by Jason Rowe

Star Hopper

Star Hopper is an arcade shoot-’em-up in the classic vertical style. Pilot your hopper through seven levels of alien attack waves, blast asteroids for power-ups, and face a different boss at the end of every level.

Originally written for the Picocomputer 6502 , Star Hopper has been rebuilt for PICO-8, with its art, music and enemy patterns carried over to the fantasy console.

Features

• 7 levels, 7 bosses. Each boss has its own attack. Some dive at you, some drop through the screen, and one hunts you along the bottom. Hit the glowing weak spot when it turns yellow.
• 7 enemy types. Zig-zag chains, formations, snipers that dig in and open fire, and chasers that explode when they get close.
• Power-ups from asteroids.  E repairs your ship, S makes it faster, P makes it fire faster. Losing a life costs you some of your upgrades.
• Score multiplier. Chain kills without taking a hit to push your multiplier up to x5.
• End-of-level bonus. Every kill counts toward a bonus that also repairs your ship.
• An extra life every 100 000 points, and your high score is saved.
• Full chiptune soundtrack: a tune for each level, plus boss, bonus and victory themes.