| Galaga | |
|---|---|
 Japanese arcade flyer | |
| Developer(s) | Namco |
| Publisher(s) |
|
| Director(s) | Shigeru Yokoyama |
| Programmer(s) | Toru (Tetsu) Ogawa |
| Artist(s) | Hiroshi Ono[3] |
| Composer(s) | Nobuyuki Ohnogi |
| Series | Galaxian |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, SG-1000, MSX, NES, Atari 7800, Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, Mobile, Xbox 360, Roku, iOS, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Windows, CD-i |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Fixed shooter |
| Mode(s) | 1-2 players alternating turns |
| Arcade system | Namco Galaga[4] |
Galaga[a] is a 1981 fixed shooter arcade video game developed and published by Namco. In North America, it was released by Midway Manufacturing. It is the sequel to Galaxian (1979), Namco's first major video game hit in arcades. Controlling a starship, the player is tasked with destroying the Galaga forces in each stage while avoiding enemies and projectiles. Some enemies can capture a player's ship via a tractor beam, which can be rescued to transform the player into a "dual fighter" with additional firepower.
Shigeru Yokoyama led development with a small team. Initial planning took about two months to finish. Originally developed for the Namco Galaxian arcade board, it was instead shifted to a new system as suggested by Namco's Research and Development division. Inspiration for the dual fighter mechanic was taken from a film that Yokoyama had seen prior to development, where a ship was captured using a large circular beam. The project became immensely popular around the company, with Namco's president Masaya Nakamura even taking interest.
Although early location tests were unsuccessful, Galaga received critical acclaim and went on to become one of the most successful arcade games, routinely appearing on Japanese and American arcade charts through 1987. It is widely regarded as a major game from the golden age of arcade video games and one of the greatest video games of all time. Critics applauded its gameplay, innovation, addictive nature and improvements made over its predecessor. Several home ports were released for a multitude of platforms, including the MSX, Atari 7800, and NES, alongside releases on digital distribution platforms such as Xbox Live Arcade. Galaga is also included in many Namco compilations. It was followed by a sequel in 1984, Gaplus.
- ^ a b "Video Game Flyers: Galaga, Namco (Germany)". The Arcade Flyer Archive. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
- ^ Akagi, Masumi (13 October 2006). アーケードTVゲームリスト国内•海外編(1971-2005) [Arcade TV Game List: Domestic • Overseas Edition (1971-2005)] (in Japanese). Japan: Amusement News Agency. p. 52. ISBN 978-4990251215.
- ^ Kiya, Andrew (October 17, 2021). "Former Namco Pixel Artist Hiroshi 'Mr. Dotman' Ono Has Died". Siliconera. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ "Galaga - Videogame by Namco". Killer List of Videogames. Archived from the original on 13 July 2019. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
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