Galivan
Is a 1985 platform video game developed and published by Nichibutsu for arcades. The game is a homage to the Japanese tokusatsu shows Space Sheriff Gavan and Space Sheriff Sharivan. It was later ported to Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, and Famicom.
Also recorded as Cosmo Police Galivan
Galivan
- Date
- 1985
- Publisher
- Nichibutsu
- Genre
- beat 'em up
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Documentary summary
Is a 1985 platform video game developed and published by Nichibutsu for arcades. The game is a homage to the Japanese tokusatsu shows Space Sheriff Gavan and Space Sheriff Sharivan. It was later ported to Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, and Famicom.
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Documentary evidence
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Authority files
wikidata · Q2648118 · wikipedia · Cosmo Police Galivan
In this article
The object
The object
The game spawned a sequel for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System called, Cosmo Police Galivan II: Arrow of Justice. Hamster Corporation acquired the rights to the game alongside Nichibutsu's intellectual property; the company released the game as part of the Arcade Archives series for the PlayStation 4 in 2015 and Nintendo Switch in 2021. In 2022, the game was released as an in-built game on the Sega Astro City Mini V.
Key facts
Key facts
• Title — Cosmo Police Galivan • Developer — Nichibutsu • Publisher — Nichibutsu • Director — Shigeki Fujiwara • Designer — Nakagawa Kyoko • Released — December 1985 • Genre — Platform • Modes — Single-player • Platforms — Arcade, Famicom, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum
Gameplay
Gameplay
In the game, the player takes the role of the last remaining member of the Cosmo Police, who runs and jumps around a multi-directional scrolling environment on planet Cynep, with caves, baroque rooms and underwater zones, destroying or avoiding waves of constantly attacking robots, aliens and alien ships. The player starts the game as an unarmed human, whose only attacking options are kicking and punching, but picking up a POW item encases the human in a robotic suit and arms the player with a laser gun. Collecting the blue POW items while in the suit awards the player with a powerful beam weapon for a limited time, while the red POW item gives the player a three-shot cannon. POW items are dotted throughout the levels and can also be gained by shooting the blue robot aliens. The player's character has an energy bar that decreases whenever the player is hit. Should this fall below the halfway point, the robot suit will be lost and the player will once again be an unarmed human. Collecting a POW item while in human form will restore the player's energy. If a POW is collected while wearing the suit, however, the player's energy will NOT be increased but their weapon will receive a power-up. The game's platforms are littered with springboards that fire the player high into the air when stepped on. Some platforms - often containing POW items - can only be reached via a springboard. At the end of every level, the player has to defeat a boss. There are two levels which alternate endlessly.
History of the object
Dated record
History of the object
The full dated record · 2 entries
1985
Galivan published.
1985
Galivan is recorded as published in 1985.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
- Japan
Named but not plotted · 1
Galivan is associated with Japan.
Country
Reception
In Japan, Game Machine listed Galivan on their January 15, 1986 issue as being the tenth most-successful table arcade unit at the time.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Akagi, Masumi. アーケードTVゲームリスト国内•海外編(1971-2005). Amusement News Agency. 56. October 13, 2006. 978-4990251215.
- 2.Kadokawa Game Linkage. 『アストロシティミニ V』2022年夏発売決定&予約開始。初移植となる『アウトゾーン』『デザートブレイカー』など22本を収録. Famitsu. December 17, 2021.
- 3.Amusement Press, Inc. Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - テーブル型TVゲーム機 (Table Videos). Game Machine. 276. 21. 15 January 1986.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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