Lunar Lander
Version: 0.7.2 Web: www.doof.me.uk/lunar-lander
Would you dare to land a spacecraft on the Moon’s surface? It’s time for another lunar odyssey where accuracy and precision means survival. Lunar Lander is a small retro-style platformer game where you control a rocket. The goal is to safely land the rocket on the specially equipped pad, which is a tricky task since the vehicle behaves very trickily. The Moon has almost no atmosphere and sports much smaller gravity than what we have on Earth, and it seems like Lunar Lander, despite its simplicity, beautifully renders that feeling. Once the game has started, you need to control the rocket using the arrow keys. It takes some time to get used to it and learn how to control the vehicle’s momentum.
Before you’re able to land you need to find and pick up a coloured key that looks like a doughnut. Avoid every object – even the slightest touch of a rock makes your vehicle crash! Once you have the key, approach the landing pad and land softly on it: a hard landing, even within the pad, equals crashing. Of course lots of engine micro-moves are required for precise landing, just like in real moon expeditions.
The first level is somewhat basic, but things get tougher in the next levels. More and more obstacles appear – extra rocks, moving spiky balls and enemy missiles all try to make your rocket collapse. Also, playing a harder level requires you to collect more than one doughnut. Mind the fuel indicator in the topright corner and don’t hang around for too long. Lunar Lander is an Sdl-based game with very fluid physics and low system requirements. Despite the latter, it features very nice terrain textures, pleasing sounds and a good selection of levels.