Games / Sky Raider / How to play
How to play Sky Raider
Fly low over rolling hills, dodge the shells the tanks throw up at you, and bomb every tank before you reach the far side of the screen. It is a free bomber game drawn the way a ZX Spectrum would draw it: 256 by 192 pixels, bright yellow on black, with beeper sound.
Controls
Keyboard
- Up / Down or W / S climb and dive. The plane flies forward on its own.
- Space drops a bomb. It also starts a game and plays again after a game over.
- P or Esc pauses, M turns the sound on or off.
Phone or tablet
- Upright, a control pad sits under the screen: drag the left pad up or down to fly and tap BOMB on the right.
- On the screen itself the left 60% steers (the plane follows your finger) and the right 40% drops bombs, so it also plays sideways.
- With the sound on, the phone gives a short buzz when you hit a tank or get hit.
Mouse
Click and hold on the left of the screen to steer towards the pointer; click the right side to bomb.
The bomb arc
This is the whole game. A bomb leaves the plane at the plane's own speed and keeps moving forward while gravity pulls it down, so it lands well ahead of where you let it go. Drop early: from high up, release about as far before the tank as you are above it. Flying lower makes the arc shorter and easier to judge, but the tanks' shells reach you sooner.
Only three bombs can be in the air at once. The three pips under the high score show how many are ready, and an empty click means you are out.
Scoring
| Event | Points |
|---|---|
| Tank destroyed | 100 x sector level |
| Reaching the far side | 25 |
| Sector clear (every tank destroyed) | 200 x sector level |
| Extra life | every 5,000 points (up to 5 lives) |
Each new landscape is one level harder: the plane flies faster, there is one more tank (up to nine), and the tanks fire more often with quicker shells. A crash into the hills or a shell costs a life; you come back at the left of the same landscape, flashing and safe for a moment.
Hall of fame
Score enough to beat the fifth entry and the game asks for your initials, up to three letters or numbers, arcade style. The table starts with a few easy scores to beat. It is kept in your browser on this device, and so is your high score. Nothing is sent to us.
Tips
- Fly at a steady middle height so you can see the next hill coming. Most early crashes are hills, not shells.
- Clearing a sector is worth more than a tank at high levels, so pick off the last tank before you leave the screen.
- Shells are aimed where you are, not where you will be. Change height and they miss.
- Use the pause key when you need a breather: it freezes everything, shells included.
Frequently asked questions
Why do my bombs miss?
Bombs keep the plane's forward speed when they leave it, then fall faster and faster. Release a bomb before you are over the tank, roughly as far ahead as you are high.
Why can I not drop another bomb?
Only three bombs can be in the air at once. The three bomb pips under the high score show how many are ready.
How do I get an extra life?
You earn an extra life every 5,000 points, up to five lives.
Is my hall of fame shared with other players?
No. The hall of fame and your high score are kept in your own browser on this device. Nothing is sent to us.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes. Hold the phone upright and use the control pad under the screen: drag the left pad to climb or dive and tap BOMB on the right.