Steer a self-firing ground cannon, shatter falling rocks, and chip away at alien ships one hit at a time.
Andromeda Invaders puts you in charge of a small green laser cannon on the surface of a planet. Overhead, a fleet of orange ships drifts back and forth and drops boulders toward you. You slide left and right, and the cannon fires upward on its own. Your aim is to knock rocks out of the air and grind each ship down until it vanishes.
The look is deliberately old-school. Everything, down to the score digits, is built from tiny squares, and a loop of synthesized chords plays in the background and picks up speed as you advance.
Rules in brief
Only one laser pulse is in the air at a time. That makes positioning everything, because a wasted shot leaves you open until it clears the screen.
Ships need three hits each. Their color tells you their health: bright orange, then dark orange, then dark red. The first hit is worth 10 points, the second 20, and the finishing blow 30. Popping a boulder earns a single point. Be quick, though. A damaged ship patches itself up by one step after it has dropped ten more boulders.
Your cannon has health too. It shifts from bright green to dark green to dull yellow as it takes damage, and the third boulder ends the run. Go 100 points without getting hit and one step of damage is repaired.
How the levels build
The first level sends three ships. The second sends six, and every level after that brings ten. Speed rises with each stage, for both the ships and their boulders. The whole fleet also creeps downward, and it drops faster once only a handful of ships remain.
Difficulty keeps climbing up to level 20. The level number wraps back to 1 after level 1000, but your score keeps adding up, so a long run never really caps out.
Winning moves
- Target the lowest ship first, since it is the one that can end your run by touching down.
- Finish off wounded ships before they heal, and collect the 30-point final hit.
- Stay under any boulder that is about to land on you and shoot it instead of dodging blindly.
- After a bad hit, play cautiously and bank 100 clean points to recover.
Good to know
A clock in the top right corner counts the time spent on your current attempt. Press M to mute the music, F for full screen, and Space or P to pause. Pressing Enter or E ends the run and opens an info screen, and pressing it again starts fresh.
Controls
| Action | Keyboard | Mouse | Touch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Move left or right | Left and Right arrows, or A and D | Hold the arrow buttons under the screen | Hold the arrow buttons under the screen |
| Start, pause or resume | Space or P | Click the play/pause button | Tap the play/pause button |
| End the run and open the info screen, then press again to restart | Enter or E | Click the return-arrow button | Tap the return-arrow button |
| Mute or unmute | M | Click the note button | Tap the note button |
| Full screen | F | — | — |
Andromeda Invaders FAQ
Can I play Andromeda Invaders on a phone?
Partly. Five large buttons sit under the play area, and holding an arrow keeps the cannon sliding. It is playable by touch, but steering feels much smoother with a keyboard, so a laptop or Chromebook is the better choice.
Is there a fire button?
No. The cannon shoots by itself, one pulse at a time. The next shot only goes up once the last one strikes something or exits the top of the screen. You aim purely by where you move.
How does a run end?
Two ways. Take three boulder hits and your cannon is done. Or let the lowest alien ship sink all the way to the ground, at which point it swerves at you and the run stops instantly.
Is it one or two players?
It is a single-player game. If you leave it alone for five seconds after loading or restarting, a demo takes over and the computer plays. To play yourself, tap Enter two times to reset and start moving at once.
