Landing is the hard part of any space trip, and here it is the whole game. Moon Lander unblocked drops your craft high above gray hills and gives you an engine, a little fuel and one green landing pad to hit.
It is part of Frank Force's open-source LittleJS Arcade. The physics are floaty and honest, so every crash is something you can learn from on the next try.
How to play Moon Lander
Your lander starts falling as soon as you press Play. Turning the craft changes which way the engine pushes. Point it straight up to slow your fall, or lean it to drift sideways toward the pad between the two beacon posts.
The panel at the top shows your level, score and altitude, plus bars for fuel, speed and tilt. The speed and tilt bars turn green when you are in the safe range. Touch down on the pad with both green to clear the level.
Each landing scores points for the level, the fuel you saved and how gently you set down. Each new level has fresh terrain, a little more gravity, less fuel and a smaller pad. Crash, miss the pad or fly off the map and the run ends.
Controls
| To… | Keyboard | Mouse | Touch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rotate the lander | Left and Right arrows, or A and D | — | Push the on-screen stick left or right |
| Fire the main engine | Up arrow, W or Space | — | Round thrust button |
| Restart from level 1 | R | — | — |
| Use the menus and the CONTINUE dialog | — | Click the buttons | Tap the buttons |
Tips
- Fix your drift early. Line up over the pad while you are still high, since sideways speed is hard to cancel near the ground.
- Tap, don't hold. Short pulses of thrust give you control and save fuel. Long burns can send you climbing again.
- Level out before the end. Get the lander upright with some height to spare, because the tilt window is narrow.
- Spare fuel is score. Leftover fuel adds to your points, so a calm, efficient descent pays off twice.
- Aim for the middle. Later pads are barely wider than the legs, so center yourself before the last few meters.
Moon Lander questions
Why did I explode even though I hit the pad?
You were probably coming down too fast or leaning too far. Both the speed and tilt bars must be green the moment your legs touch the pad.
What if my tank goes empty?
Thrust cuts out and you drop like a rock. Check the gauge often and keep a reserve for slowing down right above the pad.
Can I play on a phone?
Yes. Touch screens get an on-screen stick for turning and a round button for thrust. Controllers and keyboards work too.
