Alien Rows
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About Alien Rows
Alien Rows is a fixed-screen shooter in the spirit of the old arcade invaders. A grid of coloured aliens shuffles sideways across the sky, drops a step each time it reaches an edge, and fires shots down at your little ship. You slide along the ground, fire upward, and hide behind three crumbling green shields.
It suits anyone who likes quick reflexes and a clear goal. A run usually lasts three to eight minutes, and the tension builds because the formation speeds up as you thin it out. A good run clears several waves, keeps your lives intact and picks off the occasional flying saucer for a bonus.
How to play Alien Rows
- Slide your ship left and right along the bottom of the screen.
- Hold fire and shoot upward at the aliens; one hit removes one alien.
- Shelter behind the green shields when yellow enemy shots come down, though shots chip them away.
- Clear every alien in the wave to start a new, tougher one.
- Keep the formation from reaching the ground line, and avoid losing all three lives.
Controls
| Keyboard and mouse | Move with the left and right arrow keys or A and D. Hold Space, the up arrow or W to fire; your ship shoots automatically at a steady pace while the key is held. |
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| Phone and tablet | Touch and drag anywhere on the playfield to slide the ship toward your finger. Holding your finger down keeps firing, so one thumb handles both jobs. |
Scoring
Aliens are worth more the higher their row: 30 points for the top row, 20 for the next two, and 10 for the bottom two. Three kills in a quick chain (each within about a second of the last) doubles the points of every further kill until the chain breaks. The pink saucer is worth 100, and clearing a wave adds 100.
Tips and strategy
- Pick off the outer columns first. The group only turns around when its outermost alien hits a wall, so trimming the edges gives the formation more room and slows its descent.
- Aim for the top-row aliens when the chance is there. Each is worth 30 points, triple the bottom row, and chaining three kills quickly doubles what follows.
- Do not hide behind a shield and fire from it forever. Your own shots and enemy shots both erode it, and aliens that drop low wipe out shield blocks on contact.
- Watch the saucer that crosses the top every so often. It moves in a straight line, so lead it slightly and fire once for a 100 point bonus.
- After a hit you flash for about a second and cannot be hit again. Use that window to reposition rather than standing still, since a hit also resets your kill chain.
Alien Rows FAQ
▸How do I lose?
There are two ways. You run out of your three lives by being hit by enemy shots, or the formation steps low enough to reach the ground line, which ends the game immediately even if you have lives left.
▸Do the aliens get faster?
Yes. The formation speeds up as fewer aliens remain, and each new wave starts a little faster and lower, fires more often, and adds rows up to a maximum of five.
▸Is there a way to rebuild the shields?
No. The shields are rebuilt in full at the start of each new wave, but within a wave they only get smaller, so use them wisely.
▸Does my score count toward the weekly leaderboard?
Yes. When the game ends, your score is submitted and can earn XP and a place on the weekly leaderboard.
