is a 1984

fixed shooter Shoot 'em ups (also known as shmups or STGs) are a Video game genre, subgenre of action games. There is no consensus as to which design elements compose a shoot 'em up; some restrict the definition to games featuring spacecraft and certain typ ...

arcade game An arcade game or coin-op game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are presented as primarily game of skill, games of skill and in ...

developed and released by

Namco was a Japanese multinational video game and entertainment company founded in 1955. It operated video arcades and amusement parks globally, and produced video games, films, toys, and arcade cabinets. Namco was one of the most influential c ...

. It is the third game in the ''

Galaxian is a 1979 fixed shooter video game developed and published by Namco for arcades. The player assumes control of the Galaxip starfighter in its mission to protect Earth from waves of aliens. Gameplay involves destroying each formation of alien ...

'' series, serving as a direct sequel to ''

Galaga is a 1981 fixed shooter video game developed and published by Namco for arcades. In North America, it was released by Midway Manufacturing. It is the sequel to ''Galaxian'' (1979), Namco's first major video game hit in arcades. Controlling ...

'' (1981). In North America, a modification kit was later released to change the name to ''Galaga 3'', possibly to reflect its position in the series. It was the only game other than '' Phozon'' to run on the Namco Phozon hardware. A contemporary home port for the

Commodore 64 The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in ...

was released in 1988. A demake version of the game (in the style of the

Nintendo Entertainment System The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on 15 July 1983 as the and was later released as the redesigned NES in several test markets in the ...

) was included in '' Namco Museum Archives Vol. 2'' as a bonus title.

Gameplay

The objective of ''Gaplus'' is to score as many points as possible by defeating successive waves of enemies in levels called "Parsecs". Its core gameplay is very similar to ''Galaga'': Enemies fly onto the screen in rows and join a formation near the top, then begin attacking the player's ship with

kamikaze , officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending to d ...

-like dives. The ship can move left and right, as well as vertically. Bonus lives are earned at certain score intervals, and can also be gained by collecting ship parts dropped by some enemies, as well as collecting ''

Rally-X is a maze chase arcade video game developed in Japan and Germany by Namco and released in 1980. In North America, it was distributed by Midway Manufacturing and in Europe by Karateco. Players drive a blue Formula One race car through a multidi ...

'' bonus flags from shooting stars. The player loses a life when struck by an enemy or one of their shots; the game ends when all lives are lost. Certain enemies drop upgrades that include a

tractor beam A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or construction. Most commonl ...

which the player can use to capture enemies, a large drill that can destroy many enemies at once, powerups that temporarily slow down enemies or nullify their shots, and parts to create a new ship that awards an extra life when completed. Some stages begin with the star field reversing direction, with harder and faster waves of enemies appearing before resuming a normal formation. The game features bonus "Challenging Stages" just as ''Galaga'' did. However, instead of defeating a certain number of enemies, the objective of the challenging stage in ''Gaplus'' is to juggle enemies by hitting them as many times as possible. Each hit grants a dot (represented by a bee) in a word or phrase, with extra hits adding to horizontal lines above and below the word. Spelling the entire word or phrase will earn a bonus related to that phrase, and each hit scores bonus points at the end of the round.

Reception

In Japan, ''Game Machine'' listed ''Gaplus'' as the most successful table arcade unit of May 1984.

Legacy

The arcade version of ''Gaplus'' was released on

mobile phones A mobile phone or cell phone is a portable telephone that allows users to make and receive calls over a radio frequency link while moving within a designated telephone service area, unlike fixed-location phones ( landline phones). This radio ...

, and is also part of '' Namco Museum Remix'' (2007) and '' Namco Museum Megamix'' (2010) for the

Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America, and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, f ...

with its original title being used. The original version was later re-released under its original name for the

Wii Virtual Console The Virtual Console was a line of downloadable retro video games for Nintendo's Wii and Wii U home video game consoles and the Nintendo 3DS family of handheld systems. The Virtual Console lineup consisted of titles originally released on past ...

on March 25, 2009. In 2011, ''Gaplus'' was released for

iOS Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...

devices as part of '' Galaga 30th Collection'', featuring updated visuals, sound, and achievements. In 2020, Bandai Namco released a demake version of the game as a bonus game in the '' Namco Museum Archives Vol. 2'' compilation. Developed by M2, this game emulates the visual style of the

, similar to the NES-style remake of ''

Pac-Man Championship Edition is a 2007 maze video game developed and published by Namco Bandai Games for the Xbox 360. It has since been released on several other platforms, including iOS, Android (operating system), Android, and the PlayStation Portable as a PSP mini title ...

'' in Vol. 1.

Notes

References

External links

*
A site with in-depth details on ''Gaplus'' (Japanese)
{{Galaxian 1984 video games Arcade Archives games Arcade video games Commodore 64 games Fixed shooters Galaxian Hamster Corporation games Mastertronic games Midway video games Multiplayer and single-player video games Namco arcade games Nintendo Switch games PlayStation 4 games Video games developed in Japan Virtual Console games