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How to play Ionwake

A visual guide · Make your first clean shot

Your goal

Find the gaps and reach the carrier.

Fly through three 40-second space sectors, then defeat the carrier before its 40-second timer runs out. You start with three hull. Ionwake runs in real time on a fixed route, with a final deadline at 160 active seconds.

A fixed route in real timeSector 140 secSector 240 secSector 340 secCarrier40 sec3 hull · fire by holding SpacePauses and guide-reading use no run time.

These are simplified teaching diagrams using the game's real ship art. Their spacing is illustrative, rather than a screenshot of a live pattern.

01Line up your first shot

Use a desktop keyboard and a window at least 1280 × 800. Click Launch, then move with the arrow keys or W, A, S and D. Hold Space to fire straight to the right. Release Space to stop.

1. Match the Scout's lane

1. Line up and hold SpaceScout: 1 hit · 100 base pointsHold your lane briefly, then find the next gap.
Move up or down until your shot crosses the Scout. You choose when to fire; the ship does not fire on its own.

2. One hit earns your first points

2. Scout cleared+100 pointsBurst: 1 / 8Score: 0 → 100The next shot follows the same straight line.
With no earlier streak, one Scout earns 100 points and fills one of the eight Burst charges.
  • Click the play area to focus it again after using another control.
  • P, Escape or the Pause button pauses. Resume, then press fresh movement and fire keys.
  • Small windows and touch devices show guidance. Touch play is unsupported.

02Read ships, shots and warnings

What is in the field?

Scout1 hit · 100 base pointsWeaver2 hits · 180 base pointsAnchor4 hits · 300 base pointsYour straight shotEnemy shot: leave room around itYour small centre dot: protect it
The shapes and labels distinguish friendly shots, hostile shots and your centre dot. Enemy points shown here are the base values, before your streak multiplier.

Move after an aimed warning locks

Read the warning, then moveLeave the warned line0.45 seconds of warningFan patterns: use the spaces between dots.
A warning appears 0.45 seconds before an attack. Its aim stays on the direction it showed; moving away from that line can make room.
  • Enemy shots and ship contact remove one hull. Protect the small dot at your ship's centre.
  • After a hit, a shield protects you for 1.2 seconds. Use that moment to find space.
  • A hit resets your streak, while your earned points and Burst charge stay yours. Missed shots and escaping enemies keep the streak.

03Build a streak and choose your Burst moment

Your eighth Scout: 900 total

The eighth enemy counts at ×27 Scouts: 700 pointsNext Scout: +200 → 900Burst ready · press X or ShiftOne stored charge. Spend it to charge again.
Example with eight Scouts and no hit: seven at 100 points, then one at 200. The eighth enemy uses the new multiplier and makes Burst ready.
  • Within a clean streak, regular enemies 1 to 7 score at ×1, 8 to 15 at ×2, and 16 onward at ×3. These multipliers apply only to regular enemy points.
  • Destroy eight regular enemies to store one Burst. Press X or Shift when ready; pressing early does not queue it.
  • Burst clears current enemy shots, deals three damage to each visible regular enemy, and gives a brief 0.6-second shield. New shots can still appear afterwards.
  • Once the carrier has arrived, Burst also deals eight damage to it. You can finish the run without Burst.
  • While Burst is ready, extra destructions do not add another charge. Enemies cleared by Burst score normally and charge the next one.

04Finish the carrier fight

Keep firing through the final pattern

72 hull → 36 → 0Half hull: faster attacksDeadline: second 160Example: 150 sec, 2 hull left6,000 banked + 5,000 carrier+ 1,000 hull + 250 time= 12,250 points
A simplified scoring example, checked against the simulation: finish at active second 150 with two hull and 6,000 banked points to reach 12,250.
  • Each finished sector adds 250 points and clears its hazards. The carrier appears at second 120 and takes 1.5 seconds to arrive before your shots can damage it.
  • The carrier has 72 hull. At 36 or less, current enemy shots clear, a warning introduces the faster pattern, and your shots can still damage it. Its timer includes arrival and the pattern change.
  • Defeating the carrier adds 5,000 points, plus 500 for each remaining hull and 25 for each full second left, up to 1,000 time-bonus points.
  • If hull or the carrier timer reaches zero, the run ends and your earned points are counted. Use Play Again for a fresh run or Menu to return to the catalogue.

Opening this Visual Guide freezes the field and run timer. Closing it restores your previous pause state: a running game continues with fresh keys, while a manually paused game waits for Resume.

Play Ionwake