Classic shooter Galaga has been issued (again!) no Nintendo Switch and Sony PlayStation 4 as part of Hamster’s Arcade Archives.
Initially released as a coin-op arcade in 1981, Galaga is the sequel to Galaxian, and pits your fighter craft against vicious aliens. Uniquely for the time, the game lets you recover previous lives that have been lost to the boss alien tractor beam to create a linked dual-fire fighter.
It’s a useful game mechanic that has been employed many times since, such as in the C64 “tribute” Galaxy or the Darius series.
Available from January 5th, 2023, Arcade Archives Galaga costs just £6.29 on the Nintendo eShop and £5.79 on the PlayStation Store. However, it should be reiterated that if you just want to play Galaga, it is available already.
So, what do Hamster’s Arcade Archive releases bring to the retro gaming experience?
The “Arcade Archives” series has faithfully reproduced many classic Arcade masterpieces. Players can change various game settings such as game difficulty, and also reproduce the atmosphere of arcade display settings at that time. Players can also compete against each other from all over the world with their high scores. Please enjoy the masterpiece that built a generation for video games.
That should clear things up. Personally I prefer single/turn-based multiplayer games to stay on a single device, but if online challenges on a 42 year old game are what you’re looking for, try the Arcade Archives edition of Galaga.
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Christian Cawley is a writer and editor who covers consumer electronics, IT, and entertainment media. He has written for publications such as Computer Weekly, Linux Format, MakeUseOf.com, and Tech Radar.
He also produces podcasts, has a cigar box guitar, and of course, loves retro gaming.