Machine Guides

Game History

Defender is a classic horizontally scrolling shoot 'em up arcade game developed by Williams Electronics and released in February 1981. It was designed by Eugene Jarvis, who had previously created the seminal Asteroids for Atari, and programmed by Larry DeMar and Sam Dicker. The game's difficulty was brutal: players controlled a spaceship tasked with defending human colonists from an alien invasion on a planetoid landscape.

What set Defender apart from other shooters of its era was its control scheme, which featured a five-button layout (up, down, reverse, thrust, and fire) and a radar display showing the entire playfield. This control configuration allowed for unprecedented control and gameplay depth, establishing a new standard for complexity in arcade games.

Defender was an immediate commercial success, with Williams shipping over 50,000 units worldwide and the game becoming one of the highest-grossing arcade titles of 1981. Its fast-paced gameplay and distinctive visual style making it a beloved title among players of all ages. Defender established conventions for horizontally scrolling shooters and complex control schemes that would influence countless games in the years to come.

How to Play

Objective

The main goal of Defender is to protect human colonists from alien abduction and destruction on a planetoid landscape. You must eliminate waves of alien invaders while preventing them from capturing and transforming humans. The game emphasizes both offensive combat and defensive protection of the human population.

Controls

• Joystick: Use the joystick to move your spaceship up and down
• Thrust Button: Press to accelerate your spaceship forward
• Fire Button: Press to shoot your laser at alien invaders
• Reverse Button: Press to reverse direction and fly backward
• Smart Bomb Button: Press to destroy all enemies on screen (limited supply)
• Hyperspace Button: Press to randomly teleport your spaceship (risky escape option)

Gameplay

• Starting the Game: Press the Start Button to begin your defense mission.

• Planet Navigation: Fly horizontally across the planetoid landscape, which wraps around when you reach the edge.

• Human Protection: Protect human colonists walking on the surface from alien abduction attempts.

• Alien Combat: Shoot various types of alien invaders, including Landers, Mutants, Baiters, and Pods, each with unique behaviors.

• Radar Monitoring: Watch the radar display at the top of the screen to track enemy positions and human locations across the entire playfield.

• Human Rescue: Rescue captured humans by shooting their alien abductors before they reach the top of the screen and transform into deadly Mutants.

• Smart Bomb Usage: Use your limited supply of smart bombs strategically to clear the screen of overwhelming enemy attacks.

• Wave Progression: Complete waves by destroying all aliens or rescuing all humans, with each wave featuring increased difficulty and more aggressive enemies.

• Game Over: The game ends when you lose all your lives. Your final score is displayed based on enemies destroyed, humans rescued, and waves completed.