Arcade, SG-1000, MSX, Nintendo Entertainment System, Atari 7800, Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, Mobile, Xbox 360, Roku, iOS, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Windows, CD-i
Release
JP: September, 1981[2]
EU: 1981[1]
NA: October 1981
Genre(s)
Fixed shooter
Mode(s)
Single-player, multiplayer (alternating)
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 classic of 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 Nintendo Entertainment System, 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.
^ ab"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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Galaga 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...
Galaga Legions is a 2008 twin-stick shooter video game developed and released by Namco Bandai Games for the Xbox 360. It is the twelfth game in the Galaxian...
volume released on September 27, 2016. A video game Space Galaga (based on the arcade game Galaga) was released on Android on January 24, 2014 and on iOS...
serving as a direct sequel to Galaga (1981). In North America, a modification kit was later released to change the name to Galaga 3, possibly to reflect its...
50,000 arcade cabinets in North America alone. Galaxian and its sequel Galaga are cited as some of the most influential games of the genre, the latter...
are included: Pac-Man (1980, not in the GBA version) Ms. Pac-Man (1982) Galaga (1981) Galaxian (1979) Pole Position (1982) Dig Dug (1982) The GBA version...
Galaga Legions DX is a 2011 twin-stick shooter video game developed and published by Namco Bandai Games for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. It is the sequel...
Galaga Remix is an iOS game based on Galaga released in 2009 by Namco Bandai games. It is a compilation title featuring the 1981 arcade shooter Galaga...
vein of the perennial classic Galaga. It is a rewrite and modernization of a popular Amiga shareware game, Deluxe Galaga, which was written by the same...
Galaxian, along with Galaga, Gaplus, and Galaga '88, was "redesigned and modernized" for an iPhone app compilation called the Galaga 30th Anniversary Collection...
designed by Masahisa Ikegami, with help from Galaga creator Shigeru Yokoyama. It was programmed for the Namco Galaga arcade board by Shouichi Fukatani, who...
Galaga 30th Collection is a 2011 video game compilation published for iOS devices by Namco Bandai Games. It was created to commemorate the 30th anniversary...
contains one species, G. nordquistae. It was named after the video game Galaga due to a resemblance between its teeth and the spaceships in the game, and...
worked as a producer for many of Namco's arcade games, including Rally-X, Galaga, Pole Position, Ridge Racer and Time Crisis. From April 2005, he taught...
Pac-Man Remix, Galaga Remix, and Dig Dug Remix in 2009. Galaga Remix and Dig Dug Remix include the original arcade versions of Galaga and Dig Dug. Pac-Man...
2019. Retrieved 1 August 2019. Lucas, Victor (26 June 1996). "Galaxian/Galaga". Electric Playground. Archived from the original on 4 August 1997. Retrieved...
Retrieved February 9, 2021. Namco Bandai Games (2011). "Galaga - 30th Anniversary Developer Interview". Galaga WEB. Archived from the original on June 6, 2019...
differs from the originals in some cases significantly. For example, in Galaga Remix, players not only have to protect themselves, but also protect Pac-Man...
popularity of Galaga and a shortage of arcade machines for the game, many of the Bosconian machines that were not selling were transformed into Galaga machines...
the 1970s and 1980s as well as three "Arrangement" remakes of Pac-Man, Galaga (1981), and Dig Dug (1982). Players can modify in-game settings such as...
blaster to bomb ground installations and enemies. It runs on the Namco Galaga arcade system. The game was designed by Masanobu Endō and a small team....
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