How to play Defender II online
The game uses the left joystick to fly and the right joystick for special moves. In the emulator, the second joystick is on the T/F/G/H keys and A.
- Fly your ship: arrow keys
- Fire: Space bar
- Smartbomb: A (the second joystick’s fire button)
- Inviso cloak: T (second joystick up)
- Hyperspace: G (second joystick down)
- Start a new game: F12 (Reset) or Space after a game ends
Gameplay
You patrol a scrolling planet where defenceless Humanoids live. Alien Landers try to carry them off; if a Lander succeeds, the Humanoid becomes a Mutant. Shoot a Lander that is carrying someone, catch the falling Humanoid before it hits the ground, and fly down gently to drop it off at a Humanoid Space Station. A scanner at the top of the screen shows where Humanoids are in danger. If every Humanoid becomes a Mutant the planet is destroyed, but you still have to fight on.
The Stellar Gateway is the game’s shortcut. Fly into it and it moves you to a spot where a Humanoid needs help, or to the far side of the planet if everyone is safe. If you carry four or more Humanoids through it during waves 1 to 9, you jump three waves ahead. The game has up to 100 waves. Wave 5 and every tenth wave after it is a Yllabian Dog Fight, and every tenth wave is a Firebomber Showdown. You start with three ships, and every 10,000 points gives you another ship, another Smartbomb and more Inviso. When your Smartbombs run out, the A key triggers Inviso instead, and when Inviso is used up, it triggers hyperspace.
| Enemy | Points |
|---|---|
| Pod | 1,000 |
| Firebomber, Dynamo, Baiter, Phred, Yllabian Space Guppy | 200 |
| Mutant, Lander, Swarmer | 150 |
| Munchie | 50 |
Surviving Humanoids earn a bonus at the end of each wave: 100 points each after wave 1, rising by 100 per wave to 500 from wave 5 onward.
Tips
- Protect the Humanoids. Every Humanoid lost means another Mutant to fight and a smaller bonus at the end of the wave.
- Use Inviso as a shield. It makes you invulnerable for about two seconds, which is enough to escape a crowd.
- Carry four through the Gateway early. Doing it in the first nine waves skips three waves.
- Watch the scanner. It shows where Humanoids are under attack, so you can head there, or use the Gateway, before a Lander gets away.
Stargate or Defender II?
In the arcade, Stargate was the follow-up to Defender. It kept the basic idea and added new enemies, the Inviso cloak and the Stargate teleporter. When the 2600 cartridge was re-released, Atari changed its title to Defender II. Why is not fully clear; the usual explanation is a trademark issue. If you prefer the original label, the same game is on this site as Stargate.
Similar games to play next
- Defender – the first game, Atari’s 2600 version of the Williams arcade hit
- Stargate – this same cartridge under its original name
- Sinistar – another Williams arcade shooter
- Chopper Command – Activision’s side-scrolling shooter about protecting trucks
- Vanguard – a scrolling arcade shooter