The Game

"For countless aeons you've waited in exile beyond the limits of the universe, but now your time for revenge is at hand. In your possession are the ancient stones of the Eternal Ones - and with them the power to overthrow the Gods and eradicate all of creation! 50 Phase-Out sequences are all that stand between you and the end of the universe, your one and only chance to undo all the work of your ethereal oppressors and to rebuild the Cosmos to your own design..."

Developed by Ernst Neubeck and Simon Quernhorst, Phase Out is a game that will put your puzzle-solving skills to the ultimate test. Play the role of a vengeful banished deity and bring an end to the universe by completing the 50 ancient stone challenges of the Eternal Ones. Fail and you'll remain in exile for ever, succeed and unlimited power will be yours!

Gameplay

Your goal in Phase Out is to clear each of the 50 levels by swapping the position of the coloured gems in 'match-two-or-more' style using the on-screen cursor (controlled by a joystick in port 2). To swap a gem stone, move the cursor on top of the gem, hold fire and then push the joystick in the direction you wish to swap. When identically coloured are positioned next to each other on the vertical or horizontal axis, they vanish from the play area.

Game elements such as black gems that can't be phased out and unmovable walls make add an extra level of challenge. Also, note the two on-screen timers; the left hand side represents how much time you have to take a move, and the right hand timer shows how long you have until the level ends. If either of these cylinders fills before you've solved the puzzle then you'll have to try again!

Note that there are brief in-game instructions accessible from the main menu.

Game Controls

Use a joystick in port 2.

Up/Down/Left/Right - Move cursor
Fire - Select stone
Hold fire and Up/Down/Left/Right - Move selected stone

RUN/STOP - Quit to menu (in-game only)

Passwords

Each of the 50 levels has a password that is displayed on screen before the puzzle starts. Please keep note of these on the provided sheets so that you can recommence play from the last level you completed. To enter a password, select the option from the main menu and enter the code using the joystick.

Loading

Tape: Insert tape and hold SHIFT + RUN STOP. Press PLAY on tape.
Program will now load and run automatically.

Disk: Insert disk and type LOAD "*",8,1 (RETURN).

Cartridge: To load the Phase Out cartridge, turn off your C64/128/GS, insert the cartridge and turn the computer back on. The game intro will load automatically.

If you are presented with a blank screen or graphic garbage, please try turning off the C64 and re-inserting the cartridge again. Issues like this are most likely due to an oxidised cartridge port (after all, we are talking about 30 year old technology here), so please check and clean the port - or even try the game on another C64 - before contacting us for a replacement.

Phase Out has been tested on both PAL and NTSC machines, and works on the C64, C128 and C64GS (although there is no quit option on the GS). Although it runs on NTSC hardware, it does play fractionally faster and will be harder as a direct result of this. As such, the game is labelled as NTSC compatible, but designed for PAL systems.

Credits

Phase Out is an Ernst Neubeck/Simon Quernhorst production for INC-X Software, Copyright 2013-14. Published on 16KB C64 cartridge by RGCD, 2014. Published on disk and cassette by Psytronik Software, 2014. All Rights Reserved.

Design, Programming Game Artwork & Sound Effects: Ernst Neubeck
Level Design: Simon Quernhorst
Phase Out Logo & Box Artwork: Steven Day
Title Music: Peter "Devilock" Siekmann
Game Music: Alex "Taxim" Ney
Manual: James Monkman
Cartridge Conversion Support: Dr. Martin "Enthusi" Wendt
Cartridge Hardware: Tim Harris

Links

inc-x.jimdo.com
www.rgcd.co.uk
www.psytronik.net