Star Hopper
7-level vertical shoot-em-up with dynamic boss battles and power-up chains
Mission Overview & Story
The flagship vertical shoot-em-up for the Picocomputer 6502. Fight your way through 7 intense levels of enemy attack waves, evade dense bullet patterns, shatter drifting asteroids for power capsules, and face off against massive multi-phase boss flagships at the climax of each stage.
Score Multipliers & Combat Waves
Battle 7 distinct enemy types with escalating point values. Destroying enemies in rapid succession without taking hull damage builds your Score Multiplier from 1× up to 5×. Taking a hit resets the multiplier to 1×. A bonus screen tallies your kills after each cleared sector.
Boss Encounters (4-Minute Timer)
Each sector concludes with a gigantic flagship encounter. Bosses feature vulnerable points highlighted in bright yellow. Some commanders require tactical preparation — such as clearing out escort fighters before the primary core exposes itself. Defeat the boss within 4 minutes, or the enemy retreats!
Asteroids & Power-Up Sequence
Shattering drifting asteroids reveals power capsules following a repeating cycle:
- P (Power): Increases fire rate (faster shots, reduced cooldown).
- E (Energy): Restores 8 HP to your starship hull.
- S (Speed): Raises maximum thruster velocity.
Ship Health & Extra Lives
Your ship has 48 HP. The health bar in the HUD turns warning red below 12 HP. Brief invincibility frames protect your craft after taking a hit. Extra lives are awarded every 100,000 points!
Controls Reference
Keyboard Controls
| Action | Key |
|---|---|
| Move Starship | ← → ↑ ↓ Arrow Keys |
| Fire Primary Weapons | Space or X |
| Start / Pause | Enter or P |
Gamepad Controls
| Action | Button / Input |
|---|---|
| Ship Steering | D-Pad or Left Analog Stick |
| Fire Weapons | X Button or A Button |
| Start / Pause Game | Start Button |
Scoring & Multipliers
| Event / Target | Points | Effect / Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Enemy Fighter Waves | 10 to 70 pts | Scales with enemy tier × Multiplier |
| Multiplier Chain | 1x → 5x | Maintained by dodging damage |
| Boss Flagship Defeat | 5,000 to 25,000 pts | Scales with stage difficulty |
| Extra Life Threshold | Every 100,000 pts | Awarded automatically |
Pro Strategies & Survival Tips
- Use invincibility frames immediately after a hit to reposition out of dense bullet clusters.
- Track the P → E → S power-up cycle so you know when an Energy repair capsule is next.
- Yellow boss cores are the only vulnerable damage points — focus sustained fire there.
Gallery & Artwork
