Neon Invaders Game Review

Neon Invaders Game Background

Neon Invaders is a modern space shooting game inspired by the original Space Invaders and rendered beautifully in a neon-light theme. As with the arcade classic, earn points by taking out alien invaders and evade their every attack. The game was developed by Joffre Macedo Neto on September 16, 2020.

How to Play Neon Invaders

To select, left click with your mouse or tap on the touchscreen with your fingers. Select the play button at the center of the screen to begin.

On a desktop, use the keyboard to control the ship. Press the left and right arrow keys to move and press the space bar to shoot. On a touchscreen device, tap on the left and right arrows on the bottom left corner of the screen to move the ship and tap on the shoot button on the bottom right corner to shoot.

Basic Gameplay Advice

Getting started

At the main menu, choose a level layout and a ship type. There are 3 ships and 3 layouts available. Ship types are largely cosmetic. Meanwhile, each level layout has its own movement pattern.

Objectives

Your goal is to shoot down the oncoming horde of alien ships while avoiding their attacks. Hide behind the bases to shield yourself from oncoming enemy fire. Move away from cover and shoot at your foes to take out enemy ships.

Enemy ships usually move from side to side but may sometimes move forward. Some ships may take multiple shots to take out. Once you’ve cleared all the enemy ships, select the fast forward button on the win screen to face off against a new armada. Your energy and defenses will be replenished.

Lives & Energy

You begin the game with 3 lives and a full bar of energy. You lose a life each time you get hit. Meanwhile, you lose energy as you play the game. You lose even more power when you shoot bullets. You die when you lose all your lives or when your energy bar is completely empty.

A fast-moving ship appears on the top row every so often. Shoot it down to get a falling heart. Collecting a heart will replenish a life and restore your energy. If you have a full set of lives, it will still restore your energy.

Scoring

Shooting down an enemy is worth 1200 points, while you gain 450 points for hitting a tougher enemy. Your web browser automatically saves your best score; you can compare your best and latest score on the game over screen.

Advanced Playing Tips & Strategy

Take advantage of the hearts that you can gain by shooting the ship on the top row. This will not only help you survive getting hit but also replenish your energy, enabling you to shoot more aggressively as the game progresses.

Aggressive shooting becomes especially important in the late game where the enemies get tougher. The initial barrage of shots will take out the weaker enemies as well as do harm to the tougher ones. Save more precise, conservative shots for when the enemies are more spaced out.

The enemies move. If you need to shoot with precision, shoot where the enemy will be than where the enemy currently is. By anticipating where the enemy will be, the shot will make contact with the enemy as they move into position.

Educational Aspects

This game hones a player’s hand-eye coordination and response times. It also encourages players to make quick strategic decisions, especially surrounding aim and resource conservation.

Player Age Recommendations

This game is suited for players school aged and above. We recommend it for fans of retro space shooting games, especially of the original Space Invaders.