Boss Rush
A retro side-scrolling shooter made only of boss fights. Dodge bullet patterns, blast the glowing core and pick an upgrade after every boss you destroy.
Boss Rush is a side-scrolling arcade shooter with no filler waves: every fight is a boss battle. Each foe is built on the spot from a random hull, fins, spikes and a name like Crimson Hydra, then thrown at you with a shrieking warning siren. Your ship fires automatically, so the whole game is about weaving through bullets, timing your bomb and punishing the moment the boss's core opens.
Bosses cycle through three phases as their health drops, mixing attacks such as aimed bursts, spinning spirals, bullet walls with a single gap, sweeping lasers, homing missiles, falling rain and swarms of minions that shoot back. Every boss you down is tougher than the last, but you get to choose one of three upgrades between fights: rapid fire, heavy rounds, wide shot, extra hearts, a deflector shield, faster bomb recharge, stronger core hits or a wider graze field. Faster kills earn a bigger time bonus, and brushing past bullets without getting hit adds graze points.
This bullet-hell boss rush suits players who love pattern dodging and short, intense runs. Your best score, furthest boss and pilot rank are saved between sessions. Tip: hold Shift to slow down for precise dodges, and save your bomb for the phase change, when the screen fills fastest.
How to play
Fly your ship around the left side of the screen while it fires automatically. Dodge the boss's bullets, lasers and minions, and aim for the glowing core when it opens to deal heavy damage. Your bomb clears all bullets on screen and recharges over time. After each boss is destroyed, pick one of three upgrades. You have a few hearts; lose them all and the run ends. Score comes from damage, kills, grazing bullets and fast boss kills.
Controls
- Arrow keys / WASD: Fly the ship
- Hold mouse button: Ship follows the cursor
- Shift: Slow focus movement
- Space / X / B / right-click: Bomb (clears bullets)
- 1 / 2 / 3 or click: Choose an upgrade
- Drag (touch): Fly the ship
- Tap BOMB button: Bomb on touch screens
- P / Esc: Pause
- M: Mute
- R / Space: Restart after game over
Category: Action games
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