Defender: Gameplay, Platforms and Key Facts

Defender (1981) is a shooter, strategy video game, available on Arcade, browser, Mac. It holds an aggregated critic and player score of 59/100 on IGDB.

What is Defender about?

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 gam

Key details

Defender was released in 1981 and supports single player, multiplayer. Platforms: Arcade, browser, Mac.

Should you play Defender?

Reviews are mixed, but Defender retains a dedicated player base among shooter, strategy fans.