Exploring the Future of Galaga: A Look at the FigJam Boards
As the Advanced Concept Art class dives into the reimagining of Galaga, students have been assembling their FigJam boards, mapping out fresh and innovative takes on the classic arcade game. These boards serve as visual playgrounds, packed with references, concept sketches, and worldbuilding elements that showcase each student’s unique vision for Galaga’s next evolution.
What’s most exciting is the sheer variety of directions these projects are taking. Some students are expanding the Galaga universe into open-world experiences, while others are reinventing the game as a survival horror, a high-stakes racing league, or even an MMORPG. These reinterpretations breathe new life into Galaga and push the boundaries of what concept art can do when applied to worldbuilding, storytelling, and game design.
From intergalactic racing circuits to deep-space survival horror, here’s a glimpse into the creative minds shaping the next generation of Galaga:
🚀 Sophie Sala envisions Galaga as an episodic animated racing series, where young pilots from the USGF Grand Prix Team face off against alien rivals in the ultimate GALAGA 500 championship—think Speed Racer meets Star Wars.
Sophie Sala’s GALAGA 500
🛸 Rana Barua is crafting Galaga Xenoverse, an open-world exploration game where players become an interstellar naturalist, uncovering alien species and the secrets of deep space—a Galaga twist on Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora.
Rana Barua’s Galaga Xenoverse
👾 Zora Troupe is diving into horror with a survival-based take on Galaga, where explorers mining resources in an uncharted system encounter parasitic alien life forms that fuse together to create an overwhelming, hive-mind organism.
Zora Troupe’s Galaga: The Depths
🌌 Bee Lawhorn reimagines Galaga as a Sci-Fi MMORPG, where players join the United Galaxy Space Force to battle the alien enemy, the Galaga—only to uncover sinister truths about the war they’ve been fighting.
Bee Lawhorn’s Galaga Sci-Fi MMORPG
⚔️ KC Tovera brings a gritty, action-packed approach, merging Call of Duty and Guardians of the Galaxy into a Galaga shooter with campaign and multiplayer modes. Players can lead a rogue team of mercenaries or fight in large-scale faction battles between humans and the Galaxians.
KC Tovera’s merge of Call of Duty and Guardians of the Galaxy
🔎 Carl Cheng sees Galaga as an open-world adventure, focusing on exploring the cosmos, deciphering ancient alien puzzles, and bartering with civilizations to refuel your jet and continue the journey.
Carl Cheng’s Open World Galaga
🌀 Krow Zhang introduces Galaga: Eternity, a roguelike adventure where pilots travel between planets, upgrading their ships and battling enemies to reach an ultimate alien boss—bringing Risk of Rain 2 vibes into a high-speed, spacefaring combat game.
Krow Zhang’s Galaga: Eternity
Each concept is packed with deep worldbuilding, distinct visual styles, and genre-blending mechanics, proving just how versatile and timeless Galaga can be when put in the hands of today’s creative minds. As the semester unfolds, these FigJam boards will help inform fully realized concept art pieces, bringing their ideas to life with refined designs and professional execution.
Stay tuned—this is just the beginning of the Galaga reimagining journey 🚀✨
