In the game “Cosmic Creeps,” the player must protect the Cosmic Kids from the Cosmic Creeps as they escape a decaying planet, in order to save civilization from destruction.
The game is divided into two parts: The Voyage and The Rescue. In the Voyage, the player begins at the bottom in an Orbinaut and must navigate to the space station at the top, while avoiding plasma and Space Skeeters. If the player is hit by anything, they will spin off into space and must start again. Each time a new Orbinaut is released, the planet decays a little more.
In The Rescue, a Cosmic Kid starts at the bottom left of the screen and must be guided to the upper right, while being chased by one or two Cosmic Creeps. The player must use the space station to fire and time shots to hit the Creeps and send them back to the bottom. Shooting a Kid will cause the planet’s orbit to decay further, and a new Kid will need to start at the bottom.
If the planet’s orbit decays completely or if a Cosmic Creep reaches the upper right of the screen, the game is over. The player earns 100 points for each Creep shot and 1500 points for each Kid rescued. To advance to the next level, the player must score 5000 points on The Rescue screen, and then the Voyage starts again, but at a faster pace. The game is challenging and requires quick reflexes and precise timing to save the Cosmic Kids and civilization.