Greetings Happy Coders, and thanks for downloading Lunar Rescue RX.

Lunar Rescue is an arcade game released by Taito in 1979. Released on modified Space Invaders hardware at around the same time as Asteroids and Galaxian, this enjoyable game was somewhat overshadowed at the time, but does have a charm all of its own.

The ZX Spectrum version is compatible with 50mhz 48k models and above and will auto-detect an AY chip for enhanced sound effects.

The aim of the game is simple - you control a Lunar Rescue ship charged with recovering the astronauts who are stranded on the surface of the moon. There are two stages to the game.

You start the game in stage one, inside your mothership. Press fire to launch, and use left and right to guide your craft through the asteroid field to land on one of the platforms. Press fire for thrusters which will slow down your approach. This uses fuel which is only replenished at the end of each round. You will not be able to use thrusters if you have no fuel. Once you have landed, an astronaut will climb abooard your ship, and it is then time for stage two.

In stage two you must transport the astronaut back to the safety of the mothership. However, a fleet of UFOs stand in your way that are intent on destroying you. Avoid or shoot them on your way back to the mothership. Press fire to control both thrusters and weapons. Thrusters do not use fuel on the return journey. Watch out for 'shooting stars' that appear when a number of UFOs have been destroyed. When there are no more astronauts to rescue, the round will end and you will receive points based on the number you have rescued as well as the amount of fuel you have saved. The game will then return to stage one, with a higher difficulty level.

Scoring is as follows:

landing on platforms - 50,100 or 150 points
UFOs - 30 or 50 points
Astronauts in mothership - 50,100,150 or 300 points each awarded at the end of the round.
Fuel - any fuel saved is converted into points at the end of a round.
Bonus - a 500 point bonus is awarded for rescuing all six astronauts in a round.
Extra Life - one life is awarded at 3,000 points.

Keys and Options

Keys are redefinable (Press 'R' in the menu to define left, right and thrust / fire). You can also reset the game at any time by press shift+Enter. Press fire or '1' for a one player game, or '2' for a two player game. In two player mode, players take turns to rescue astronauts in their game. Players switch when they lose a ship, end a round, or rescue an astronaut.

There are two game modes available which can be selected by pressing left or right in the main menu. 'Classic' is a version of the arcade game, whereas 'Casual' makes things easier by removing the shooting stars and the alien bullets. Casual mode also provides you with more lives, but your score will not be eligible for high score entry.

Have fun and as always, Happy Coding!

https://highriser.itch.io/