Tactical Turn-Based Space Shooter
Each turn you plan a sequence of actions — moves, shots, shields, boost plays — then execute them all at once. Enemies telegraph their intentions before you commit, so plan around what you see.
Actions cost Action Points (AP), refilled every turn. A move costs 1 AP, a shield 1 AP, a boost play 1 AP. A shot costs 2 AP — 1 on the Tank, 3 on the Scout and Racer.
Destroy every enemy in the sector to clear it. Enemies drop boosts when killed — fly onto them to collect.
| LAUNCH | A run: sector after sector on one hull. Clear a sector and pick a reward — hull, shields or a boost. Every 5th sector is a supply depot that sells upgrades and extra lives for credits. Credits come from clearing sectors and from SALVAGE pickups. |
| PRACTICE | Pick a sector and play it on its own. Two extra lives, no rewards. |
| DAILY | The same short tour of sectors for everyone today. One attempt — scores go on the daily board. |
Lose your last life and the ship is destroyed. An extra life brings you back at full base hull, but every upgrade is lost.
REPOSITION → PLAN (enemies telegraph) → EXECUTE (simultaneous) → RESOLVE → repeat.
The first turn of each sector is a free reposition — enemies don't plan or act.
| Tap the grid | Queue one move toward the cell you tapped |
| Double-tap | Undo the last queued action |
| SELECT | Appears at the start of the boost row while a Wingman is deployed. Shows which ship a tap will switch to: SELECT WINGMAN or SELECT SHIP. Tapping a ship on the grid does the same. |
| FIRE | Queue a shot (fires upward unless a boost turns it) |
| SHIELD | Queue a shield — recharges it to full |
| ESCAPE POD | Tap once to ARM, again to queue (2 AP). Once per sector. See below. |
| Boost slot | Tap a slot above the action bar to queue that boost |
| EXECUTE | Run the queued plan |
| CLEAR | Clear the entire queue |
| [p] | Pause — tap anywhere to resume |
| [x] | Leave the sector and return to the menu (a run can be continued later) |
| [?] | Quick control reminder, in game |
| Arrow keys | Queue a move in that direction (or click the on-screen arrows) |
| Space | Queue a shot (fires upward unless a boost turns it) |
| S | Queue a shield — recharges it to full |
| E | Escape Pod — press once to ARM (INFO screen shows POD ARMED), again to queue (2 AP). Auto-disarms after 2s. Once per sector. See below. |
| 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 | Queue a boost from that hand slot |
| Enter | Execute the queued plan (an empty queue passes the turn) |
| Backspace | Undo last queued action |
| Escape | Clear entire queue (and disarm the pod) |
| Tab | Switch between your ship and the Wingman (if deployed) — or click the SELECT button at the start of the boost row |
| T | New run — or restart the sector in Practice. Disabled in the Daily. |
| P | Pause |
| R | Return to main menu (a run can be continued later) |
Ejects you back to the starting cell. The price: every boost in your hand is lost and your max shield is halved. One use per sector.
| FIGHTER | 65 HP · 6 AP · shield 2. Balanced all-rounder. Good starting choice. |
| TANK | 80 HP · 4 AP · shield 3. Shots cost only 1 AP. |
| SCOUT | 40 HP · 8 AP · shield 1. Fragile but fast — shots cost 3 AP, so spend them wisely. |
| MINER | 50 HP · 7 AP · no shield. Close-range digger: 20 dmg point blank, 10 at 2–3 cells, 5 beyond. Tunnels through terrain — one shot clears most bricks, five for a titan. Double damage to moonrock, half damage taken from spikes and rock. Holds 4 boosts but starts with none; a full hold weighs it down — 1 AP less per turn until you play something. The SHIELD action does nothing until a SHIELD+ boost gives it one. |
| RACER | 30 HP · 8 AP · no shield. Shots cost 3 AP. Turns to face every move and fires the way it faces — you aim by flying. Retreat and your gun points away from the enemy; turning back costs a move. Facing carries over between turns and resets to up each sector. One boost slot, and it never draws FLIP or ROTATE. Like the Miner, the SHIELD action does nothing until a SHIELD+ boost gives it one. |
| CARGO | 70 HP · 5 AP · shield 2. Holds 5 boosts instead of 3 and starts with a full hand — relies on combos. |
Every ship except the Miner starts a run with a full hand of boosts.
Toggle mute with the [♪] button on the menu screen. Setting is remembered between sessions.
