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Before 1981, killing bug-like spacecraft with your own galactic ship was a thing of dreams.

Then Galaga hit arcades. The world was never the same.

Before 2009, reliving your Galaga memories on your mobile was impossible.

Then Galaga Remix was launched for iPhone. Get ready for your world to be rocked once again.

Galaga Remix, brought to you by throwback-extraordinaires‚ Namco, is the most recent installment of the classic space-inspired video game. Like in its predecessors, users take a space ship and guide it using a side-to-side scrolling function to aim and shoot at enemy crafts. The longer you last, the more points you accumulate.

However, what makes Galaga Remix a remix?

Shooter
Namco
Apr. 8, 2009

Simply put, Galaga Remix allows users to play two versions of the same game. If you are looking to relive the days of Sandra Day O’Connor’s supreme court nomination and Belize’s declaration of independence, look no further than playing Galaga’s classic skin. However, if you are looking for a newer, cooler, flyer, and smoother version of the classic, you will also have that option as well.

Though I am a sucker for “the original” form of everything and I usually dislike anything resembling a remake, I have to say that the updated version of Galaga is quite good. Instead of the grainy graphics of Galaga circa 1981, Galaga Remix has dramatically better animations and models (though nothing to write home about by today’s standards). Allowing players to choose which of the two versions they would like to play in the same app was a welcome change to the game.

Galaga Remix did not just offer better graphics, however. This edition allows users to also enjoy the perks of nine unique powers found throughout the various stages of the game. These bonuses allow your ship to add additional firepower to take on the bug-alien onslaught with higher efficiency, which is a massive upgrade to the single shot arsenal provided in 1981. Galaga Remix makes it quite obvious that it is not your father’s version of Galaga.

Looking beyond just improved graphics and additional powers, Galaga Remix does not forget to focus on the little details as well. For instance, when playing the original edition of the game, Namco remembered to include the same soundtrack and sound effects that you would have found at your local arcade in 1981. For the updated version, a more advanced sound library is used, but one can still tell that it was greatly influenced by the original. Galaga Remix also implemented progressively changing backgrounds on stages to help foster plot development. The interfaces on both editions of the game correspond nicely with their era, as well.

Unfortunately, not everything in Galaga Remix was flawless. One of the things that stood out as imperfect were the control types. In each of the versions of the game, users can choose between the three available options of how they would like to steer their ship: with either the arrow keys, slider, or the accelerometer. Using the arrow keys involved tapping arrows in order to move your ship. The slider option allowed users to glide their finger to the left or right to guide where you want to go. The final and most unique-to-iPhone method, is by use of accelerometer, which involves tipping the iPhone in order to move your spacecraft. Each of these steering methods, though functional, are very delayed and unnatural. Prepare yourself for some frustration here.

Porting any classic game to an advanced piece of hardware like the iPhone will always be a challenge. However, unlike many games, this difficulty, especially in the adaptation of the controls, really showed in Galaga.

Overall, Galaga Remix is a very good game. Though there are some flaws with the controls, this game is really a beauty to behold. Whether you are a quarter-hoarding veteran or new to the title completely, Galaga Remix will surely have something for everyone. It is clearly worth the $5.99 price tag.

About The Author

Chase Gharrity is a Blast Games correspondent.

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