How to play Space Rocks
- Tap the screen to start. Your ship is in the center and fires forward on its own, up to five shots at a time.
- Drag your finger and the ship moves exactly as much as your finger, without being hidden under it, and aims where it is heading. On a keyboard, turn with the arrow keys and thrust with the up arrow.
- Shoot the rocks: each large rock splits into two medium ones, each medium one into two small ones, and the small ones disappear. If a rock hits you, you lose a life and respawn in the center, invulnerable for a few seconds.
- When you destroy all the rocks, the next wave arrives with more and faster rocks. Every 3000 points you earn an extra life (up to five). The game ends when you run out of lives.
Points, strategy and tips
The smaller the rock, the more it is worth: 20 points for a large one, 50 for a medium one and 100 for a small one. Destroying a large rock along with all its pieces adds up to 520 points. Small rocks are the hardest to hit but also the ones that give the most points.
The screen edges wrap around: whatever leaves on one side appears on the opposite side, whether it is the rocks, your ship or your shots. Use it to escape when a rock corners you. It pays to break the large rocks that are far away first, before they get close, and not to sit still in the center: moving slowly in circles gives you more time to aim.
Be careful when breaking a rock near your ship: the pieces fly off in random directions and sometimes head straight for you. When you respawn, use the seconds of invulnerability (the ship flashes) to move in among the rocks and shoot from close range. Everything is calculated in your browser; only your best score is saved on your device.
Things to keep in mind
- Your best score is saved only in this browser: if you clear the site data, it is lost.
- On a phone, dragging on the game screen does not scroll the page; to scroll the page, swipe outside the game screen.
- The game pauses by itself when you switch tabs or apps, and you pick it up again with the Resume button. There is no sound.
Frequently asked questions
How do I play Space Rocks on a phone?
Rest your finger on the game screen and drag it: the ship moves where your finger moves and fires in that direction. Since your finger doesn't have to be on the ship, it doesn't block your view.
Can I play with a keyboard?
Yes: left and right arrow keys (or A and D) to turn, up arrow (or W) to thrust, space bar for extra shots and P to pause. With a mouse, the ship follows the pointer.
Why does the ship fire on its own?
So that one finger is enough on a phone. It fires every three tenths of a second, with a maximum of five shots on screen, so aiming well matters more than tapping fast.
What happens when a rock hits me?
You lose a life and the ship respawns in the center, flashing and unable to be hit for a few seconds. If you have no lives left, the game ends.
How do I earn extra lives?
Every 3000 points you gain a life, with a maximum of five at the same time.
Is my best score saved?
Yes, in this browser. It is not sent to any server and your score is not recorded.