Space Invaders Imitations

Thanks to its immense popularity, many different games offered variations on Space Invaders, several of which became classics in their own right.

Galaxian - One of the first games to copy Space Invaders was also one of the most successful, thanks to enough to new elements to prove it wasn't just shouting, "Me too!" Galaxian then inspired several sequels, including the even more successful Galaga.

Moon Cresta - There are fewer aliens in each level of Moon Cresta compared to similar games, but these aliens require multiple hits to kill off. The player's ship is made up of three different parts which can dock together for the greatest firepower, but which also can be destroyed independently of each other.

Megamania - One of Activision's first Atari 2600 games picked up the pace while offering rather abstract graphics. Are those aliens, or giant flying bowties?

Gorf - The original arcade game of Gorf is actually comprised of five different mini-games, all with strong hints of Space Invaders. One of those mini-games not only looks an awful lot like fellow imitator Galaxian, the level is even named "Galaxian." The publishers of Gorf home ports played it safer, removing the "Galaxian" mini-game while leaving the rest.

Phoenix - This game borrows features from several previous Space Invaders imitators, but also adds new elements like a temporary, reusable shield, and a boss alien mothership at the end of each level.