Protector is a space shooter that scrolls sideways over a green, hilly world that loops around endlessly. Ten little people walk along the surface while alien landers dive down to kidnap them. If a lander carries someone all the way up, it turns into a faster, meaner mutant. When you play Protector unblocked, your fighter carries a rapid laser, a few smart bombs and a risky hyperspace jump. Frank Force built it with his LittleJS engine.
How to Play Protector
Fly with the arrow keys or W A S D and fire with Z or Space. Hold the fire key for rapid shots. X sets off a smart bomb and C triggers hyperspace. The laser only shoots the way your ship is facing, so flip direction to hit something behind you.
A radar strip along the top shows the entire world at once. Since the planet wraps around, flying in either direction eventually brings you back to where you started. Watch the radar for landers dropping toward the people below.
In your first minute, wave 1 sends just five landers and no other enemies unless you dawdle, so use it to get a feel for turning, firing and reading the radar. You start with three ships and three smart bombs. Touching an enemy, a mine or a bullet costs a ship, and the run ends when the last one is gone.
Rescuing the Humans
A lander that reaches someone grabs them and starts climbing. Shoot it on the way up and you get the lander’s points plus a 500-point bonus, but the person starts to fall.
Short drops are fine, since they’ll land and walk away. A long fall is deadly, so dive under them and touch them to catch. Fly back down to the ground and they’re set down safely for another 500 points. One good rescue can be worth 1,150 points.
If a lander makes it to the top with its captive, that person is lost and the lander becomes a mutant. Lose all ten people and the planet blows up. Then you face three waves of nothing but mutants before a new planet appears with ten fresh people.
Enemies and Point Values
Each wave brings more landers, from 5 in wave 1 up to a cap of 15. Other enemies join in:
- Landers, 150 points: the kidnappers. Every wave ends once all landers and mutants are gone.
- Mutants, 150 points: what a lander becomes after a successful kidnapping. They chase you hard.
- Drifters, 1,000 points: slow purple pods from wave 2. Shooting one releases four small, fast swarmers worth 150 each.
- Bombers, 250 points: from wave 3. They leave floating mines behind that are worth nothing but still destroy you.
- Hunters, 200 points: fast white saucers that show up if a wave drags on. The timer starts at 43 seconds in wave 1 and gets shorter each wave, down to 20 seconds, with another hunter every 15 seconds after that.
At the end of each wave, every survivor on the ground pays 100 points times the wave number. With all ten safe in wave 5, that’s 5,000 points.
Protector Tips and Strategy
- Read the radar constantly. Head for the landers closest to the ground, since they’re about to grab someone.
- Hit landers early. Shooting one before it grabs anyone saves you a risky catch.
- Only catch the high drops. Someone released near the ground lands fine on their own.
- Shoot drifters from a distance. The four swarmers burst out right where the pod was.
- Save smart bombs for crowds. A bomb clears everything on screen, enemy bullets included.
- Treat hyperspace as a last resort. It saves you 85 percent of the time, which means it fails about once in every seven jumps.
- Keep waves short. The longer you take, the more hunters come after you.
The biggest beginner mistake is chasing enemies across the map while a lander quietly carries someone off. Protecting people is worth far more than any single kill.
Controls on Any Device
On a phone or tablet, on-screen pads appear: steer with the left pad and use the right-side buttons to fire, bomb and jump. Hold the device sideways for room to see. A gamepad also works. Esc or the menu icon in the top right pauses the game.
On a Chromebook, the keyboard controls are the most precise. The game has sound effects for shots, explosions and rescues, so headphones help in class.
More Shooters to Try
If you like fast shooting with something to protect, browse the action games or try:
- Radius Raid keeps you in one arena and lets you aim in any direction with the mouse.
- River Strike scrolls up a river instead of sideways, and you have to watch your fuel.
