Phalanx is a side-scrolling shooter game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) known for its challenging gameplay and infamous box art featuring a bearded banjo player. Players pilot a spacecraft called the AEGIS, combatting waves of enemy ships and bosses through various levels. With a focus on fast-paced action and strategic use of weapon upgrades, Phalanx offers a classic shoot 'em up experience. The game's genre is often classified as a shmup, an abbreviation for shoot 'em up, a subgenre of the shooter category.