Phazer 64

You destroyed the satellite! Can you get it back together before your parents get home? Phazer 64 is a homebrew game for the Nintendo 64 where you do exactly that. It was released on 02 Feb 2026 by Darkrage64 for the 64brew Game Jam 2025, where it won 3rd place. Well done!

You can get the ROM from its download page by using the password repairthesatellite. You can also get it on Drive and get the source code on Github.

About Phazer 64

Story

The game starts with you as a kid who finds a big red button which turns out to activate a massive death laser that shoots up into space and destroys a satellite. Oops. You then need to find a way to recover all the pieces and put the satellite back together.

You take your handy UFO into space and come across a helpful alien that shows you the way to someone that will help you. Crankhorn is the top mechanic in the sector and will help you out the rest of the way.

He puts you up to recalibrate your joystick, race along his intergalactic raceway, find a gem in a cave, collect the satellite parts before you get the tractor beam that allows you to put them into position. There is even a quest where you can get some more gems to expand your UFO’s arenal, but it’s entirely optional.

Gameplay

Phazer 64 has several different gameplay modes and minigames throughout the story.

The main section of the game is a top-down all-directional space shooter exploration game like Escape Velocity (or Space Battle, if I might be so bold). There are various space objects like Terra (earth), Crankhorn’s station, and a variety of other planets. There are also object in space like asteroids and your missing satellite pieces.

While in space you can race in Crankhorn’s race, shoot object, encounter other UFOs and use your tractor beam. There’s even a handy map and guide arrow to help you find your way. You can upgrade your weapons, but it’s entirely option and just for fun, really.

Then you have the planets. You can land on them to where the game looks a bit more like an RPG overworld. There are a few interact-able objects in this mode, but there isn’t much to it.

Finally you have the platforming sections. There is one cave where you find a gem, and that’s about it.

Website

This is the only homebrew game I can think of that has its own website that you can access via the QR code in the game or phazer64.com. There are others that have itch.io pages, but not their own website. Well, maybe VRGL does, but Phazer 64 has its own domain.

Credits

This game was made by Darkrage64, with Levi doing QA.

Review and conclusion

Phazer 64 stands out as a 2D game with a lot of heart put into it. Darkrage64 has said that his main inspirations are Comander Keen and No Man’s Sky – and it shows.

The overworld (overspace?) is fun to explore though it can feel a bit empty at times. I do like the way that everything feels like it has weight despite the inertialess environment. The map and target system does make it easy to navigate so you don’t have to backtrack at all, even on your first run.

When it comes to the story, graphics and sound, it does feel like it was pulled right out of the Apogee/3D Realms era of gaming. It takes me back of the time a few months ago that I played Cosmo’s Cosmic Adventure, minus the jank. This game controls much more smoothly than those ones.

I think that the only thing holding back Phazer 64 is that it has all the systems put in place, but they’re not expanded upon to their full potential. For example, there’s a 2D platforming section, but there’s no obstacles nor fall damage. In fact, there are no lose conditions in the whole game so it is all very easy and just a matter of following the arrow until you win.

I do hope that Phazer 64 sees some expansion as it is a very promising game engine with a wide variety of game modes that end on a cliffhanger. I look forward to seeing what Darkrage64 will do with this engine in the future.