Arcade Archives: Galaxian

Galaxian is a 1979 fixed shooter video game developed and published by Namco for arcades. It is the first game in the Galaxian series. The player assumes control of the starfighter Galaxip in its mission to protect Earth from waves of aliens. Gameplay involves destroying each formation of aliens, who dive down towards the player in an attempt to hit them. Designed by company engineer Kazunori Sawano, Galaxian was Namco's answer to Space Invaders, a similar space shooter released the previous year by rival developer Taito. Space Invaders was a sensation in Japan, and Namco wanted a game that could compete against it. Sawano strove to make the game simple and easy to understand.