How to Play

Given that The Phantom has been around since the 1930s, and Phantom 2040 itself is now almost 30 years old, I do not assume that everyone reading this page will know how to find access to the game. So, here is some advice for if you’d like to play and don’t know where to start.

How To Play

Phantom 2040 is an old game. As is common with licenced games it has never seen a re-release. As such, some thought must be given as to how you would like to play it. If you have an original Mega Drive/ Genesis or SNES console laying around you may want to play it on the original hardware for the most legitimate gaming experience. If you don't have a console handy, then your only other option is emulation.

Original Hardware

Playing on original hardware comes with a few issues. Firstly, it can be hard to get older consoles to run well on modern TVs. The consoles themselves can be temperamental, as given their age they are delicate. You could spend a while blowing into cartridge slots.

Despite the size of the game, Phantom 2040 does not offer a save function. This was actually one of the biggest criticisms the game received upon release. Instead, you will have to rely on passwords to get back to where you left off. However, the game only provides passwords at the end of each Chapter, meaning you need to complete a whole chapter before receiving one. This may reduce ones’ willingness to experiment during gameplay. Also, the passwords are quite long and if you accidently write a character incorrectly for reference later, you’ll be stuck.

Also, if you are playing on a Mega Drive or Genesis I highly recommend you play with a 6-button controller. This allows you to have two weapons and the Inductance Rope equipped at all times, making gameplay much smoother and more enjoyable.

Emulation

Emulation basically means you'll be using a program to allow your computer to run retro system games on your computer. For this you'll need emulation software and a copy of the game's code, known as a ROM.

For people brand new to emulating retro consoles (and even those that aren’t) I highly recommend checking out RetroArch. It’s an easily installable programme that comes with all the emulators you could ever need and the vast majority of controllers work with it “out of the box.”

If you do use RetroArch, you’ll want to install either PicoDrive or Genesis Plus GX cores for Sega and Snes9X for Nintendo. “Cores” are what RetroArch calls emulators.

Getting everything up and running is pretty easy if you have basic computer knowledge. If you do get stuck, there is plenty of help on the RetroArch site, and of course Google can always help.

Emulators recreate system hardware, not the games they play. As such, issues that appear in the game when running on original hardware, such as slowdown or pixel clipping, will also appear when emulating.

If you don’t wish to use RetroArch for any reason, other good emulators are suggested in the Resources setcion of the game's page.