Galaxian
Arcade flyer
| Developer: | Namco |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | JP/EU:Namco, Taito NA: Midway |
| Music: | Toshio Kai |
| Program: | Kōichi Tashiro |
| Art: | Hiroshi Ono |
| Release date: | Arcade: 1979 |
| Next game: | Galaga |
Galaxian is a vertical shooting game developed and published by Namco in 1979. Similar to Space Invaders, the game became a massive hit and is notable for being one of the first arcade games with tile-based graphics with color, which also allowed for sprites to be animated. The game would be licensed out to Midway and Taito for distribution in the United States and further areas in Japan respectively.
Contents
Gameplay Overview
Galaxian is a single-button game with a two-way joystick. The player ship, also known as the Galaxip, is limited to only moving left and right, and can only have one shot on screen at all times.
Each round consists of a wave of 44 aliens with 2 or more flagships that must all be shot down to advance to the next one. Rather than firing directly down at the player, the aliens will fly out of the formation and fire at the player, with their movement depending on their color. After flying past the player, the attacking Alien will appear at the top of the screen and return to it's resting position.
At the top of the group of enemies are Flagships, which are worth more points than the usual enemy. Normally, two Flagships will appear at the start of each wave, but up to a maximum of four can appear under certain conditions.
Green Alien
Usually attempts to dive-bomb directly at the player.
Purple Alien
Moves erratically when attacking, making it harder to hit.
Red Alien
Often flies in formation with a Flagship and another Red Alien.
Flagship
Flies alongside 1-2 Red Aliens.
Scoring
The enemy's point value is dependent on the current state it is in. Shooting an alien while it is in it's resting state, or in Convoy, is worth half as much compared to one mid-flight, or as a Charger
| Enemy | Convoy | Charger |
|---|---|---|
|
60 | 150-800 |
|
50 | 100 |
|
40 | 80 |
|
30 | 60 |
Flagship Scoring
Whenever a Flagship takes flight, up to two Red Aliens will escort it. Destroying the Flagship during it's flight will net a bonus which depends on how it was destroyed:
| Method | Value |
|---|---|
| Destroying the two Red Alien escorts, then the Flagship | 800 |
| Destroying the Flagship with two Red Alien escorts. | 300 |
| Destroying the Flagship with one Red Alien escort. | 200 |
| Destroying the Flagship alone. | 150 |
Story
Yes. Even a game as old as Galaxian can have lore attached to it.
In the year 2279, the UGSF comes into contact with a hostile race of aliens known as the ETI (Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence), which resulted in the Galaxian-Galaga War of 2279. Due to the huge abundance of the aliens and their smaller size, the UGSF couldn't use their larger craft to take on the threat. So instead, they produce a prototype spacefighter known as the "Galaxip" to handle the attackers.[1]
Version Differences
Older revisions of the game only allow for the aliens to fire up to two shots, while newer revisions allow up to three.[2]
