Developer: Namco Publisher: NEC Released: November 1989 Genre: Shooter
Galaga, like many of its classic brethren, is as perfect a game as you can make. The simple alien blasting formula was addicting and gamers lined up to compete for high scores, myself included. So how do you improve on a classic? Apparently it doesn’t take much. I freely admit to avoiding Galaga ’90 for the longest time. While I appreciated the classics in their time console gaming made me a fan of longer experiences. My foolish dismissal of Galaga ’90 would be a big mistake. While it isn’t an especially deep title the gameplay loop and genius enemy design make it a great game.
It is always daunting when updating a classic. If you go too far it no longer resembles the game everyone loves. Play it safe and there is no point. Galaga ’90 straddles that line pretty well. The general gameplay loop remains the same. Your ship has free reign at the bottom of the screen to shoot aliens as they appear. Whereas the previous game began with the aliens slowly descending downward, now they appear in waves before settling in to their familiar position. This gives you the opportunity to reduce the number of enemies before they begin their slow march on your position. While this sounds familiar Namco has added all sorts of new wrinkles that make the game great.
Galaga ’90 is deceptive at first. Its first few levels play out in familiar fashion. Old enemies return such as Goel even though their behavior is slightly different. But then it changes. After a bonus stage and a dimensional warp you are taken to a different zone with new enemies. The new Galaga are a creative bunch and come in many flavors. Don break into smaller enemies when shot. Pan require four shots to destroy and inflate when hit, blocking other enemies. Late in the game Kan appear, with heavily armored shells that protect them from damage until they break formation. These all seem simple but in practice add a lot of depth to the gameplay.
The diversity in enemies and their behavior make every level feel unique despite featuring the same cast of Galaga. Prioritizing certain enemies become key. Goel are near harmless at first. But they can combine in to one larger enemy that has a wide sweeping arc that is hard to avoid. Grunts are usually easy to avoid but have a nasty habit of making a return swoop to catch you off guard. When multiple enemies are making diving runs while others are combining it is easy to lose track. Additional obstacles such as asteroids and blobs take a massive number of shots to destroy, further adding a new wrinkle. Galaga ’90 adds boss battles at the end of its scrolling levels, which when combined with its division in to zones, lends the game a structure its predecessor lacked.
One area I wish had been expanded was its weapons. The double ship returns as well as its awkward method of acquisition. Allowing your ship to be captured by the enemy tractor beam will sacrifice a life. If you manage to shoot down the enemy with your captured ship it doubles up for twice the firepower. If you let a double ship get captured again you can produce a massive triple ship. This is the only other power upgrade and becomes near critical toward the end of the game. The game at least lets you start with a double ship but it does not help as much as it should. Galaga ’90 desperately could have used some more weapons as the challenge is extremely high.
The difficulty curve in Galaga ’90 is steep from the beginning and only grows higher. You have maybe one or two levels before the game becomes vicious. The enemies quickly become more resilient and aggressive in their attack. With multiple combined Goel, Don, and armored Galaga all attacking at once the lame weapons can barely keep up. If you do not have a triple ship by the end you will be woefully in-equipped to survive longer than a few seconds unless you are a Galaga veteran. I have no problem with a high challenge so long as it is fair. Galaga ’90 feels brutal for the sake of it at times.
In Conclusion
Frustrating difficulty aside Galaga ’90 is a great update to a classic. Good enemy variety and production values make for a fun afternoon.
