Powerwing
Powerwing is a side-scrolling space shooter in which your small blue fighter heads right over a dark mountain range while enemy craft stream in to meet it. Every wave closes with a boss, and the power-ups you collect on the way decide how well armed you are for that fight.
What sets Powerwing apart is how you earn upgrades: you keep shooting a capsule so it bounces, and wait for it to show the power you want. It belongs to Frank Force's LittleJS Arcade collection, and you can fly with keys, a mouse, a controller or your fingers.
How to play Powerwing
Press PLAY and open fire. Simple fighters fly in a straight line, wave flyers weave up and down, and later waves add swoopers that dive to your height and armored tanks that take several hits. Enemies shoot back, and any contact costs a life.
Some destroyed enemies leave a capsule. Shoot it and it hops upward. Most of the time it stays a white bubble worth points, but every few bounces it glows with one of six colors for a single hop: faster movement, twin guns, a spread, homing missiles, a short shield or a spare bomb. Fly into it during the glow to claim that power.
After twenty kills, clear the screen and the boss flies in. Beat it to start the next, faster wave. You have three lives, and losing one wipes your gun upgrades but keeps your bombs.
Controls
| Action | Keyboard | Mouse | Touch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Move | Arrow keys or W A S D | Hold left button, ship follows the pointer | On-screen pad |
| Shoot (hold for rapid fire) | Space or Z | Hold left button | Fire button |
| Screen bomb | X or B | Right click | Second or third button |
| Restart | R | — | — |
| Pause | Esc | — | — |
Tips
- Keep a capsule in the air with steady shots until it flashes the color you need, rather than grabbing the first upgrade.
- Spread shot covers more of the screen against groups, while double shot fires a bit faster and is better for cracking armored tanks.
- Bank bombs for the boss. A bomb hits every enemy on screen for five damage, and three is the most you can hold.
- Hug the lower left early in each wave. From there, diving swoopers and armored shooters are easier to see coming.
- Pick up the shield right before a boss appears, then park right next to it and keep firing while the protection lasts.
If you like Powerwing, try these
Bullet Hell Space ShooterShooter fans get denser bullet patterns over six levels, with slow motion and bombs instead of capsule upgrades.
Egg Time RewindDeath works differently here: each loss rewinds time and your earlier runs fly beside you as ghost ships.
Questions
When does the Powerwing boss show up?
It arrives after your twentieth kill of the wave, as soon as no other enemies remain. Each boss is tougher than the one before, and beating it drops several capsules.
Does Powerwing save my high score?
Yes. Your best score is stored in your browser, so it is still there the next time you open the game on the same device.
Can I play Powerwing with a controller?
Yes. Steer with the left stick, shoot with the A button and use B or X for bombs. Touch screens get an on-screen pad and buttons instead.
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