Gal-Ag-Ah?
Following on from last week’s addition of Taito’s iconicBubble Bobble, Hamster has got another pioneering classic lined up for that Arcade Archives, in the form of Namco’s legendary shmupGalaga,now available to download on PS4 and Nintendo Switch.
Launched in 1981 as the sequel to the genre-definingGalaxian, Galagais one of the most instantly recognizable titles of the formative years of the arcade. Players control a lone ship, piloting through the stars and taking on the invading forces of Galaga. Building uponGalaxian‘s award-winning action,Galagaoffered an improved audio/video package, as well as cool new features such as the famous “Tractor Beam” enemy, and the ability for both the player and the enemy to morph into boosted variants of themselves.
Check out the classic interstellar action in the video below, courtesy of YouTuberWorld of Longplays.
Designed and developed by a small team within Namco, led by Shigeru Yokoyama,Galagafar surpassed the company’s expectations, gaining the attention of the executives, which lead to increased efforts in marketing and shipping of the finished product.Galagawas a global smash on release, and would continue to be a mainstay of arcade centers well through the crash and into the late ’80s. A gaming icon,Galagahas popped up in multiple movies — includingWarGames, The Karate Kid, andThe Avengers —and has even had anextinct species of prehistoric sharknamed after it!
Not a bad legacy at all for some old-school pew-pew action.
Galagais available to download now on PS4 and Nintendo Switch, priced at around $8.
