Sky Siege

Free · Game in Back to the 80s

Defend your gun from helicopters, paratroopers, jet bombers and missiles. Shoot them down, stop the paratroopers landing, and survive as long as you can.

Inspired by Paratrooper (1982) by Greg Kuperberg, itself inspired by Sabotage (1981), an Apple II game by Mark Allen.

The Sky Siege game page — The Sky Siege page in the app, with your high score and a START GAME button.

Objective

You command a single gun turret in the middle of the screen. Helicopters, jet bombers and missiles attack from above. Shoot them down, stop the paratroopers from landing, and survive for as long as you can to set a high score.

You lose when the gun is destroyed, either by:

Four paratroopers landing on the same side. They climb onto each other and storm your gun.
A bomb or missile hitting the gun.

Controls

Button	Action
<	Rotate the gun left (hold to keep turning)
>	Rotate the gun right (hold to keep turning)
FIRE	Shoot (hold to keep shooting)

The gun swings up to 85° either side of straight up. Pause, sound, swap and control height work as described in the common controls.

How to play

From the game page, tap START GAME. A how-to-play screen appears; press FIRE to start.
Shoot helicopters as they cross the sky. They drop paratroopers.
Shoot paratroopers before they reach the ground. Shoot the parachute and the trooper plummets; shoot the trooper and he is gone for good. Troopers who land walk toward your gun.
Don't let four land on one side. The fourth triggers the assault and the game is lost. Watch both sides of the gun.
When the sky goes quiet, watch for jets. Jet bombers fly across the top and drop bombs aimed at your gun. Shoot the bombs before they hit.
Radar warning? A missile is coming. Find it and shoot it before it reaches your gun. Missiles appear from the third helicopter wave onward.
The longer you survive, the faster the enemies come. From later waves some paratroopers delay opening their parachutes, and jets can attack in pairs.

Sky Siege gameplay on a phone — Gameplay on a phone.

Paratroopers landing beside the gun — Troopers landing.

Scoring

Target	Points
Helicopter	10
Jet	10
Paratrooper	5
Bomb	30
Missile	100
Each shot fired	−1

Every shot costs a point, so don't just hold FIRE and spray: aim. Your score never drops below zero.

Game over

When your gun is destroyed the game ends and shows your final score. A score that beats your best is marked NEW HIGH SCORE! and saved. Press FIRE to play again, or Back to return to the game page.

Tips

Shoot helicopters early so their troopers drop away from the gun.
If troopers have landed on both sides, deal with the side that already has three first.
Bombs and missiles are worth far more than helicopters, so prioritise them, but never ignore troopers walking in.
Pace your shots. Misses cost points, and a steady rhythm beats mashing FIRE.
Pick a control height and SWAP setting that keep your thumbs comfortable.

Sky Siege gameplay on a tablet — Sky Siege on a tablet.

← Back to the 80s · Privacy policy

Support

Need help with Sky Siege? Email support@zbyld.com.