Galaga

Famicom Disk System

Famicom Disk System

Galaga is a vertical arcade shooter from Namco. You control a space fighter at the bottom of the screen, scrolling left and right in order to avoid oncoming bombs and kamikaze attacks from alien invaders--and to fire your own missiles to fight back! There are an infinite number of stages to pr...

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Developer
Namco

Released on
1990

Size
1–2 Players

Version
Famicom Disk System

Requirements
Nintendo Famicom Disk System

Downloads
Shooter

ESRB Rating
Not Rated

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Description

Galaga is a vertical arcade shooter from Namco. You control a space fighter at the bottom of the screen, scrolling left and right in order to avoid oncoming bombs and kamikaze attacks from alien invaders–and to fire your own missiles to fight back!

There are an infinite number of stages to progress through. Every third level is a “challenge stage” in which you have a free chance to shoot as many aliens as possible and rack up bonus points.

Certain aliens have tractor beams they can use to capture one of your ships. If that wasn’t your last “life,” you can try to shoot that alien down and recapture your ship, giving you two ships at once and doubling your firepower.

A summary screen appears when the game is over, giving you both your final score and you final “hit ratio”–the number of missiles fired, enemies destroyed, and the percentage of targets hit.

Galaga

Overview & History

Released by Namco in 1985 exclusively for the Family Computer Disk System (FDS), this magnetic floppy disk iteration of the legendary arcade shoot-'em-up offered Japanese gamers an authentic home port of the alien-blasting classic. Serving as the direct sequel to Galaxian, the game drops players into a deep-space conflict against the insectoid Galaga forces. While the Famicom cartridge version arrived earlier, the FDS release utilized the disk format's rewriting capabilities, though it remains most celebrated for preserving the frantic pace, iconic audio cues, and vibrant pixel art of the coin-op original, complete with the famous Challenge Stages where players aim for a coveted perfect accuracy bonus.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

Players pilot a lone starfighter at the bottom of the screen, tasked with obliterating formations of descending insect-like alien armadas before they execute kamikaze dive-bomb attacks. A standout mechanical innovation is the Boss Galaga enemy, which can deploy a menacing tractor beam to capture the player's fighter. If players manage to destroy that specific Boss Galaga during a subsequent counterattack, the captured ship is rescued and docks alongside the current fighter, doubling firepower into a formidable dual-ship setup. The game tracks precision hits, rewarding flawless runs during bonus interludes.