Zapper

Defend the line against the swarm  ·  A free browser game by Iron Dragon Games

About the Game

Zapper is a modern take on the classic invader-formation shooter. Five rows of alien ships march back and forth across the top of the screen, stepping down a row every time they reach an edge. You control a defender at the bottom of the screen, sliding left and right to line up shots as your cannon auto-fires straight up. Clear every alien to finish the wave; the swarm gets faster and more aggressive with each one that follows.

Controls

Action	Keyboard / Mouse	Touch
Move	Arrow keys, A / D, or mouse	Drag your finger
Fire	Automatic — just line up your shots
Pause / resume	Esc or P	—
Main menu (while paused)	H	Tap the Main Menu button

The Swarm

• The formation moves as one block. Every time it reaches the left or right edge, it steps down a row and reverses direction — the lower it gets, the less room you have to react.
• If the swarm ever reaches your line, it's an instant game over, regardless of how many ships you have left. Keep the formation thinned out.
• Only the front-most alien in each column can fire, and columns fire at random. Higher rows are worth more points but are harder to reach while the formation is still tall.

Diving Bugs

Every so often, a single alien breaks out of formation and dives straight at you, swooping side to side and firing a shot of its own partway through the dive. A diver is worth a bonus on top of its usual points if you shoot it down — but colliding with one costs you a life just like taking a hit, so don't let it reach you.

Rules

• You start with 3 ships. Getting hit by alien fire or a diving bug costs one, with a brief invincible respawn afterward.
• Your top ten scores are stored on your device and shown on the game-over screen.

Tips

• Watch the edges — the formation always steps down right as it reverses, so that's the moment your reaction window gets smaller.
• Thin out the front row first; it's the only row that can fire, and clearing it opens the row behind up to your shots.
• When you hear the dive alert, find the bug fast — it's worth real points and a near-miss can clip your invincibility window from a previous hit.

Free to play in any modern browser on desktop or mobile — no download, no account. Privacy Policy  ·  Contact