Play Moon Cresta online

Moon Cresta is one of those shooters you recognize in two seconds: a three-piece rocket, enemies spinning like tops and a jingle that sticks in your head all afternoon. Nichibutsu released it in 1980, right in the middle of the space shooter craze, and it carved out its own spot with an idea nobody else had: docking.

At UsuArcade it's ready and waiting at its cabinet: grab a seat, drop in a coin and defend your base while everybody else watches to see if you can dock the whole rocket.

History

Nichibutsu, an Osaka company that later became known for very different games, released Moon Cresta in 1980. It ran on hardware very close to Galaxian's, but with a twist: your ship isn't just one ship, it's a three-stage rocket you build up as you go.

It was a big hit in arcades and showed up in a ton of versions and conversions back in the day. Its idea of joining ship pieces for more firepower inspired plenty of shooters that came later.

How to play

Slide the rocket left and right and fire straight up. You start with the first, smallest stage; lose it and you move on to the next piece of the rocket. The waves keep changing: some enemies spiral, some split in two and some dive-bomb you.

After a few waves comes the docking stage: ease your ship down and line it up on top of the next rocket section. Nail it and you score big and fire from several pieces at once; come in too fast or off-center and you lose it. A bigger rocket shoots more, but it's also a bigger target.

Fun facts

• Your ship is a three-stage rocket that docks together during the game.
• It ran on hardware very close to Galaxian's.
• Two players alternate on one cabinet, each with their own score.

In the arcade

Moon Cresta was a take-turns game, and that's how it plays on UsuArcade, just online: invite your friend to your cabinet once they're in the lobby and trade turns, each on your own phone or PC. While one plays, the other watches live.

Nothing to install: it runs in your browser, gamepad supported, and every game starts with INSERT COIN, free. Everyone else in the lobby can watch and chat, and scores go up on the arcade's high score board.

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