Defender (1981 video game)
| Defender | |
|---|---|
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| Developer(s) | Williams Electronics |
| Publisher(s) | Williams Electronics, Taito (Japan) |
| Designer(s) |
Eugene Jarvis Larry DeMar |
| Programmer(s) | Eugene Jarvis Larry DeMar Sam Dicker |
| Platform(s) | Arcade (original) Apple II, Atari 2600, Atari 8-bit, Atari 5200, ColecoVision, Commodore 64, VIC-20, Intellivision, TI-99/4A, IBM PC, Adventure Vision, SAM Coupé |
| Release | February 1981 |
| Genre(s) | Scrolling shooter |
| Mode(s) | Up to 2 players, alternating turns |
| Cabinet | Standard and cocktail |
| Display | Raster, Colors 16 |
Defender is an arcade video game developed and released by Williams Electronics in February 1981. A horizontally scrolling shoot 'em up, the game is set on a fictional planet where the player must defeat waves of invading aliens while protecting astronauts. Development was led by Eugene Jarvis, a pinball programmer at Williams; Defender was Jarvis' first video game project and drew inspiration from Space Invaders and Asteroids.
Defender was one of the most important titles of the Golden Age of Video Arcade Games, selling over 55,000 units to become the company's best selling game and one of the highest-grossing arcade games ever. Praise among critics focused on the game's audio-visuals and gameplay. It is frequently listed as one of Jarvis' best contributions to the video game industry, as well as one of the most difficult video games. Though not the first game to scroll horizontally, it created the genre of purely horizontal scrolling shooters. It inspired the development of other games and was followed by sequels and many imitations.
There were many ports to contemporary systems, most of them by either Atari, Inc. or its software label for non-Atari platforms, Atarisoft.
Defender is a two-dimensional side-scrolling shooting game set on the surface of an unnamed planet. The player controls a space ship as it navigates the terrain, flying either to the left or right. A joystick controls the ship's elevation, and five buttons control its horizontal direction and weapons. The object is to destroy alien invaders, while protecting astronauts on the landscape from abduction. Humans that are abducted return as mutants that attack the ship. Defeating the aliens allows the player to progress to the next level. Failing to protect the astronauts, however, causes the planet to explode and the level to become populated with mutants. Surviving the waves of mutants results in the restoration of the planet. Players are allotted three ships to progress through the game and are able to earn more by reaching certain scoring benchmarks. A ship is lost if it is hit by an enemy, or hit by an enemy projectile, or if a hyperspace jump goes wrong (as they randomly do). After exhausting all ships, the game ends.
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