Space Rocks is an endless arcade shooter. You pilot a small ship in a field of drifting rocks, breaking them into smaller and smaller pieces until the field is clear, and then a bigger wave arrives. Here is how it works and how to keep your ships alive for longer.
The controls
On a phone or tablet, drag anywhere on the left side of the field. A short drag turns the ship to face that way; drag further and it also thrusts.
Hold the fire button in the bottom right corner to keep firing.
With a keyboard, Left and Right (or A and D) turn, Up (or W) thrusts, and Space fires. P or Escape pauses.
Your ship keeps drifting after you stop thrusting and slows down only gradually, so plan your stops.
Breaking rocks
Every wave starts with large rocks. A large rock splits into two medium rocks, each medium rock splits into two small ones, and small rocks are destroyed outright. The pieces fly apart, partly carrying on in their parent’s direction.
Large rocks are worth 20 points, medium rocks 50 and small rocks 100. Small rocks are worth the most because they are fast and hard to hit.
The field wraps around
Fly off one edge and you come back in on the opposite side. Rocks and shots do the same. That makes edges an escape route, but also a danger: a rock leaving the right side can appear right next to you on the left.
Waves, ships and respawning
Clear every rock to bring the next wave after a short pause. Each wave adds one more large rock, and the rocks drift a little faster.
You have three ships. Touching a rock costs a ship (and still breaks the rock).
A new ship appears in the middle only once no rock is close, and blinks for a few seconds while nothing can hurt it.
If you leave mid-game, you carry on from the start of the wave you were on.
Tips for a higher score
Shots only fly a short distance and only five can be out at once, so aim in short bursts rather than holding fire into empty space.
Break large rocks one at a time. Splitting several at once fills the field with fast pieces.
Use small taps of thrust and keep your speed down; most lost ships come from drifting too fast to turn away.
Clear the last few small rocks carefully. The next wave cannot arrive until they are gone, so there is no hurry.