Tilt and fire the engine to set a lander down on a lit pad, with one life and tighter conditions on every level.
Moon Lander drops a small craft into the sky above rolling gray hills and asks you to bring it down in one piece. Somewhere below, a flat green landing pad sits between a pair of beacon posts. You rotate the lander and fire short engine bursts to slow your fall and drift over to it.
There is just one life, so a single bad landing ends your run. That makes every descent a careful balance of fuel, speed and angle.
Getting started
Press PLAY and the lander appears already falling. Pointing the nose up and firing the engine brakes your descent. Leaning to one side and firing pushes you sideways. The camera keeps both the craft and the pad in view, so you always know which way to head.
In the top left corner, a panel lists your level, score and altitude. Below that are three bars. FUEL drops as you thrust. SPD and TILT glow green when your velocity and lean are within the safe range for a landing and turn red when they are not.
Crashes and scoring
Touching the hills, landing beside the pad, arriving too quickly or tipped at a sharp angle all destroy the lander. You also crash if you stray too far past the left or right edge of the map. If your fuel runs out, the engine goes quiet and gravity takes over, so leave enough for the last braking burn.
A safe landing is worth 100 points multiplied by the level you are on. You also earn 4 points per unit of fuel left in the tank, plus a bonus of up to 100 for a soft touchdown. Your score keeps growing from one level to the next.
Landing tips
- Cancel sideways drift while you are still high. Lining up early is easier than correcting near the ground.
- Tap the engine in short bursts. A long burn wastes fuel and can send you climbing again.
- Get upright before the final few meters. The safe tilt window is small, and turning near the surface often pushes you out of it.
- Aim for the center of the pad. Deep into the game it is only a little wider than the lander itself.
- Treat fuel as points. Saved fuel adds to the total, so a calm descent pays off twice.
Who it suits
Moon Lander is a good pick if you enjoy precise, slow-handed control over raw speed. Each level places the pad somewhere new on fresh terrain, so you cannot just memorize a path.
Controls
| Action | Keyboard | Mouse | Touch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rotate the lander | Left and Right arrows, or A and D | — | Push the on-screen stick left or right |
| Fire the main engine | Up arrow, W or Space | — | Round thrust button |
| Restart from level 1 | R | — | — |
| Use the menus and the CONTINUE dialog | — | Click the buttons | Tap the buttons |
Moon Lander FAQ
Can I play Moon Lander on a phone or Chromebook?
Yes. On a touchscreen you get an on-screen stick for rotating and a round button for thrust. On a Chromebook or laptop, rotate with the Left and Right arrows or A and D, and fire the engine with Up, W or Space. A gamepad works too.
How many lives do I get?
Only one. Once you crash, the run is over and the screen tells you how far you got. Press R to start over from level 1. Your best score is saved, so each new attempt has a target to beat.
How do I win a level?
Land with both feet on the pad while the SPD and TILT bars are green. That means you are moving slowly enough and sitting upright enough. Then the level is scored and a new one begins.
Does it get harder?
Yes, gradually. Each level brings rougher ground, slightly stronger gravity, a narrower pad and a smaller fuel supply. The increase levels off after several stages, so the game never becomes impossible.
