A.E.

A.E.
Title	A.E.
Release date(s)	1982
Original Platform(s)	Apple II
Developer(s)	Jun Wada Makoto Horai
Category(s)	Entertainment, Arcade

Overview

A.E. is a fixed-screen shoot 'em up video game drawing inspiration from classics like Space Invaders but incorporating unique pseudo-3D visuals and innovative mechanics. The title "A.E." stands for the Japanese word for "ray," referring to stingray-like alien enemies that invade Earth. Published by Broderbund Software, it was one of the company's early successes during a period when home computer gaming was rapidly evolving.

Origins and Development

The game was created by Japanese developers Jun Wada and Makoto Horai, working under the group Programmers-3. According to Broderbund co-founder Gary Carlston, the developers initially discarded the project, believing it wasn't commercially viable, and he had to persuade them to release it.

Releases and Platform Variations

A.E. was released in 1982 for the Apple II and Atari 8-bit family by Broderbund. It required 48K RAM and came on a double-sided disk: one side for the title screen and copy protection, the other for the actual game and a demo mode. Controls supported joysticks or paddles on Apple II, but were joystick-only on Atari. A port to the VIC-20 was also released, but a planned Commodore 64 version, advertised in an early 1983 Broderbund catalog, never materialized— possibly due to an unfinished conversion or a catalog error.

In Japan, MSX, FM-7, PC-99, and SMC-777 versions were released in 1984.

Gameplay

In A.E., players defend Earth from waves of alien "rays" (A.E.) that swarm across the screen in a pseudo-3D perspective, emerging from the horizon and progressing deeper into space across eight stages. Unlike traditional shooters, the player's missiles don't damage on impact; instead, they explode in a blast radius when the fire button is released, similar to Missile Command. Each stage requires clearing three waves by destroying all enemies before they escape the screen, with backgrounds featuring elaborate, scrolling elements like planetary rings or towers that enemies circle. The gameplay draws comparisons to Galaga's bonus rounds, but with slower shots that demand precise leading and detonation timing. Technical highlights on the Atari version include high-resolution graphics, color artifacting (e.g., enemies morphing into "GAME OVER" letters), and wipe transition effects, though loading times between levels were notably long due to copy protection.

Reception and Legacy

Upon release, A.E. was a commercial hit for Broderbund, ranking as one of their best-selling titles in 1982 alongside Choplifter!. As part of Broderbund's early catalog— A.E. exemplifies the era's shift toward more sophisticated home computer games, bridging arcade influences with emerging technical creativity. Today, it remains a niche curiosity in gaming history, preserved through emulation and collector communities, though the unreleased C64 version adds to its mystique with no surviving prototypes.

Releases

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