''Galaforce'' is a

fixed shooter Shoot 'em ups (also known as shmups or STGs ) are a sub-genre 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 types of charac ...

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

for the

BBC Micro The British Broadcasting Corporation Microcomputer System, or BBC Micro, is a series of microcomputers and associated peripherals designed and built by Acorn Computers in the 1980s for the BBC Computer Literacy Project. Designed with an emphas ...

and

Acorn Electron The Acorn Electron (nicknamed the Elk inside Acorn and beyond) was a lower-cost alternative to the BBC Micro educational/ home computer, also developed by Acorn Computers Ltd, to provide many of the features of that more expensive machine at a ...

, written by Kevin Edwards and published by

Superior Software Superior Software Ltd (also known as Superior Interactive) is a video game publisher. It was one of the main publishers for the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron computers in the 1980s and early 1990s. It currently releases games for Microsoft Windo ...

in 1986. It spawned a sequel, ''Galaforce 2'' (1988), and later, ''Galaforce Worlds'' (2003).

Gameplay

The game is set in the

25th century In contemporary history, the third millennium of the anno Domini or Common Era in the Gregorian calendar is the current millennium spanning the years 2001 to 3000 ( 21st to 30th centuries). Ongoing futures studies seek to understand what is ...

, in the fictional Magellanic galaxy. The player takes the role of a pilot of the Galaforce, an elite unit of the United Cosmological Federation, on a mission to conquer and overthrow hordes of "savage" aliens.''Galaforce''
at Acorn Electron World ''Galaforce'' is inspired by

arcade Arcade most often refers to: * Arcade game, a coin-operated game machine ** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade game's hardware ** Arcade system board, a standardized printed circuit board * Amusement arcade, a place with arcade games * ...

games, particularly the ''

Galaga is a 1981 fixed shooter arcade video game developed and published by Namco. 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 a star ...

'' series, but is not a specific clone. The player controls a spaceship that can move horizontally and vertically in the bottom part of the screen (as in '' Galaga 3''). The ship comes under attack from successive formations of aliens. The object of the game is to survive while scoring as highly as possible. Unlike many similar games, not all aliens need to be destroyed. Most of the formations involve aliens entering from one side of the screen, moving quickly across the screen in a set pattern, then leaving the screen or disintegrating at the edge. This most resembles a "Challenging Stage" in ''Galaga'' as unlike the standard ''Galaga'' stages, the aliens do not settle into a ''

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

'' style swarm. There are thirteen different aliens, requiring between one and ten hits to be destroyed, and a large number of different formations. The game is broken up into zones that include a series of formations. The aliens in Zone 1 do not fire at the player and never fly into the bottom area of the screen so as long as the player does not move upwards, it is not possible to be killed. The zones get progressively more difficult, with aliens entering or leaving the screen at the bottom (from Zone 2), firing at the player (from Zone 4) and firing homing bombs (from Zone 14). Some formations are known as multiplier formations where a small number of one type of alien keep

spawning Spawn is the eggs and sperm released or deposited into water by aquatic animals. As a verb, ''to spawn'' refers to the process of releasing the eggs and sperm, and the act of both sexes is called spawning. Most aquatic animals, except for aquat ...

other aliens until the originals are destroyed.

Development and release

The game was created by Kevin Edwards for the BBC Micro and ported to the Acorn Electron."Profile"
A&B Computing, February 1988 The Electron version runs a little slower and in a four colour mode rather than the eight colour mode used on the BBC. Both versions were released in September 1986 by Superior Software.''Galaforce''
at MobyGames It was the first title released under the joint Superior Software / Acornsoft name in the new double-cassette sized cases which would become standard for Superior releases.

Reception

Electron User ''Electron User'' was a magazine targeted at owners of the Acorn Electron microcomputer. It was published by Database Publications of Stockport, starting in October 1983 and ending after 82 issues in July 1990. Initially it was included as a 1 ...

'' gave the game a score of 9/10 with reviewer Jon Revis concluding "''Galaforce'' is a game to get the adrenaline flowing, the kind of game you continue playing when you close your eyes in bed at night - it should carry a government health warning!"."Gala Is A Force To Reckon With"
Jon Revis, Electron User #4.02, November 1986

Legacy

''Galaforce'' was included on the ''Play It Again Sam 2'' compilation in 1988 and re-issued as part of the Superior/

Blue Ribbon The blue ribbon is a symbol of high quality. The association comes from The Blue Riband, a prize awarded for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by passenger liners and, prior to that from Cordon Bleu, which referred to the blue ribbon w ...

budget range in 1989.

''Galaforce 2''

Following the motorbike racing game '' Crazee Rider'', Kevin Edwards created a sequel to ''Galaforce''. The game is similar with the main difference being the inclusion of end of level bosses and bonus items. It also supports two players,

alternating turns Turn-taking is a type of organization in conversation and discourse where participants speak one at a time in alternating turns. In practice, it involves processes for constructing contributions, responding to previous comments, and transitionin ...

. ''Galaforce 2'' was first released on the ''Play It Again Sam 6'' compilation in 1988.''Galaforce 2''
at 8-bit Software It was later given a stand-alone release in the Superior/

budget range in 1990.Superior/Blue Ribbon
at Acorn Electron World

''Galaforce Worlds''

An updated and expanded version of the game was released as ''Galaforce Worlds'' for Microsoft Windows in 2003 by Superior Interactive,"Galaforce Worlds Released Today"
Richard Hanson, Superior Interactive Newsletter Issue 5, 18 December 2003 and iOS and Android versions of ''Galaforce Worlds'' were published in 2017.
Richard Hanson, Superior Interactive Newsletter Issue 47, 29 September 2017 These versions add extra worlds, zones, power-ups and achievements to the earlier game format.

References

{{Superior Software 1986 video games Acornsoft games BBC Micro and Acorn Electron games BBC Micro and Acorn Electron-only games Fixed shooters Single-player video games Superior Software games Video games developed in the United Kingdom