Andromeda Invaders
Andromeda Invaders is a blocky retro shooter by Susam Pal in which a fleet of orange ships hangs over your planet and pelts the ground with boulders. You control a small green cannon at the bottom of the screen. It never needs a fire button, because it shoots on its own.
All the art is built from little squares drawn on a canvas, and a chord loop plays underneath that gets quicker as you climb. Because the game loads as a plain web page, a school laptop can start a wave within seconds.
How to play Andromeda Invaders
Slide left and right to aim. Only one laser pulse is in the air at any time, and the next one leaves the cannon the instant the last pulse hits something or flies off the top. Positioning is your whole job.
A ship survives three hits and changes from bright orange to dark orange to deep red as it weakens. Your first hit on a ship scores 10, the second 20 and the finishing blow 30, while a shattered boulder adds a single point. Leave a hurt ship alone for too long and it recovers a step after dropping ten more boulders.
The first level sends three ships, the second sends six, and every later level sends ten. The whole fleet slowly lowers itself, faster once only a few ships are left. If the lowest one touches the ground, your run is over on the spot.
Controls
| Action | Keyboard | Mouse | Touch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Move the cannon | Left/Right arrows or A/D | Hold the arrow buttons below the play area | Hold the arrow buttons below the play area |
| Start, pause or resume | Space or P | Play/pause button | Play/pause button |
| End the run, then restart | Enter or E (press twice) | Return-arrow button | Return-arrow button |
| Mute sound | M | Note button | Note button |
| Full screen | F | — | — |
Tips
- Track the ship sitting lowest in the formation. It is closest to landing, and a landing ends everything regardless of your health.
- Once a ship turns dark red, stay under it until it pops. That last hit is the 30-point one, and waiting lets it heal.
- A boulder directly overhead is both a threat and a free point, so park under it and let your pulse break it.
- Avoid sitting under open sky. A pulse that hits nothing has to travel off the screen before the next one fires.
- After taking a hit, play carefully for a while. Scoring 100 points without another hit restores one step of cannon health.
If you like Andromeda Invaders, try these
Rock BlasterSpace shooting with a looser feel: your triangle ship drifts freely while you crack rocks into smaller pieces and dodge saucer fire.
Bullet Hell Space ShooterWant far more on screen to dodge? Here a tiny fighter threads dense bullet patterns across six levels, with bombs as backup.
Questions
Why is the game playing itself in Andromeda Invaders?
There is a demo mode. If you do not move or press Space within about five seconds after loading or restarting, the computer takes control. Press Enter twice and then move right away to take over.
How many hits can my cannon take?
Three boulders end the run. The cannon goes from bright green to dark green to dull yellow as it gets damaged, so its color tells you how close you are.
Does Andromeda Invaders save my score?
Progress isn't kept between visits, so treat each run as a fresh start. Your score and a run timer are shown on screen while you play.
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