Galaga ARCADE

Galaga is Namco’s 1981 fixed-shooter sequel to Galaxian, published in the US by Midway. You control a starfighter firing upward at descending waves of insectoid alien formations, with a signature mechanic where certain enemies can capture your ship with a tractor beam — destroying that enemy frees the ship back and lets you fly in dual formation for double firepower.

That capture-and-rescue mechanic, along with its strict enemy formation patterns and challenging stages, set it apart from its predecessor and from most other fixed shooters of the era. It became one of the most enduring and frequently re-released arcade titles of the early 1980s, still commonly found in retro arcade cabinet compilations today.