a new maze is created, and the phantoms became harder (requiring more shots) to kill.The game combines a relatively sedate pace and a then-rare first-person point of view
First person (video games)
In video games, first person refers to a graphical perspective rendered from the viewpoint of the player character. In many cases, this may be the viewpoint from the cockpit of a vehicle. Many different genres have made use of first-person perspectives, ranging from adventure games to flight...
(using simple fixed-perspective graphics) to produce high levels of dramatic tension for a game on such primitive hardware. The player moves around the maze, and his or her only indication that a Phantom was encroaching is an ominous sound, played when the Phantom is a few squares away from the player's position.
A power-up time is required for the player's weapon, leading to the player holding a position in order to charge the weapon while stalking (or being stalked). The phantoms can take multiple hits (usually two). Combined with their creepy ability to get in close and blind-side the player, this is remarkably effective in elevating the fear factor.
External links
- Phantom Slayer - Fan site, includes more screen shots and a (legal) download of the game binary, for use with emulatorEmulatorIn computing, an emulator is hardware or software or both that duplicates the functions of a first computer system in a different second computer system, so that the behavior of the second system closely resembles the behavior of the first system...
s.