The early 1980s featured what’s now considered the “Golden Age of Arcades,” and one of the most significant titles during that era turns 35 this year: Defender. The title rolled out into the arcade scene in February 1981 and its impact is still felt today.

Following the trend set by the likes of the successful Space Invaders and Asteroids, Defender was set in space; the space-based setting was popular for the early arcade titles, as the abstract nature of it (plus the black background) helped obscure the simple graphics of the time. The game was developed by Eugene Jarvis, who had previously worked on pinball cabinets for Williams Electronics, and it kicked off his video game career. Jarvis went on to help develop the Cruis’n series and has since founded Raw Thrills, Inc., a game development studio that has produced some significant recent arcade titles.

Defender takes place on an unnamed planet, and features the player controlling a space ship on said planet. The goal of the title was to destroy the alien invaders while protecting the astronauts. Humans that are abducted by the aliens return later in the game as powerful mutants that attack the main ship. Like most arcade titles, the game ends if all lives are lost, and extra lives can be gained throughout the game.

Defender was slow to gain popularity, but has since become a classic of the arcade scene. The title is popular in competitive gaming (it was the focus of the first Twin Galaxies contest, actually), especially due to the difficulty of it – attempts can be ended in less than a minute if the player is unsure of what they’re doing.

Two games were developed as sequels to Defender: Stargate and Strike Force. The former was made as a direct sequel, and home versions of Stargate were released under the title Defender II; the latter is considered a sequel due to the similar gameplay and the fact that Jarvis assisted in the development.