How to play › ARCADE
STAR RAID
The raiders come in waves and every wave learns from the last. Star Raid is a fixed-screen space shooter: pick a ship and hold the line through five sectors and fifteen waves, with a boss waiting at every third.
PLAY NOW ▶The goal
Shoot down every raider in each wave before they break through. The run ends when you lose your last ship, or if raiders cross the red line at the bottom. Hold all five sectors and put out THE ECLIPSE to win.
How a run plays
Raiders change formation every wave, break ranks and dive at you; later ones wear armour and aim their shots. Divers are worth double and drop weapon pods: DOUBLE SHOT, TRI-SPREAD, PIERCING LANCE and SHIELD. Kill again within about a second to keep a streak going: every ten kills in a row raise the multiplier, from x2 at 10 to x4 at 30.
You have three extra tools. X lobs a flak shell, refilled every wave. C fires an EMP that clears enemy shots, divers and everything near you, and hurts a boss. The shoulder buttons barrel-roll you through a shot, untouchable while the roll lasts.
Every third wave brings a boss: the DREADNOUGHT, the HIVE CARRIER, and at the gate, THE ECLIPSE. Break one and choose a refit for your ship; the right pair of refits turns up a rare one. MARSHAL KESH, who leads the raid, has plenty to say along the way. Hold all five sectors and the raid starts again, angrier.
Controls
| Keyboard | Pad | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Left / Right | Stick / d-pad | Move the ship |
| Z / Space | A | Fire (hold) |
| X | B | Flak shell |
| C / Down | C | EMP |
| Q / E | L / R | Barrel roll left or right |
| Up | Stick up | Roll the way you are moving |
On a phone or tablet, a see-through joystick and A, B, C, L, R and SPACE buttons appear over the game and do the same as the keys above.
Gamepad: the stick or d-pad moves and the buttons follow the Pad column (Start is START). Esc, P or Back pauses, and the HOW TO PLAY button over the game shows the basics any time.
Modes
In the hangar you pick a ship:
- VANGUARD: balanced gun and engines, two flak.
- SPITFIRE: rapid fire and an armour plate, three flak, but it turns like a barge.
- BULWARK: a slower gun, but a shield in every life; one flak.
Press X in the hangar for the DAILY SORTIE. After you win once, the hangar also opens a BOSS RUSH: five bosses against one clock, with your best time recorded.
Mastery stars
Each star pays tickets the first time you earn it.
- Bronze: Score 2,000.
- Silver: Dreadnought Down: break the first dreadnought.
- Gold: The Line Held: hold all five sectors and put out the Eclipse.
Daily challenge
Yes. The DAILY SORTIE drops you into one sector on a lent ship for its three waves and boss, on NORMAL, the same for everyone that day.
Beginner tips
- Divers are the main threat. When one comes at you, barrel roll through it with Q or E.
- Kill the divers when you can: they are worth double and drop the weapon pods.
- Use your flak every wave. It refills at the start of the next one, so there is no point saving it.
- Keep EMP for when the screen is full of shots, or for a boss. It also clears everything close to you.
- Keep the streak going by firing steadily into a crowded formation rather than chasing single raiders.