Rock Blaster
Rock Blaster is a vector-art space shooter in which a tiny triangle ship has to survive a sky full of tumbling stone. Shooting a rock cracks it into smaller, quicker pieces, so things get messier before they get clear.
Saucers swing through from time to time and shoot back. Your ship keeps coasting after you release thrust, and anything that leaves one edge reappears on the opposite one. It is part of Frank Force's LittleJS Arcade.
How to play Rock Blaster
After PLAY, your ship appears in the center and blinks briefly while it is protected. Large rocks float in from the sides. Face one and fire. A large rock splits into two medium rocks, a medium splits into two small ones, and small ones disappear.
Wave one has four large rocks, and each wave adds one. A wave is only done when every rock and saucer is destroyed. Up to five of your shots can be on screen at once, and each one fizzles out shortly after leaving the ship.
The big saucer sprays shots in random directions, while the small saucer aims ahead of you and gets more accurate as your score climbs. You begin with 3 ships, and any collision with a rock, a saucer or enemy fire uses one up.
Controls
| Action | Keyboard | Mouse | Touch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turn | Left/Right arrows or A/D | — | On-screen stick |
| Thrust | Up arrow or W | — | Bottom button |
| Fire | Space or Z | — | Left or right button |
| Hyperspace | Left Shift or X | — | Top button |
| Pause | Esc | — | — |
Tips
- Use quick thrust taps. The ship glides a long way, and short pushes are much easier to cancel.
- Finish off small fragments before splitting the next big rock so the screen does not fill up.
- Keep an eye on the edges. A rock leaving on the right can come back at you from the left.
- Hunt small saucers fast. They pay far more than the big ones and their aim keeps improving.
- Save hyperspace for moments when a crash is otherwise certain, since the landing spot is random. The jump does give you a second or so of blinking safety, and it needs a short cooldown before you can use it again.
If you like Rock Blaster, try these
Andromeda InvadersRetro space shooting continues, though the cannon fires on its own and you only slide it under falling boulders.
Backspace: Return to FigadoreVector-style flight across a 3D planet gives the drifting-ship feel a new dimension, plus an alien fleet to heal.
Questions
How many points are rocks and saucers worth in Rock Blaster?
Large rocks give 20, medium 50 and small 100. Saucers pay more: 200 for the large one and 1,000 for its smaller, sharper-shooting partner.
How do you get extra ships?
Every 10,000 points adds a bonus ship, with a short chime and one more on the LIVES counter.
Does Rock Blaster save my high score?
Yes. The browser keeps your high score for the title screen, plus your volume and glow settings.
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