Defender 1981

About

Defender came out on March 1, 1981 for Arcade, then for Mac in 1994 and for Web browser on July 1, 2000. The main story takes about 1 hour.

Defender is an arcade video game developed released by Williams Electronics in 1980. A shooting game featuring two-dimensional (2D) graphics, 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's first video game project, and drew inspiration from Space Invaders and Asteroids. Williams planned to display the game at the Amusement & Music Operators Association (AMOA) trade show, though development delays resulted in the team working on the game up until the show started. Defender was commercially successful, selling over 55,000 units to become the company's best selling arcade game. Praise among critics focused on the game's audio-visuals and gameplay. It is frequently listed as one of Jarvis's best contributions to the video game industry, as well as one of the most difficult video games. Defender was ported to numerous platforms, inspired the development of other games, and was followed by sequels and many imitations.

Story

In the future an alien race known as the "Manti" attacks Earth with their relatives the Irata. Manti have been seen kidnapping humans for unknown reasons but, it is known that after a Manti grabs a human that they become more powerful. If the Manti successfully create the ultimate Mutant Army, then Earth won't stand a chance. Star-Fighters have been dispatched to Defend mankind from the enemy.

What is happening now

Defender is a foundational arcade shooter-strategy hybrid released in 1981, available across arcade cabinets, web browsers, and Mac systems. The game has maintained cultural relevance through various ports and spiritual successors across decades of gaming hardware. Recent coverage has centered on the remaster of Defender of the Crown, the 1986 Amiga strategy classic developed by Cinemaware, which is being modernized for contemporary platforms by Black Tower Basement. The remaster, titled The Legend Returns, preserves the original game's spirit while offering updated visuals alongside the classic version, and introduces a new roguelite mode to expand on the source material's strategic gameplay.