Before you commit, enemies reveal their plans: coloured arrows for intended moves, column highlights for shot lanes, ! markers on enemies about to fire. Shot telegraphs stop at bricks, beacons and drones. Ghosts hide their moves but still show their shots. Moving terrain shows faint blue-white arrows.
Enemies don't only fire at the column you're in. Any shooter may fire straight down its own lane — it can't hit where you are now, but it can hit where you're about to move. Check every red lane on your path.
Enemies move each turn according to their flight pattern. If an enemy reaches the bottom of the grid it breaches — it wraps to the top with doubled HP (capped at 100), looking bigger and angrier each time. Large enemies come back as a single toughened Grunt. An enemy that breaches more than 10 times turns volatile: it flashes red like a Kamikaze, stops following its pattern, hunts you down, and detonates when it reaches you.
Some sectors trigger a mass ADVANCE event every few turns — all enemies shift down one row simultaneously, on top of their normal movement. The screen flashes orange when it fires.
Advancing enemies crush and destroy your Wingman, Superdrone or Drones if they occupy the cell being advanced into. Advancing terrain (bricks) crushes them too — keep allies clear of any brick columns that are about to advance. Enemies with the NOADVANCE flight pattern are immune and stay put. Mines, forcefields, bombs and wormholes are not moved by Advance.
Coloured portal pairs (red / green / blue / purple) connect two cells on the grid. Entering one teleports you instantly to its partner. Your plan preview shows the jump.
If the exit cell is occupied the teleport is blocked — you stay put. Enemies and your Wingman can also use wormholes. Wormholes are indestructible.
Terrain HP counts hits, not damage — any shot takes off one point, whatever its strength.
| Bricks | Destroyable cover. Block both player and enemy shots. Plain bricks take 3 hits, thin shapes 1, hex 4, castle 5, titan 20. Shoot them to clear a lane or reveal hidden boost pickups. |
| Wedge | Crystal mirror. A shot striking its bright diagonal face is turned 45° — yours and the enemy's alike. Only hits on the two flat base edges damage it (3 hits). |
| Crumble | 3-hit brick that visibly cracks as it takes damage. |
| Explosive | 2 hits. Detonates on destruction — 8–14 damage to all 8 neighbours and chains into adjacent explosives. Enemies caught in the blast take damage. |
| Mega Explosive | 3 hits. 5×5 blast on death, 15–25 damage per cell. Chains into nearby explosives. |
| Repair Beacon | 4 hits. While intact, every enemy next to it gets a 10 HP barrier each turn that soaks a standard shot. Destroy these first. |
| Gas Cloud | 1 hit. Releases a 3×3 toxic cloud for ~15 seconds. Anything inside — you, allies, enemies — takes 8–12 damage every 2.5 seconds. |
| Chrono Cloud | 3 hits. Releases a 3×3 time-distortion cloud. Any turn-based enemy that enters it is converted to real-time permanently. |
| Erode | 6 hits. Loses one every turn on its own and collapses after six. Shooting it clears the lane sooner. |
| Void Cloud | 1 hit. Releases a 3×3 darkness cloud for several turns. Enemies inside are invisible and show no telegraphs. |
| Forcefields | Placed by FENCER enemies. Block your shots only — enemy fire passes straight through. Destroy the FENCER to remove them. |
| Mines | Dropped by MINELAYERs on every cell they leave. 10 damage if you fly into one. They fade after a few turns. |
| Bombs | Dropped by WARDEN/MARSHAL (their bombs drift toward you as they fall) and the UFO. Contact deals 15–20 damage (shield first) and destroys any boost pickup in the way. |
Pylons are placed in matched pairs on the same row or column. When both are intact they generate a real-time energy beam between them. Pylons take 5 hits — destroy one and both fall. Pylons advance with the grid.
| Red | Streaming pulse beam, 8–12 per hit. Damages you, allies and enemies. Time your moves through the gaps between pulses. |
| Orange | Streaming pulse beam. Damages you and allies only — enemies pass through safely. |
| Chrono | Streaming pulse beam. Does not damage — any turn-based enemy caught in a pulse is converted to real-time. |
| Blue | Always-on arc (no pulses). Damages you and allies. Real-time enemies that pass through are permanently accelerated. |
| Purple | Square-wave arc. No damage. Absorbs your shots and your allies'. |
Wingman and Wing Sniper are a second ship you steer: own AP, own queue, always firing straight up. Use Tab or the SELECT button in the boost row to switch. Deploying another replaces the one you have.
