Developed during the golden age of arcade games, the game has been included on lists of the greatest video games of all time.
The player pilots a fighter craft from a first-person perspective.
The player does not have to destroy every enemy fighter craft and gun turret in order to advance through the game; instead, the player must survive for a set length of time, either avoiding or destroying enemies and the shots they fire. The player begins with six shields, one of which is lost for every collision with an enemy or projectile. If the player loses all shields and is hit again, the game ends.
Each wave of the game consists of three attack phases, culminating in the destruction of the enemy battlestar.
Phase 1
In the first phase, the player engages in a dogfight with enemy fighter craft in outer space near the battlestar.
Phase 2
In the second phase, the player must fly across the surface of the battlestar to reach its equatorial trench. This section is omitted during the first wave of the game. During the second wave the player is attacked by artillery bunkers, while in the third and subsequent waves laser turrets on towers rise to confront the player. The player is awarded a bonus for destroying every turret.
Phase 3
In the third phase, the player must navigate the trench until finally firing a proton torpedo for a direct hit on the exhaust port target. If the player is successful, the battlestar explodes and the player is awarded a bonus shield, to a maximum of six. Should the player fail to hit the exhaust port, a shield is lost and the player must attempt the trench again. If the player manages to destroy the battlestar without firing at anything but the exhaust port, a bonus is awarded.
The game then resets to the first phase. Each successive wave greatly increases the difficulty; enemy fighter craft shoot more often, artillery bunkers and laser towers appear in the second phase, and obstacles appear in the trench during the third. The enemy units in this game shoot projectiles resembling fireballs, which give the player a chance of destroying the shots.
The player pilots a fighter craft from a first-person perspective.
The player does not have to destroy every enemy fighter craft and gun turret in order to advance through the game; instead, the player must survive for a set length of time, either avoiding or destroying enemies and the shots they fire. The player begins with six shields, one of which is lost for every collision with an enemy or projectile. If the player loses all shields and is hit again, the game ends.
Each wave of the game consists of three attack phases, culminating in the destruction of the enemy battlestar.
Phase 1
In the first phase, the player engages in a dogfight with enemy fighter craft in outer space near the battlestar.
Phase 2
In the second phase, the player must fly across the surface of the battlestar to reach its equatorial trench. This section is omitted during the first wave of the game. During the second wave the player is attacked by artillery bunkers, while in the third and subsequent waves laser turrets on towers rise to confront the player. The player is awarded a bonus for destroying every turret.
Phase 3
In the third phase, the player must navigate the trench until finally firing a proton torpedo for a direct hit on the exhaust port target. If the player is successful, the battlestar explodes and the player is awarded a bonus shield, to a maximum of six. Should the player fail to hit the exhaust port, a shield is lost and the player must attempt the trench again. If the player manages to destroy the battlestar without firing at anything but the exhaust port, a bonus is awarded.
The game then resets to the first phase. Each successive wave greatly increases the difficulty; enemy fighter craft shoot more often, artillery bunkers and laser towers appear in the second phase, and obstacles appear in the trench during the third. The enemy units in this game shoot projectiles resembling fireballs, which give the player a chance of destroying the shots.
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