Invaders Games

Invaders games started with the classic Space Invaders: you control a ship or cannon at the bottom of the screen and shoot the enemies coming down at you. There are more than 100 on the site, from faithful classics to versions with characters like Mario, Zelda or Naruto.

A little history

Space Invaders came out in 1978 from Taito and set the template: rows of advancing enemies, shields that wear away, and a mystery ship that crosses the top for bonus points. One detail explains why it's so addictive: the fewer invaders are left, the faster they move, so the end of each wave is the tensest part. Galaxian (Namco, 1979) changed something important: enemies no longer just march down in a block, they break away and dive at you. And Missile Command, from Atari (1980), flipped the idea around: you defend cities from falling missiles and blow them up with a cursor.

What you'll find

Space Invaders, Galaxian, Galaxians, Atari Missile Command and Invaders 2002 are the closest to the arcade originals. Mario Invaders, Zelda Invaders, Zelda Invaders 2, Naruto Invaders and Mau Cat Invaders bring the same mechanic to other characters, and they're a way in without feeling like you're in a museum. Arkinvaders, Tiny Invaders and Alien Defender add their own ideas on the same base, and Moon Clash Heroes and Gravity Command stray a bit further from the mold.

Almost all of them use the arrow keys or the mouse to move, and a key or click to fire. You can learn them in a minute, but getting good takes longer.

A tactic that works in the classics: take out the enemies at the edges of the row first. They change direction less often, which gives you more time to aim. Don't park under a shield, either. Enemy shots come down too, and moving slowly between the gaps gives you more room.