The Superdrone flies itself: it holds station off your shoulder, fires up its own column and dodges incoming fire. Its plan is telegraphed in purple alongside the enemies'. It has its own slot, so you can field it and a Wingman together.
Drones follow you around and fire straight up once a turn. Drones and the beacons you deploy block enemy shots — use them as cover.
Allies are destroyed if an Advance pushes an enemy or a brick into their cell.
Some enemies move continuously in real time rather than on turns. Any turn-based enemy can be converted to real time permanently by a Chrono beam or Chrono cloud.
| Bouncer | Bounces off walls, terrain and other enemies. No weapon — pure spatial disruption. |
| Spiker | Bounces like Bouncer but deals 10 damage to whatever it deflects off — you, enemies and terrain alike. |
| Moonrock | Starts inert. Any hit sets it rolling with pool-ball inertia, dealing 10 damage per impact. Gradually slows to a stop; another hit wakes it. |
| Turret | Static gun. Fires seeking missiles (9 damage) every 6–14 seconds. |
Your actions and the enemies' resolve in lockstep — step 1: your first action + every enemy's first, step 2: your second + their second, and so on. If you and an enemy both move to the same cell, both moves cancel.
Rarities: COMMON · UNCOMMON · RARE · LEGENDARY. A standard shot deals 10. Boosts fire in your current fire direction — up, unless FLIP or ROTATE has turned it.
| RUSH | +3 AP on your next turn |
| SHIELD+ | Permanently +1 max shield and refills it. Applies the moment you pick it up. |
| FLIP | Your shots fire downward next turn |
| ROTATE-L | Your shots fire left next turn (Railgun pierces the row instead) |
| ROTATE-R | Your shots fire right next turn (Railgun pierces the row instead) |
| OVERCHARGE | Every shot this turn deals 4× damage (40 each) |
| DIAG SHOT | Two diagonal beams flanking your fire direction, 80 damage each. Ignores terrain. |
| HAMMER | 10 damage to the first enemy in line — or destroys the first terrain block outright, whatever its HP. Instantly kills a Bouncer, Spiker or Moonrock. |
| TELEPORT | Warp to a random empty cell |
| REPAIR | +15 HP |
| WARP | Next turn: moves wrap round the grid edges (exit left → appear right, exit top → appear bottom) |
| EMP BLAST | Turn-based enemies skip their next actions; real-time enemies freeze for 7 seconds |
| TORPEDO | Missile that drifts toward the nearest enemy and detonates on proximity — 20 damage. Ignores terrain. |
| DRONE | Deploy a drone (30 HP) next to you. It follows you and fires straight up once a turn. |
| WINGMAN | Deploy an ally ship (10 HP) you steer with Tab. Its shots stop at terrain. |
| SUPERBURN | All moves cost 0 AP this turn. Only the first boost you fly over is collected. |
| RAILGUN | Pierces the whole column (or row) in your fire direction — 40 damage to every enemy and a hit on every brick in line |
| STARBURST | Piercing beams in all 8 directions, 25 damage each |
| SMART BOMB | 10 damage to every enemy, wipes all enemy shots and missiles in flight, and clears every boost pickup from the grid |
| SUPERSHOT | Insta-kill lance — destroys the first enemy hit outright. Stopped by terrain (one hit to the brick). |
| ICBM | Tags the first enemy in line (or the nearest), then a slow missile hunts it down. Blast: 80 at the centre, 40 to the ring around it, 20 to the ring beyond. |
| WING SNIPER | Deploy a sniper ally (10 HP) you steer with Tab. Its shots pierce terrain. |
| SUPERDRONE | Deploy an autonomous ally (30 HP) below you. Flies and fires by itself and never blocks your lane. |
These never drop in Practice. The deployables are only offered as sector rewards in a run. Deployables land on the cell ahead of you in your fire direction.
| TURRET | Deploy a turret (20 HP) that fires seeking missiles at the nearest enemy every 6–14 seconds |
| REPAIR BEACON | Deploy a beacon (70 HP). Heals you +5 HP each turn you end next to it. |
| DISRUPT BEACON | Deploy a beacon (70 HP). Deals 10 damage each turn to every enemy next to it. |
| SALVAGE | Scrap pickup dropped in runs — 30–60 credits, collected instantly |