Pulse Squadron

Overview

Pulse Squadron is a formation-switching space shooter where every gun draws from one shared energy core. Three flight arrangements change both the shape of your attack and how quickly the core recovers. Wedge launches a concentrated three-shot lance with high damage, Line spreads five lighter shots across the screen, and Ring fires in every direction while consuming less energy and recharging fastest. Five escalating waves combine dart columns, aimed turrets with escorts, and weaving pursuit craft before a large command ship enters for the finale. The boss alternates between aimed triple volleys and radial bullet rings, demanding the same formation awareness used during ordinary encounters. The squadron has three lives, a brief invulnerability window after damage, and a persistent best score. Enemy patterns and starfield generation are deterministic in the automated mode, while normal play keeps the same authored encounter structure. Original vector graphics make formations, hostile types, projectiles, energy, lives, and boss health readable without external assets.

How to Play

Move with WASD or the Arrow keys and hold Space to fire. Press Q or E to cycle backward or forward through Wedge, Line, and Ring, or select a formation with the visible controls. Pointer and touch players can hold and drag the squadron; dragging also fires, while the three buttons remain available beneath the field. Press P to pause. The energy bar refills whenever consumption falls below recharge, so releasing fire is sometimes necessary. Survive five encounter waves and destroy the boss to clear the sector. Losing all three ships ends the run and records the best score locally.

Tips & Strategy

Use Wedge when a durable target sits directly ahead. Its three heavy shots overlap well against turrets and the boss, but sustained firing drains energy quickly. Line is strongest against broad dart columns or several enemies entering at once; position near the centre so its outer projectiles remain on screen. Ring is a defensive reset tool. It clears threats around the squadron, spends the least energy, and restores the core fastest, but much of its fire misses targets above you. Switch formations before the situation becomes critical rather than after energy reaches zero. During turret waves, keep moving laterally so aimed shots trail behind, then focus Wedge fire into one turret at a time. Weavers chase the current position, so wide arcs and occasional direction changes group them for Line fire. Against the boss, move across aimed triple volleys and find the widest gap in radial rings. A short pause in firing during a difficult dodge often produces more damage overall because the recovered core supports a full burst once a safe lane opens.

What Makes It Distinct

Formation is more than a cosmetic ship arrangement: it changes projectile coverage, damage, energy cost, cooldown, and recharge. The player is effectively choosing an offensive stance several times per wave while still handling arcade movement. That link between spatial pattern and resource management gives Pulse Squadron a tactical rhythm that ordinary hold-to-fire shooters lack, without slowing the pace for menus or upgrade screens.