About Alien Invasion
Alien Invasion is our neon remake of the classic alien invaders game from the old arcade days. Facing you is a formation of 55 pixel aliens in 5 rows: one-eyed orbs at the top, three-eyed shell beetles in the middle and dome jellies at the bottom. The whole grid steps side to side, and every time it touches an edge it drops a row closer to the ground.
You command a laser cannon that can only slide left and right along the bottom, and you get just one shot on screen at a time: you can't fire again until it hits something or leaves the screen. The fewer aliens are left, the faster the survivors march, and the four-note bass beat speeds up with them until the very last alien is racing across the screen.
The aliens drop three kinds of bombs: a slow zigzag, a fast dart, and a seeker that falls from the column right above you. Hide behind the four shields, but they crumble bit by bit from your shots and theirs. Now and then a mystery saucer crosses the top for a surprise bonus of up to 300 points. You have 3 cannons, an extra one at 1,500 points, and every new wave starts lower than the last.
How to play
- Press “Play now”, then “Start”.
- Slide the cannon left and right under the aliens.
- Fire and aim carefully, because you can't shoot again until your shot is gone.
- Duck behind the green shields when bombs are falling.
- Clear the whole formation to reach the next wave before the aliens land.
Controls
| Keyboard | Arrow keys or A and D slide the cannon left and right; Space, W or the up arrow fires. |
|---|---|
| Mouse | The cannon follows the mouse left and right, and a click fires. |
| Touch | Drag your finger on the game to slide the cannon and tap quickly to fire, or use the ◀ 🔥 ▶ buttons underneath. |
Tips to win
- Clear the outside columns first: a narrower grid takes longer to reach an edge and drop down.
- The top row is worth 30, the middle 20 and the bottom 10, but the bottom rows are the ones getting closest to you.
- Shoot up through a shield to open a small gap you can fire from while staying covered.
- When one speedy alien is left, wait for it to come to you and fire just ahead of it instead of chasing it.
Alien Invasion: questions and answers
How is Alien Invasion different from Space Shooter?
In Alien Invasion your cannon only slides along the ground and you fire one shot at a time yourself, against a marching formation that creeps down toward you, just like the old arcade classic. In Space Shooter your rocket flies freely and fires on its own.
When does the game end?
When the aliens' bombs have destroyed all 3 of your cannons, or as soon as any alien in the formation reaches the ground line where your cannon sits.
Is this alien shooting game violent?
No. The aliens are colorful neon pixels that burst into little squares when hit, and your cannon breaks apart into sparks and comes right back. It suits everyone from about 7 up, adults included.
Can I play it on a phone?
Yes. Drag your finger on the screen and the cannon follows, tap quickly to fire, or use the buttons under the game. There's nothing to download and no sign-up.