How to play
Space Intruders
Controls
| Keyboard | Arrow keys ← → or A D move the ship (hold) · Space or ↑ fires · P or Esc pauses · Enter starts / plays again |
|---|---|
| Touch | Touch and hold left or right of the ship to move that way (drag to change direction), tap briefly to fire, or use the ◀ ▶ and "Fire" buttons under the field |
One shot at a time: the next one can be fired once the last has hit something or left the top of the field.
Rules
- A formation of 5 rows × 11 intruders marches in steps from side to side; at an edge it drops one step and turns. The fewer are left, the faster it moves
- The lowest intruder of a column drops a bomb now and then. A bomb on the ship costs one of three lives; everything pauses for a moment while the ship returns
- Four bunkers stop bombs, but erode block by block from bombs and from your own shots, and intruders that reach them grind them away
- The formation reaching the ship's level means the invasion succeeded: the run ends at once, whatever lives are left
- Clearing the whole formation starts a new wave: it begins a little lower and moves faster
- A run lasts at most 15 minutes, then ends and counts as it stands · "End run" ends it yourself; the score counts just the same
Modes
- Classic: a bomb every 1.2 s, at most 3 at once, falling slowly
- Frenzy: a bomb every 0.67 s, at most 5, falling half as fast again
Scoring
- Top row 30 points, rows 2-3 20 points, rows 4-5 10 points
- A scout ship crosses the top now and then: 50, 100, 150 or 300 points (at random)
- Clearing a wave gives a bonus of 100 × the wave number
- The leaderboard is ranked by score; on a tie, the earlier run comes first
The leaderboard
After a run, enter a name (2-20 characters) and a country. The score joins the world table and your country's table, showing each name's best. The server replays every run's inputs before it counts; a run that does not replay to the same score is left out.
Tips
- Shoot the outer columns first: a narrower formation takes longer to cross the field and comes down more slowly
- Do not fire blindly - a shot in the air means you cannot fire when you need to
- A bomb coming straight down only needs one step to the side; then back under the bunker and keep firing