Xevious

Before Xevious, space shooters were a black screen with some stars. Namco changed that with real terrain scrolling beneath your ship, forests, rivers, roads and enemy bases on the ground, and the idea that you had to fight on two levels at once. For a lot of players it was the first arcade game that felt like it had a whole world behind it.

It isn't in the UsuArcade arcade yet, but it's on our wishlist. If you remember flying the Solvalou, cast your vote.

History

Namco released it in 1982, designed by Masanobu Endo. It was a phenomenon in Japan, and Atari brought it to the US. Its success pushed plenty of companies to make vertical scrolling shooters with ground targets.

It was also one of the first arcade games to hide secrets on purpose: invisible items that pop up when you bomb certain spots, the kind of thing kids passed along by word of mouth at the arcade.

How to play

You fly the Solvalou upward over the landscape. It has two weapons: a zapper for anything in the air and bombs for ground targets, which land where the crosshair in front of your ship is pointing. When the crosshair lights up over something, there's a ground target underneath.

Certain areas bring out Andor Genesis, a huge flying fortress you take down by bombing its core. Keep an eye on the crosshair over empty-looking ground: some spots hide secret towers worth big points.

Fun facts

• The player's ship is called the Solvalou.
• Andor Genesis is the flying fortress that serves as the boss.
• Its hidden towers were one of the first famous arcade secrets.

In the arcade

Xevious is coming soon to UsuArcade. It's on the arcade wishlist and you can vote for it with the “I want to play it” button; the most-wanted games get added first.

Until then, the arcade has other classic shooters: Galaxian, Namco's earlier hit; 1943: The Battle of Midway, with vertical scrolling and warplanes; and Slap Fight, another power-up-packed shooter. All free in your browser, with chat, spectators and arcade high scores.

FAQ