In Moonsweeper for the Atari 2600, the player’s goal is to rescue stranded miners from the moons in Star Quadrant Jupiter. The game begins in space, where the player must navigate around deadly aurora flares, photon torches, and space bullets from the sun. When a moon passes by, the player can descend to its surface to search for stranded miners.
While flying along the surface, the player must avoid or destroy obstacles such as towers, lunar satellites, and alien surface destroyers. The player can rescue miners by flying over them. The maximum number of miners the player’s ship can carry is six. To take off from the surface, the player must use the accelerator rings.
There are various types of moons in Star Quadrant Jupiter, each with a different level of difficulty. The player’s ship is equipped with photon torpedoes and shields (although the use of shields results in the loss of points) to help navigate the challenges faced while rescuing miners.