🎯 Goal

Destroy every drone in each wave before they reach the bottom or grind down your hull. Survive endlessly — the deeper you go, the higher your score.

🕹️ Controls

• ← → or A D — move left / right
• Space / W / ↑ — fire (hold for auto-fire)
• Mouse / touch — drag to move & fire automatically
• Q / Enter — fire 💫 NOVA when charged
• P pause · B AI · M mute

💫 Nova Blast

The bottom 💫 meter fills as you destroy enemies. When full, unleash a screen-clearing energy wave that wipes enemy bullets and heavily damages everything — press Q/Enter or click the meter. The AI uses it automatically in a pinch.

⏩ Game Speed

Tap the speed chip (top bar) to cycle Slow → Normal → Faster → Lightning. It scales the whole simulation — relax on Slow, or watch the AI blitz on Lightning.

🤖 AI Autopilot

Toggle 🤖 AI any time, or hit AI DEMO. It fully runs itself: dodges fire, lines up targets, auto-buys the best upgrades, advances waves on its own, and restarts after a game over.

👾 Enemies

• Grunt — standard drone, 2 hits.
• Dart — fast & fragile, swoop-dives at you.
• Tank — armored, 3+ hits, shows a health bar.
• Weaver — strafes side to side and dives often.
• Sniper — fires fast, precise aimed shots.
• Splitter — bursts into two diving minis when killed.
• Shielded — a bubble must be broken before its hull.
• Mothership — a boss every 5th wave, 3 attack patterns.

💎 Credits & Upgrades

Kills earn ◈ credits. Between waves, spend them on Rapid Fire, Multi-Shot, Plasma Core, Thrusters, Aegis Field (shield), Rail Pierce, plus new gear: 🛰 Seeker Missiles (auto-homing), 🛸 Wingmen (orbiting drones that shoot), ☄ Crit Matrix (critical hits), 🩸 Life Leech (heal on kill), and 🤖 Pet Drones.

🤖 Pet Drones

Buy Pet Drones to add robot buddies (up to 5) that fight beside you. They share your weapon upgrades — leveling Plasma Core, Rapid Fire, Multi-Shot, or Rail Pierce powers up the whole squad. The AI buys and uses them too. Their eye colour shows what they're doing:

• Cyan — Guard: hovering in front of your ship to protect it.
• Amber — Hunt: flying out to attack an enemy off to the side that you can't reach, then returning.
• Red — Intercept: rushing to block a swooping enemy or diving mini before it reaches you.

✨ Power-ups

Drones may drop ❤ Heal, 🛡 Shield, or ◈ Credits. Fly over to grab them.

↻ Retry & Comeback Bonus

Dying replays the same wave with your upgrades intact — and grants a comeback credit bonus (bigger the further you got). The RE-ARM shop opens so you can spend it before trying again. The AI gets the bonus and re-arms itself automatically.