is a 1983 vertically scrolling shooter video game developed and published by Namco for arcades. It was released in Japan and in North America by Atari, Inc. in February 1983. Controlling the Solvalou starship, the player attacks Xevious forces before they destroy all of mankind. The Solvalou has two weapons at its disposal: a zapper to destroy flying craft, and a blaster to bomb ground installations and enemies. It runs on the Namco Galaga arcade system.
The game was designed by Masanobu Endō and a small team. Created to rival the success of Scramble, it was originally themed around the Vietnam War and titled Cheyenne. Endō wanted the game to have a detailed, integral storyline and a comprehensive world, and to be welcoming for newer players. Several enemies and characters were made to pay homage to other popular science fiction works, including Star Wars, UFO, Alien and Battlestar Galactica.
Xevious was praised for its detailed graphics, challenge and originality. It became an unprecedented success for Namco in Japan, with record-breaking sales figures making it the biggest game since Space Invaders. The North American release paled in comparison, despite still selling 5,295 arcade units by the end of 1983. It has been listed among the most influential games in the shoot 'em up genre, establishing the template for vertically scrolling shooters and inspiring games such as TwinBee and RayForce. It was ported to home systems, followed by several sequels and spin-offs, and is included in many Namco compilations.
Gameplay
thumb|Approaching a group of flying enemies and two ground targets
Xevious is a vertically scrolling shooter. The player controls a flying attack craft, the Solvalou, to destroy the Xevious forces plotting to take over Earth. and a blaster for bombing ground installations and vehicles. Areas are geographically distinct, with features such as forests, roads, rivers, and mechanical structures. Certain areas have Nazca lines placed on the ground, some in the "condor" design. Yellow "Special Flags" from Namco's own Rally-X are found in a semi-random section of the area. Collecting one gives an extra life.
Endō wanted the game to have a consistent, detailed world with a story that didn't feel like a "tacked-on extra", instead being an integral part of the game. The player's ship, the Solvalou, is based on the Nostromo space tug from Alien, while several of the enemies are homages to starships from popular science fiction works, including Star Wars, UFO and Battlestar Galactica. In the months following, Atari, Inc. acquired the rights to manufacture and distribute it in North America, advertising it as "the Atari game you can't play at home". The Famicom version was released internationally for the Nintendo Entertainment System by Bandai, in North America and PAL regions. In 1986, it was ported to the Amstrad CPC and ZX Spectrum by U.S. Gold, who later ported it to the Commodore 64 in 1987. A version for the Apple II was released in 1987. The Famicom version was re-released as a budget title for the Famicom Disk System in 1990. Versions for the Atari 2600 and Atari 5200 were completed but never released; the 2600 port was programmed by Tod Frye.
Three mobile phone versions were released; the first for J-Sky in 2002, renamed Xevious Mini, the second for i-Mode the same year, and the third for EZweb in 2003. The NES version was re-released for the Game Boy Advance in 2004 as part of the Classic NES Series line. The arcade version was released for the Xbox 360 in 2007, featuring support for achievements and online leaderboards. The NES version was released for the Wii's Virtual Console in 2006 and Wii U in 2013, and was also added to the Nintendo Classics service in March 2023. The arcade version was released for the Wii's Virtual Console in 2009, as well as Hamster Corporation's Arcade Archives series (alongside Pac-Man) for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 in 2021. A remake for the Nintendo 3DS developed by Arika was released by Nintendo in 2011 as part of the 3D Classics series, named 3D Classics: Xevious, which took advantage of the handheld's stereoscopic 3D display.
Xevious is included in Namco compilations including Namco Museum Vol. 1 (1995), Namco Museum Battle Collection (2005), Namco Museum 50th Anniversary (2005), Namco Museum Remix (2006), Namco Museum DS (2007), Namco Museum Virtual Arcade (2008), and Namco Museum Essentials (2009). The PlayStation home port of Xevious 3D/G includes the original Xevious as an extra, alongside its sequels Super Xevious and Xevious Arrangement. It is included as one of the five titles in Microsoft Revenge of Arcade, released for Windows in 1998. The 2005 GameCube game Star Fox: Assault includes the NES version as an unlockable extra, awarded by collecting all silver medals in the game. For the game's 30th anniversary in 2012, it was released for iOS devices as part of the Namco Arcade compilation.