| Gaplus | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Namco |
| Publisher(s) | Namco, Midway Games |
| Year released | 1984 |
| System(s) | Arcade, NEC PC-9801, Commodore 64/128, Wii |
| Preceded by | Galaga |
| Followed by | Galaga '88 |
| Series | Galaxian, Arcade Archives |
| Japanese title | ギャプラス |
|---|---|
| Genre(s) | Shooter |
| Players | 1–2 |
| Modes | Single player, Multiplayer |
| Rating(s) |     |
| Arcade Archives Gaplus | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Namco |
| Publisher(s) | Hamster Corporation |
| Year released | 2022 |
| System(s) | Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 |
Gaplus is a fixed shooter arcade game that was released by Namco in 1984. It is the third title in the company's Galaxian series and was only known by its original name in Japan. When it was licensed to Midway Games for US manufacture and distribution, its name was later changed to Galaga 3, possibly to increase recognition among fans of the series and boost sales. It is also the only other game to run on the same hardware setup as Phozon (three Motorola M6809 microprocessors run at 1.536 MHz).
Unlike the first two games, the player's ship can now move vertically as well as horizontally (but only around the lower half of the screen, much like Atari's Centipede and its sequel, Millipede). However, as in the original Galaga, the alien formation will fly on to the screen in parts until it is fully assembled and the player must destroy every alien in the formation in order to advance to the next stage, while avoiding physical contact with the aliens and their bullets (both of which will cost you a life if they should occur).
Another aspect of the game that is identical to the original Galaga is that attacking enemies are worth more points than those in the formation. Occasionally, the "King" aliens who appear at the top of the formation will be yielding a "blaster head"; if you shoot them twice to kill them while they are attacking with it, it will fall down onto the top of your ship and then activate its special power.
The bonus stages are also very different from those of the original Galaga - players had to "juggle" the enemies with their shots and keep them in the air in order to spell out secret words for bonus points. In order, these were "BONUS", "GAPLUS" (even in the renamed version of the game), "DOUBLE", "TRIPLE", "GOOD!!", "LUCKY", "BYEBYE" and "EXTEND", which is a total of eight.
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Title screen.
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The Midway upright cabinet.
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The first stage of the game.
Table of Contents
- Galaxian
- Galaga
- Gaplus
- Galaga '88
- Galaxian³
- Attack of the Zolgear
- Galaga Arrangement
- Galaxian Fever
- Galaga: Destination Earth
- Galaga Arrangement (2005)
- Galaga Legions
- Galaga: Special Edition
- Galaga 3D Impact
- Galaga Legions DX
- Space Galaga
- Galaga: Tekken 20th Anniversary Edition
- Galaga Wars
- Galaga Assault
- Galaga Revenge