Galaxian (universe)
| Galaxian (universe) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Namco Various |
| Publisher(s) | Namco Midway Various |
| Designer(s) | Kazunori Sawano |
| Genre(s) | Shooter |
| Console/platform of origin | Arcade |
| First installment | Galaxian (1979) |
| Latest installment | Arcade Archives: Galaga '88 (2023) |
TheGalaxian universe (ギャラクシアン,Galaxian) officially stylized asGALAXIAN, is a series of famous fixed shooters developed byNamco. The series revolves around the player in a spaceship who must shoot all of the enemies of an alien swarm. The second game in the series,Galaga, is among the most successful arcade games of all time.
Franchise description[edit]
The series was inspired by many other popular projects at the time. Director Kazunori Sawano previously worked on electro-mechanical shooting gallery games and wanted to make a game that could match the elaborate presentation those games were capable of. The presentation was also inspired by blockbuster science fiction films likeStar Wars, particularly the large-scale space battles. Gameplay was inspired bySpace Invaders, which had previously swept the world as the most popular arcade game of its day. While this new game was similar toSpace Invaders, there were some fundamental differences to make it stand out. First was an improved presentation, including color graphics and synthesized sound, the game being among the earliest to use the latter. Enemies also swoop down and attack the player directly, with artificial intelligence programmed to examine the player's movements and act accordingly. A sprite rendering system was also used, allowing for faster gameplay and more detailed graphics compared to the industry standard bitmap rendering system.
The game released in arcades on September 15, 1979 asGalaxian to critical and commercial success. Midway acquired the North American distribution rights as a response to losing the rights toSpace Invaders, and it released on February 2, 1980 in that region. The game is often credited for revolutionizing video game development, particularly in how graphics are processed, as upcoming home consoles shifted to a sprite-based processor to save time and money. The game itself received many ports to home consoles and rereleases, often included in Namco game collections on modern hardware. A stage based on this game appeared in the arcade gameGorf, which was cut from console ports due to copyright issues. Namco also made a parody game in 1992 titledCosmo Gang the Video, which is basically identical to its inspiration, but replaced the characters with the Cosmo Gang, a mascot group Namco was pushing at the time. The game was remade in a "miniature" format in 2000 on mobile phones titledGalaxian Mini.
A sequel was immediately put into production. Originally intended to be created on the same arcade board that poweredGalaxian, developed shifted to a newer, more powerful architecture at some point. This sequel released in arcades July 23, 1981 asGalaga, and released internationally later that year. This game added several new features, including improved graphics and sound, more dynamic and complex enemy movement, and more power-ups to use, with some being secret.Galaga was also among the first games to have a proper bonus level; inspired by the intermissions inPac-Man and a bug where they would travel off-screen to attack the player, the "Challenge Stage" was introduced and became a precursor to other bonus stages in a multitude of future titles. This game in particular became one of the most popular arcade titles ever made, spawning a sub-series of its own.
Also in 1981, American electronic companyEntex Industries released an LCD game titledGalaxian 2. It is not an official sequel to the originalGalaxian; the "2" is a reference to the two-player multiplayer mode built into the console.
A full sequel toGalaga released in 1984, titledGaplus. While playing similar to its ancestors, some innovations include vertical movement, upgrades to make the player ship more powerful, and new bonus stages based on juggling the enemy as long as possible. Another sequel released in 1987 titledGalaga '88. Instead of repeating endlessly until the player runs out of lives, this game has several worlds with a set number of enemies, with different endings depending on the paths the player takes.
A particularly interesting entry in the series isGalaxian3: Project Dragoon. Originally showcased at the'90 Expo International Garden and Greenery Exposition, the game was a hybrid video game/theme park attraction that supported up to 28 simultaneous players. The original 28-player version was relocated to Namco'sWonder Eggs theme park, where it remained in operation until 2000; Namco also produced downscaled versions of the game to distribute to arcades, reducing the player count to 16 and later to six. The game itself was a rail shooter, and acted as a fundamentally similar experience to previous entries, but from a first-person perspective.
Galaxian3 also received several direct sequels. The first wasAttack of the Zolgear in 1994, which was a conversion kit for existing "Theatre 6" cabinets Namco created specifically forGalaxian3: Project Dragoon. Another sequel titledThe Rising of Gourb released in 1996 as a bonus game for the PlayStation port ofGalaxian3.
