Phelios
Phelios — frequently asked questions
- What platforms is Phelios on?
- Phelios was released on Arcade, Wii, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis.
- When did Phelios release?
- Phelios was first released on December 1, 1988.
About Phelios
Phelios is a vertical scrolling shooter video game released for the Namco System 2 arcade platform in Japan by Namco.
Summary via IGDB.
Game details
- Platforms
- Arcade, Wii, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis
- Developer
- Namco
- Publisher
- Namco
- Game modes
- Single player, Multiplayer
- Themes
- Action, Fantasy
Details via IGDB.
Every version compared
Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release
| Platform | Year | Loose | Complete | Sealed | Period reviews | Fake risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sega Genesis | 1990 | $32 | $64 | — | 3 reviews | Low |
Also released on: Arcade · Wii · Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. We haven’t priced or authenticated those versions yet.
Collector value & authenticity
Sega Genesis · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-29
Other releases and variants
| Release | Loose | Complete | Sealed |
|---|---|---|---|
| European (PAL) release | $51 | $167 | — |
| Japanese release | $36 | $71 | $551 |
How often it sells
- Loose: about once a week
- Complete: about once a week
- Sealed: about once a year
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-29.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $3.90 in Apr 2008, $39 five years ago, and $32 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2009 | $3.04 | — |
| Jan 2010 | $2.98 | — |
| Jan 2011 | $4.10 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $5.00 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $13.47 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $9.96 | $19.99 |
| Jan 2015 | $11.24 | $25 |
| Jan 2016 | $18.45 | $35 |
| Jan 2017 | $26 | $40 |
| Jan 2018 | $27 | $41 |
| Jan 2019 | $25 | $44 |
| Jan 2020 | $22 | $49 |
| Jan 2021 | $29 | $63 |
| Jan 2022 | $40 | $89 |
| Jan 2023 | $40 | $76 |
| Jan 2024 | $23 | $62 |
| Jan 2025 | $22 | $62 |
| Jan 2026 | $30 | $68 |
| Oct 2026 | $32 | $64 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Date | Product number | Barcode | Known board |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North America | October 1990 | 14016 | 722674020015 | — |
| Europe / PAL | December 1991 | — | — | — |
| Japan | 20 July 1990 | T-14013 | — | Namcot · NAMCOT MPS |
- Region
- NA+EU+JP
- Released
- 1990
- Authenticity
- Low
A vertical shooter ported from Namco's arcade game, with English voice samples in the Western releases.
Phelios is Namco's vertically scrolling shooter, based on its 1989 arcade game, which came out in Japan on 20 July 1990, in North America in October 1990 and in Europe in December 1991. It was published on the Genesis by Sega in the West. The Japanese Mega Drive version has Japanese voice samples, while the North American Genesis and European Mega Drive versions use English ones.
What the press said at the time
| Mean Machines Games Guide | May 1992 | OVERAa 77% |
| Mean Machines Sega Issue 3 | December 1992 | 77% |
| Sega Pro Issue 33 | June 1994 | 60% |
“Overall, Phelios is a very refreshing change from the usual slide-and-shoot and takes good advantage of the Genesis’ power. Far more interesting visually than Thunderforce I! or Truxton, Phelios is deserving of a place in a Genesis fan’s library of games.”
“Phelios is certainly not the greatest vertically scrolling Megadrive tJtaster around, but it has enough original features to keep you entertained for a white at least - even though it has crap araohics.”
“Phelios is certainly not the greatest vertically scrolling Megadrive blaster around, but it has enough original features to keep you entertained for a while at least - even though it has crap graphics.”
“Mediocrity is the order of this shoot-’em-up, with bog-standard audio visuals and ordinary gameplay. Another one you’11 finish the day you get it.”
How the Sega Genesis version differs
The Genesis release swapped the arcade's Japanese voice samples for English ones in the North American and European versions.
Also on other platforms
Arcade
| Arcade | Namco |
- Arcade. The arcade version was never released in the United States because of the bondage and torture scenes shown between stages.
- Arcade. The arcade game's optional rank select offers an easy mode that has only the first four stages and no complete ending sequence.
Before you buy
Among US carts it sits above the middle. The European cart usually costs more than the US one, and the Japanese cart usually costs a little more and has a different cartridge shape that does not fit a Western console without an adapter or removing two plastic tabs in its slot.
Phelios screenshots
Watch on YouTube
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