An icon returns
This week is a very special one for the retro purveyors over at Hamster Corp, this week sees the publisher hit 300 consecutive weeks of console releases, having rolled out almost six years’ worth of golden oldies to itsrecord-breaking Arcade Archives range. And, befitting the importance of the occasion, the publisher is taking it right back to the 1970s, with a rerelease of Namco’s first major smash hit, Galaxian.
Released to the burgeoning arcade market in 1979,Galaxianwas Namco’s effort to capitalize on the earth-shattering success of Taito’s 1978 release,Space Invaders. Following a similar formula,Galaxianhas the player control a space vessel at the foot of the screen, taking on patterns of enemies that form in concurrent lines across the top of the screen.
QuiteunlikeSpace Invaders, however, the enemy ships inGalaxianbreak away from the pack, dive-bombing the player while firing projectiles. This startling twist immediately increased the pace ofGalaxianover its forebearer, while also winning over players with its colorful sprites, “futuristic” sound effects, and scrolling background — affording a faux optical effect of space travel. It was only a year on from Taito’s groundbreaking release, butGalaxianseemed light years ahead at the time.
Check out the old-school action in the video below, courtesy of YouTuberSnake Latino.
Galaxianwas a global hit, shifting over 50,000 arcade units worldwide in its first three years of release. It would receive an array of home ports on consoles and home computers, while paving the way for its equally successful and influential sequelGalaga. Followed by a host of spin-offs, sequels, remixes, and rereleases, theGalaxianfranchise has shifted over 12 million games since 1979, and is recognized by video game fans the world over as one of the defining titles of the shmup genre in general and of gaming as a whole.
Galaxianis available to download now on PS4 and Nintendo Switch.