For the next several decades, truly original entries and sequels in the series were pumped out much less frequently, as the majority of entries have been adaptations, remakes, and collections of existing titles. Notable examples include:
- Galaga Arrangement (1995), an updated version ofGalaga with upgrades introduced inGaplus andGalaga '88;
- SD Gundam Over Galaxian (1996), a crossover with theGundam franchise;
- Galaga: Destination Earth (2000), which combines multiple genres of shooting games;
- Galaga Arrangement (2005), a different remake ofGalaga with new powerups and boss fights;
- Galaga Legions (2008) andGalaga Legions DX (2011), twin-stick shooters that reimagine the game in the vein ofPac-Man Championship Edition;
- Space Galaga (2015), a crossover with the anime seriesSpace Dandy.
Galaxian series games have also been prominently drawn from in other Namco franchises, with the most notable examples being in the firstTekken andRidge Racer games, where interactive emulations ofGalaga andGalaxian could be played respectively during the loading screens, and thePac-Man series, where Galaxians frequently take the role ofBonus Fruit, and have been featured as a power-up inPac N' Pal and boss inPac-Man World.
InSuper Smash Bros. 4[edit]
Various elements fromGalaxian appear inSuper Smash Bros. 4, most notably the Boss Galaga item.
Item[edit]
- Boss Galaga: The strongest enemies inGalaga appear as an item. When used, it will fly to the top of the screen (dealing a small amount of damage to anyone it collides with), then fly in formation as it did in its home series. After such, it will dive down and home in on the targeted player's last known position and fire its tractor beam. A character caught by its tractor beam will be taken to the top of the screen and over the upper blast line while 8-bit sound effects from the original Galaga plays: this can be avoided by mashing buttons to escape. The tractor beam can only catch fighters a few moments after being fired; anyone near the beam after that will not be affected.
Music[edit]
- The start music fromGalaga appears inNamco Arcade '80s Retro Medley 1.
Cameo[edit]
- The Galaxip fromGalaxian, the fighter fromGalaga, and the secret Hypership fromGaplus all cameo inNamco Roulette. Additionally, the boss Galaxian appears inBonus Fruit in reference to its cameo inPac-Man in that purpose.Pac-Man's grab animation also has him shooting out the same tractor beam as the Boss Galaga.
InSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit]
Item[edit]
- The Boss Galaga keeps its function fromSSB4. Additionally, when a character gets caught the background of the stage changes into a spacescape reminiscent of the original Galaga game.
Music[edit]
- Galaga Medley, a remix of music and sound effects from the game.
Cameo[edit]
The Boss Galaxian "fruit" and tractor beam both reappear as part ofPac-Man's moveset, as do the three Namco Roulette cameos.
Spirit[edit]
Boss Galaga also appears as aspirit.
| No. | Image | Name | Type | Class | Cost | Ability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,292 |  | Boss Galaga |  | ★★ | 1 | Bury Immunity |
Games with elements appearing in theSuper Smash Bros. series[edit]
TheGalaxian universe has games represented throughout theSuper Smash Bros. series with a total of 3 games. The latest game represented in this universe isGaplus, released on January 8, 1984.
Galaxian[edit]
- Playable character:
The Galaxip is one of the cameos inNamco Roulette.- The Boss Galaxian appears inBonus Fruit in reference to its cameo inPac-Man.
- Spirits:
The Boss Galaxian appears as part of the Bonus Fruit spirit.
Galaga[edit]
- Playable character:
- Pac-Man's grab animation has him shooting out the same tractor beam as the Boss Galaga.
- The Fighter from this game is one of the cameos in Namco Roulette.
- Item:
- Boss Galaga appears as an item.
- When a character gets caught by Boss Galaga, the background of the stage changes into a spacescape reminiscent of this game.
- Spirits:
- Boss Galaga appears as a spirit.
- Music
- "Namco Arcade '80s Retro Medley 1": The startup music from this game appears in this track.
- "Galaga Medley": A remix of music and sound effects from this game.
Gaplus[edit]
- Playable character:
- The secret Hypership is one of the cameos inNamco Roulette.
Trivia[edit]
- WithGalaxian's release in 1979, it is the oldest Namco property represented inSmash, predatingPac-Man.
- It is also one of only three properties represented inSmash to debut in the '70s, the others beingColor TV-Game andSheriff.
- Furthermore, it is the only one of those three to be a third-party property, making it the oldest third-party represented series as a result.
