| Gaplus | |
|---|---|
 North American arcade flyer | |
| Developer | Namco |
| Publishers |
|
| Series | Galaxian |
| Platforms | Arcade,PC-98,Commodore 64,mobile phone |
| Release | |
| Genre | Fixed shooter |
| Modes | Single-player,multiplayer |
| Arcade system | Namco Phozon |
Gaplus[a] is a 1984fixed shootervideo game developed and released forarcades byNamco in Japan and Europe, withBally Midway handling North American distribution. It is the third game in theGalaxian series, serving as a direct sequel toGalaga (1981). In North America, a modification kit was later released to change the name toGalaga 3, possibly to reflect its position in the series.[5] It was the only game other thanPhozon to run on theNamco Phozon hardware. A contemporary home port for theCommodore 64 was released in 1988. Ademake version of the game (in the style of theNintendo Entertainment System) was included inNamco Museum Archives Vol. 2 as a bonus title.
.png)
The objective ofGaplus is to score as many points as possible by defeating successive waves of enemies in levels called "Parsecs". Its core gameplay is very similar toGalaga: Enemies fly onto the screen in rows and join a formation near the top, then begin attacking the player's ship withkamikaze-like dives. The ship can move left and right, as well as vertically. Bonus lives are earned at certain score intervals, and can also be gained by collecting ship parts dropped by some enemies, as well as collectingRally-X bonus flags from shooting stars. The player loses a life when struck by an enemy or one of their shots; the game ends when all lives are lost.
Certain enemies drop upgrades that include atractor beam which the player can use to capture enemies, a large drill that can destroy many enemies at once, powerups that temporarily slow down enemies or nullify their shots, and parts to create a new ship that awards an extra life when completed. Some stages begin with the star field reversing direction, with harder and faster waves of enemies appearing before resuming a normal formation.
The game features bonus "Challenging Stages" just asGalaga did. However, instead of defeating a certain number of enemies, the objective of the challenging stage inGaplus is to juggle enemies by hitting them as many times as possible. Each hit grants a dot (represented by a bee) in a word or phrase, with extra hits adding to horizontal lines above and below the word. Spelling the entire word or phrase will earn a bonus related to that phrase, and each hit scores bonus points at the end of the round.
In Japan,Game Machine listedGaplus as the most successful table arcade unit of May 1984.[6]
The arcade version ofGaplus was released formobile phones on January 25, 2007,[7] and is also part ofNamco Museum Remix (2007) andNamco Museum Megamix (2010) for theWii with its original title being used. The original version was later re-released under its original name for theWii Virtual Console on March 25, 2009.[8] In 2011,Gaplus was released foriOS devices as part ofGalaga 30th Collection, featuring updated visuals, sound, and achievements.[9][10]
In 2020, Bandai Namco released ademake version of the game as a bonus game in theNamco Museum Archives Vol. 2 compilation. Developed byM2, this game emulates the visual style of theNintendo Entertainment System, similar to the NES-style remake ofPac-Man Championship Edition in Vol. 1.[11]