Play Spacechase Online

Stranded on the moon in a clunky Starcruiser, dodging waves of alien missiles that get faster and meaner the longer you last—one wrong move and you're space dust. That scoring system messes with your head, but you'll keep firing just to see how long you can outrun the chaos.

Released: 1981

File size: 3.02 KB

Game Overview

Spacechase is one of those classic Atari 2600 games that feels simple at first—until the aliens start throwing everything at you. You're stuck on the moon in a Mark 16 Starcruiser, and suddenly enemy ships warp in, blasting neutron missiles that’ll wreck you in one hit. The longer you survive, the more desperate they get, switching to nasty heat-seeking proton missiles that home in on you. Good luck.

You’ve got eight-way movement in the lower third of the screen, and a single button to fire. The scoring’s a little weird—different aliens give different points, and shooting missiles nets you extra. Hit 10,000 points, and things ramp up to level two. 40,000? Welcome to hell (aka level three).

There’s a ton of game variations, too. Some start you with limited missiles, others flood the screen with them. You can even begin at higher difficulty levels if you’re feeling brave. Oh, and half the modes are nighttime—because apparently space battles are scarier in the dark.

It’s the kind of game where you’ll die a lot at first, but once you get the rhythm, you’ll be dodging and blasting like a pro. Just don’t get too comfortable—those heat-seekers don’t play fair.