Skip to main content

How to Play

Load spindrift.kluthstudios.com, press Enter, and you are flying. This page is everything standing between you and a respectable first run.

Starting a game

Press Enter on the title screen. You spawn as a lone ship in the middle of a rock field. That is the entire onboarding; the rest is physics and reflexes.

The objective

  • Clear the rocks. Shoot them; they split into smaller, faster pieces before they finally vanish.
  • Handle the saucers. They cross the field and shoot at you. Dodge their shots and take them down; the small ones are worth serious points.
  • Survive as long as possible. Everything on screen is trying to occupy the same space as your ship.
  • Chase the high score. Your best run persists as the HI score; the only boss in this game is your previous self.

Controls

KeyWhat it does
/ Rotate the ship left / right
Thrust: accelerate in the direction the nose points
SpaceFire
ShiftHyperspace: emergency teleport to a random spot (risky)
PPause
MMute
GToggle the glow effect
FFullscreen

Two of those deserve a closer look:

  • Thrust adds speed; nothing takes it away except thrusting the other direction. There are no brakes; the ship keeps drifting. This is the game's real difficulty and its whole charm; Gameplay covers the physics.
  • Hyperspace yanks you out of certain death and drops you somewhere random, possibly somewhere worse. A last resort, not a habit.

Touch controls

On phones and tablets, touch is supported: on-screen controls cover rotating, thrusting, and firing, so the full game is playable with two thumbs. Fullscreen is worth it at any screen size.

tip

For your first run: tap in short bursts, keep the ship barely drifting, and pick off the big rocks from a distance. Speed kills, usually you.

Ready to score on purpose? Read Gameplay. Tired of exploding? Read Tips.