Galaga '88

Game Details:

Released in 1987, Galaga '88 is a major milestone in the series, marking a shift from monotonous pixels to vibrant colors. The game's visuals utilized advanced hardware technology of the time, resulting in deeper and more layered backgrounds. The core mechanic still revolves around the fighter's "Dual Fighter" ability: players can intentionally allow their fighter to be captured by an enemy Boss Galaga's tractor beam and then rescue it to form a powerful Dual Fighter. This installment's biggest innovation is the "Triple Fighter"—players can rescue a second captured fighter to form an immensely powerful Triple Fighter. Additionally, the game introduces branching paths and multiple endings. Depending on the number of Blue Capsules collected in a stage, players will warp to different Galactic Dimensions.

Game Guide:

• Obtaining the Triple Fighter: This is the most crucial strategy in the game. In the early stages, intentionally let a Boss Galaga's tractor beam capture one of your fighters, then shoot it down on a subsequent pass to rescue it. Repeat this process to upgrade your Dual Fighter into a Triple Fighter. Although the Triple Fighter has a larger hitbox, its incredibly wide firing range can clear the screen instantly, making it the foundation for achieving high scores.
• Dimension Warping: Keep an eye out for the Blue Capsules that appear in the background. Collecting two Blue Capsules will allow you to warp to the next dimension at the end of the stage. The higher the dimension (up to a maximum of Dimension 5), the more aggressive the enemy attacks become, but the score bonuses also increase exponentially. If you're aiming for the best ending, you must stay in the highest dimension throughout the game.
• Challenging Stages: After every few stages, you'll enter a Challenging Stage. Here, the enemies don't fire projectiles but instead dance to the music. The Triple Fighter has a massive advantage in these stages. The key is to memorize the enemies' entry patterns, position yourself in advance, and maintain continuous fire. If you achieve a "Perfect" by shooting down all 40 enemies, you'll receive a huge score bonus.
• Dealing with Armored Enemies: In the mid-to-late stages, some enemies are armored and require multiple hits to destroy. It's recommended to use the Triple Fighter's superior firepower to strike preemptively before their formations are fully deployed.
• Using Explosions: In this game, some special enemies drop items that cause an explosion. Strategically triggering these explosions can clear out large groups of smaller enemies, giving you more room to maneuver.