Sawano strove to make the game simplistic and easy to understand. Space Invaders was a sensation in Japan, and Namco wanted a game that could compete against it. Gameplay involves destroying each formation of aliens, who dive down towards the player in an attempt to hit them.ĭesigned by company engineer Kazunori Sawano, Galaxian was Namco's answer to Space Invaders, a similar space shooter released the previous year by rival developer Taito. The player assumes control of the Galaxip starfighter in its mission to protect Earth from waves of aliens. Galaxian is a 1979 fixed shooter arcade video game developed and published by Namco.