Neck Invaders

About Neck Invaders

Neck Invaders is a space shooter built around a deliberate decision: your ship fires by itself, every 0.42 seconds, so your head only ever has one job — aim and dodge. Trying to make players trigger a shot with a head gesture while also dodging was the first thing we tried and the worst version of the game, because the two inputs fight each other. Removing the fire button entirely is what made it work.

You face 32 aliens in 4 rows of 8. They march sideways and drop 26 units each time they reach a wall, and the march speed starts at 34 units per second and rises by 10 with every wave you clear, so the pressure is the descent rather than the shooting. The rows are worth different points — 40 for the back row down to 10 for the front — which creates the game's central tension: the valuable aliens are the ones furthest away, and shooting the front row first is safer but scores less.

Aliens drop bombs on a random interval between 1.7 and 2.7 seconds, and your ship slides at 420 units per second under keyboard control, tracking your head at a blend rate of 11.

How to play

• Lean your head left or right — the ship slides that way and fires automatically
• Arrow Left/Right or A/D — keyboard control, also with automatic fire
• Aliens march sideways and descend 26 units at each wall
• Back row scores 40 points, then 30, then 20, front row 10
• Clear all 32 aliens to advance; each wave marches 10 units per second faster

Tips & tricks

• Shoot the back rows first when you can. They are worth four times the front row, and clearing from the back also thins the bomb sources that are furthest from you.
• Clear a full column, not a row. Punching a vertical hole gives you a safe lane to sit in while the formation marches past, which is worth more than the points from any single alien.
• Never park under the formation. Bombs arrive every 1.7 to 2.7 seconds from whichever aliens are above you, so keep sliding even when nothing is falling.
• Save the last alien deliberately. With one target left the formation moves fastest, so line yourself up on its column before you kill the second-to-last.
• Because fire is automatic, the only mistake available to you is position — if you are dying repeatedly, you are standing still too long, not shooting wrong.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to press anything to shoot?

No. The ship fires automatically every 0.42 seconds so that your head only has to handle aiming and dodging.

Is Neck Invaders free?

Yes, free in the browser with no download or account.

Can I play it on the keyboard?

Yes. Arrow Left/Right or A and D move the ship, with the same automatic fire.

How much is each alien worth?

Points go by row: 40 for the back row, then 30, then 20, and 10 for the front row.

Is my camera video sent anywhere?

No. Face tracking is processed on your device inside the browser.