FIRE GALAXY

Fire Galaxy is the sequel to Galaxy and it is unrelated to the 1983 VIC-20 game of the same name, even though it was also published by Kingsoft. Unlike the first game it is less of a Galaga clone. Players move a space ship left and right to fire at different formations of alien ships that appear near the top of the screen. They fire bullets and come swooping down like a kamikaze. They no longer stay near the top but they immediately execute different movement patterns while firing at the player's ship. The patterns are also randomized for every wave. It is no longer needed to destroy all ships, you only need to survive the wave unscathed. Enemies have different shapes and colours, but all of them require but a single hit to take them out. After a number of waves (level 3, 7, 11, 15, ...) there is a bonus challenge where enemies do not shoot. You need to take down as many as possible for bonus points.

The player's ship has three lives. A bonus ship is awarded at 20,000 points and then at every 30,000 points. The game supports up to eight players taking turns and there are three difficulty levels: fast, normal and slow. These do not only influence the gameplay, but also the amount of points awarded for destroying an enemy. Scoring is further influenced by the enemy's position in the formation. The first and last ship are worth more than the middle ones. A lonesome ship, no longer part of a formation, is worth even more. When staying alive for a long time, the player can earn an upgrade such as a double laser, but it is taken away as soon as the ship is destroyed. When dead, the entire wave needs to be replayed. At the main menu there is a separate screen to preview the score table.