Playing Galaxian was an endurance contest – the battle of legs and wrists over matter! So what made this so memorable that it lives on in the mind 25 years on? Well for starters it had color and Space Invaders did not. It was a big thing back then. In the 1970s arcade games were pretty much of the Space Invaders and Pong variety, grey or green screens. Galaxian stood out, because the sprites were multi colored. You start with a large phalanx of the little alien ships moving left and right across the screen much like Space Invaders, but then the difference.
Playing Galaxian was an endurance contest – the battle of legs and wrists over matter! So what made this so memorable that it lives on in the mind 25 years on? Well for starters it had color and Space Invaders did not. It was a big thing back then. In the 1970s arcade games were pretty much of the Space Invaders and Pong variety, grey or green screens. Galaxian stood out, because the sprites were multi colored. You start with a large phalanx of the little alien ships moving left and right across the screen much like Space Invaders, but then the difference. Unlike it predecessor, the colored aliens would suddenly scream down at you – yes, the sound was impressive enough to frighten you. One,
two or three little alien ships would suddenly peel of the main body, pass through their mates (impressive effect after Space Invaders) and then use a kind of sine wave movement to curve down to you spaceship. All the time they are dropping bombs and trying to crash into you.
There are no barriers to hide behind in Galaxian. You get just three lives – three ships moving left or right and shooting before your game ends. The tactics were simple, do not get caught in a corner and do make every shot count. As you shot the higher level aliens, you got more points. Continual waves of dive bombers would eventually get you. And, if you did manage to make it up a level, then you got more of the same but faster. If you could get a recognized high score then you were a gaming God.
So, to sum up, Galaxian is a classic game from my youth that stands the test of time as a measure of how to make a simple yet addictive and skilful game. Give it a go and see. I guarantee that you will not be disappointed. The Aliens ARE coming!
