This was the first electronic toy I ever owned. Back in 1984, when I was still living in São Paulo, my father surprised me with it on my birthday. It felt like pure magic. The gameplay closely mimics Space Invaders, where players control a stationary turret at the bottom of the screen and must shoot descending alien invaders.
The Gakken LSI Game Invader 2000 is a vintage handheld electronic game released by Gakken, a Japanese company known for its educational toys and electronics, during the early 1980s. It is part of the LSI (Large Scale Integration) Game series, which were electronic tabletop and handheld games featuring simple LCD or VFD (Vacuum Fluorescent Display) screens.
During the late 1970s and early 1980s, the gaming industry saw an explosion of arcade-style games, particularly with the success of Taito’s Space Invaders (1978). Many toy manufacturers, including Gakken, Tomy, Epoch, and Bandai, produced their own versions of space shooter games for home and portable use.
Gakken’s Invader 2000 was one of these, designed to bring the arcade experience to a compact and affordable tabletop format. It utilized Vacuum Fluorescent Display (VFD) technology, which provided bright, colorful graphics compared to LCD-based handhelds of the same era.
While not as globally famous as some competitors like Nintendo’s Game & Watch or Coleco’s handhelds, the Gakken LSI Game Invader 2000 was a well-regarded collector’s item for retro gaming enthusiasts. Its bright VFD display and engaging gameplay made it stand out among early handheld games.