The game
of Deluxe Galaga has very basic elements and very complex elements.
Let's go over the basic elements first.
Stick
and Dodge - As with any arcade shootemup, the basic premise
is to kill bad guys without getting killed yourself. Fortunately,
you can get weapon powerups to increase your firepower. There are
auto-fire units, double shots, triple shots, quad shots, and 'death'
weapons that will grant you death-dealing blows to the aliens and
the alien bosses you will have to fight. Aliens fire a lot of rounds
at you - and the sub-bosses tend to shoot lateral shots at you - so
stay out of the corners when they are on the screen.
Recruiting
Help from the Enemy - Since money is often scarce (and when it isn't it gets taken by
the Thief ship) and bonus weapon drops go though dry spells, you will
need to have some help. While you can take a friend with you in Deluxe
Galaga, you can capture enemy ships with the Scope bonus. Capture
up to two aliens to fire along side you and it will help you vanquish
your enemy. The greatest thing about the Scope is that if you have
two aliens flanking you already, the Scope's powerful beams will instantly
kill descending ships. Use this to clean out large alien sets like
the Bonus Stages and the waves of them coming in during the start
of the wave.
Get
the Money - In some games, you get money to upgrade your ship
and help you play better. In Deluxe Galaga, money is CRUCTIAL to the
success of your game. Money buys stuff - not just weapons, but game
secrets, armour, extra lives, more speed, and many other things that
(especially later in the game) you cannot live without. Learn the
ones that are worth the most - no sense in putting your life on the
line for $10 - but for $200, it might be worth getting snuffed for.
Fortunately,
there are many ways to get money. You can pick them up from dead aliens,
in the Meteor Storm you can grab chests of money, in the Memory Game
you can match dollars and win cash, and there are 'secret' ways (check
out the LEARN THE SECRETS area for more). Oh, you can buy a life too
($400) - and most important, you can buy your BUDDY an extra life
too! In two player mode, you will be prompted as to whom should get
the ship.
Play
the Mini Games - Sub Games (games within games) are nothing
new. But within an ACTION type game, they are pretty rare. In most
cases, they are pure entertainment and you don't really get much from
them. Deluxe Galaga is the opposite. In fact, if you want to get the
high scores and get to the upper levels, you will need to master these
two mini games.
The first is Meteor Storm - a simply game of 'dodge
the rocks'. Rocks fall through the sky - getting faster and faster
as you progress through the meteor shower (ever wonder why meteors
are different colors when you go into them?). If you make it through,
stand back and enjoy the riches. If not, you are no worse for wear.
While this sounds simple, Deluxe Galaga throws in some twists. They
throw meteors with point values on them - if you catch'em, you get
the points. There are also chests of money to get too (these at least
don't look like meteors).
The
second mini game is called Memory Station. This is your standard game
of Concentration - match the squares and win the prize. Prizes are
extra credits, money, points, rank markers, letters (to help you spell
E-X-T-R-A and win an extra life), and more.It is all timed, and if
you find a skull behind a box, you are all done. Nicely enough, you
can gain extra time from some boxes. It is all a crapshoot. You will
learn to get through the boxes quickly because sometimes there is
an extra life hiding behind the boxes.
Other
Elements - Deluxe Galaga is a rich game. There are many more elements of game
play that, while not as major of a player in the whole schema of things,
can increase your game scores and enjoyment.
Catch the letters - ANYTIME
you can. They spell E-X-T-R-A and you will get an extra life when
you catch one of each of those letters. If you DO have the letter
already, getting it again will score you a little something extra.
Make sure to share with your buddy.
There are timed bonus multipliers (x2, x5) that will give you a multiplier on your achieved points (shame
it doesn't work for money caught). Get one of these whenever possible
and you will see your end scores rise.
There are bonuses that aliens
drop like SHIP ARMOUR (protects you against a single hit against yours
ship - and they are cummulative), EXTRA SPEED (essential for the Meteor
Storm), EXTRA BULLET (increase your 'shots allowed on the screen'),
SHIELD (temporary invincibility), and several more.
Weigh the risks
versus the benefits. Knowing your enemy shot patterns and such will
help make good descisions.
Be sure to know your weaponry too - while
TRIPLE SHOT may seem better than a DOUBLE SHOT, there are many cases
that DOUBLE SHOT will be much more helpful (curious why? Check out
the Secrets & Strategies area).
For
more strategies and help, check out the Secrets & Strategies area.