Moon Shuttle

Moon shuttle

Game No.	474
Voting	5.67 points, 6 votes
Developer	John Butrovich
Company	Datasoft
Publisher	Nichibutsu (original arcade version), Datasoft, Americana Software, U.S. Gold
Release	1983
Platform	Arcade, Atari 8-bit, C64, TRS-80 CoCo
Genre	Shoot'em Up, Space Invader
Gamemode	Single player 2 players (in turns)
Operation
Media
Language

Description[edit | edit source]

Moon Shuttle is a Space Invaders clone from 1981, ported on the Commodore 64 in 1983. It's cute and the gameplay is a bit more complex that the first generation Space Invaders clones.

Gameplay[edit | edit source]

The player commands the Moon shuttle, a spaceship that resembles the Space shuttle, except that it shoots forward and its engines are always on without necessarily causing any acceleration. He has to survive the enemies and hazards that will find in every level all the while killing as many enemies as possible. He has 5 lives and every 20.000 points he gains one more life. There are no difficulty levels or setting to adjust.

Level 1[edit | edit source]

Level 1.

In the first level the shuttle flies to the top at a certain speed, but the way is blocked by a dense asteroid field. The field is made of six layers, but unlike following levels, none of them move. The player has to shot at the asteroids, open a way so that he can pass, and if he feels like he can move upwards a bit faster by moving the joystick up.

Every asteroid destroyed gives 20 points; finishing the level awards 500 points.

Level 2[edit | edit source]

Level 2.

In the second level the shuttle is stuck to the bottom of the screen, and can move only left and right. The player has to avoid collision with the Beetles and their shots, all the while killing as many of them as possible. Beetles appear from the top and move in circles toward the bottom. Sometimes they move from left to right or from right to the left, shooting below. If less than two are currently on the screen, new one will arrive.

New enemies appear for 55 seconds, and the level ends when none are left. Every Beetle destroyed gives 30 points.

Level 3[edit | edit source]

Level 3.

In the third level the shuttle has to cross another asteroid field. This time the first layer moves to the left while the second moves to the right.

Every asteroid destroyed gives 20 points; finishing the level awards 1000 points.

Level 4[edit | edit source]

Level 4.

In the fourth level the shuttle has to avoid collision with the Phasmidæ and their shots, all the while killing as many of them as possible. Phasmidæ appear from the bottom left and the bottom right of the screen, they rapidly fly above, and start to move in every direction above the player. They never fly as low as the player, but can shot below. When they do, they open their wings, offering a bigger target.

New enemies appear for 55 seconds, and the level ends when none are left. Every Phasmida destroyed gives 30 points.

Level 5[edit | edit source]

Level 5.

In the fifth level the shuttle has to cross another asteroid field. This time the first and third layer move to the left while the second and fourth move to the right.

Every asteroid destroyed gives 20 points; finishing the level awards 1500 points.

Level 6[edit | edit source]

Level 6.

In the sixth level the shuttle has to avoid collision with the Brains and their shots, all the while killing as many of them as possible. Brains appear from the upper left side or the upper right side, they move to the other side of the screen, bounce and move to the other side, losing some altitude every time. They move fast and shoot often, and eventually can reach the shuttle's height.

New enemies appear for 55 seconds, and the level ends when none are left. Every Brain destroyed gives 30 points.

Level 7[edit | edit source]

Level 7.

In the seventh level the shuttle has to cross another asteroid field. This time all the layers move: the first, third and fifth layer move to the left while the second, fourth and sixth move to the right.

Every asteroid destroyed gives 20 points; finishing the level awards 2000 points.

Level 8[edit | edit source]

Level 8.

In the eighth level the shuttle has to avoid collision with the Seaweeds and the Trons' shots, all the while killing as many of them as possible. Big Seaweeds appear from the top, and move randomly to the bottom. Hitting them will split them in two Medium Seaweeds, hitting Medium Seaweeds will split them in two Tiny Seaweeds, and hitting Tiny Seaweeds will kill them. Seaweeds don't shoot, but Trons do. Trons appear from the upper left side or the upper right side, they move to the other side of the screen shooting below. When they reach the margin of the screen they exit, but can reverse direction before reaching it.

New enemies appear for 55 seconds, and the level ends when none are left. Every Big Seaweed divided gives 10 points; every Medium Seaweed divided gives 20 points; every Tiny Seaweed destroyed gives 30 points; every Tron destroyed gives 50 points.

Points[edit | edit source]

Characters:

Picture	Name	Points
	Moon shuttle	-
	Boulder	20
	Beetle	30
	Phasmida	30
	Brain	30
	Big Seaweed	10
	Medium Seaweed	20
	Tiny Seaweed	30
	Tron	50

Design[edit | edit source]

Simple and playable game.
Fast pace.
This game has sound effects but no music.

Many enemies.

Life’s cruel.

This game allows for two players to play... just one at a time.

Minimalist design.

Hints[edit | edit source]

On the asteroid levels, it's important to open a large passage, not only to gain more points, but also because the shuttle shoots only upwards. Once the ship reaches the same height of the first asteroids, the player must keep a certain distance from them on both sides, or else he will hit them and die. That means that he can destroy a narrower section than before, and once he reaches this narrower gap, his marge of movement will be even smaller. The asteroid field is not very deep, but eventually the player won't have any room to move anymore, and will hit the boulders. On the next asteroid levels, more and more asteroid layers are going to slowly close on the shuttle, so the player has to open a every time a larger gap than before.

Solution[edit | edit source]

Like many games, once the last level is completed, the player jumps back to the first level. However, lives and score are remembered.

Cheats[edit | edit source]

Several crack versions are available on [1].

Voting[edit | edit source]

Voting of the C64-Wiki-User (10=the best vote):
5.67 points at 6 votes (rank 875). You need to be logged in to cast a vote.
C64Games	6	8th September 2019 - "good" - 19280 downs
Lemon64	6.6	27th May 2018 - 36 votes
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