How to play
Missile Defense is a retro arcade game in the style of the early 1980s. Warheads fall from the top of the screen toward your six cities and three launch bases. You cannot shoot them directly. Instead, you fire interceptors to a point in the sky, where each one blows up into a glowing circle. Any warhead that touches the circle is destroyed. Clear every wave, keep at least one city alive, and chase a place in the high score table.
Think of every shot as a trap. Aim ahead of a falling warhead, not at it, because the interceptor needs time to arrive and the blast needs time to grow.
Rules
- Three bases, ten interceptors each. The left, centre and right bases are refilled at the start of every wave. A destroyed base fires nothing until the next wave rebuilds it.
- Interceptor speed. The centre base fires fast interceptors. The side bases are slower, so use them for targets close to their own side.
- Blast timing. A blast grows for about half a second, holds briefly, then shrinks for about half a second. Anything inside the circle during that time is destroyed, and a destroyed warhead explodes too, so one shot can start a chain reaction.
- Waves get harder. Later waves bring more and faster warheads. From wave 3, some warheads split into several. From wave 4, bombers cross the sky dropping warheads, from wave 5 slow satellites do the same, and from wave 6 smart bombs dodge nearby blasts.
- End of wave. When the sky is clear, each remaining interceptor and each surviving city scores bonus points, counted up on screen.
- Bonus city. You earn a spare city every 10,000 points. At the start of the next wave a destroyed city is rebuilt. If every city is still standing, the spare is kept for later.
- Game over comes when all six cities are destroyed.
| Target | Points (before multiplier) |
|---|---|
| Warhead | 25 |
| Bomber or satellite | 100 |
| Smart bomb | 125 |
| Unused interceptor (end of wave) | 5 |
| Surviving city (end of wave) | 100 |
The score multiplier starts at 1 and rises by one every two waves, up to 6.
Controls
- Mouse: move the crosshair and click to fire from the nearest base that still has interceptors.
- Touch: tap a point in the sky. The crosshair jumps to your finger and an interceptor launches at once, so there is no need to drag.
- Keyboard: the arrow keys move the crosshair. Keys 1, 2 and 3 (or A, S and D) fire from the left, centre or right base. Space fires from the nearest base. P or Esc pauses.
The game pauses by itself when you switch tabs or the window loses focus. Sound effects are off by default; turn them on with the Sound button.
Tips and strategy
- Save the centre base for the hardest moments. Its fast interceptors reach distant warheads in time.
- Fire at warheads that are still high up. A blast over empty sky can catch several of them as they fall through it.
- Look for clusters. Two warheads close together can be taken by a single blast, and the second explosion often reaches a third.
- Do not spend all ten interceptors early. Unused ones are worth points and may save a city in the last seconds.
- Fire at a splitting warhead before it splits, or just after, while its pieces are still close together.
- Smart bombs run away from blasts. Place a blast ahead of one so its path leads into the circle, or overlap two blasts so there is nowhere to run.
- Bombers and satellites are worth a lot, and removing them early stops the warheads they would drop.
Frequently asked questions
Why did nothing happen when I fired?
The base you chose is out of interceptors or has been destroyed. Click or tap normally and the game picks the nearest base that can still fire. The status line also tells you when a base is empty.
How do I earn a spare city?
Reach 10,000 points, then 20,000, and so on. The Spare cities counter shows how many are waiting to be used.
Is my progress saved?
Yes. The game stores the start of your current wave in your browser, so after a reload you can pick up where you were. High scores are also kept in your browser only.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes. The playfield scales to your screen and a single tap fires. Rotating to landscape gives you a bigger playfield.
Why are my shots missing moving warheads?
Interceptors take time to fly, and the blast takes time to grow. Aim ahead of the target along its path.