Luca Carminati of LC-Games has released a new Commodore 64 title — a careful and faithful conversion of the original Space Invaders arcade classic from 1978. Designed by Tomohiro Nishikado, the original game helped shape arcade history. Now, it’s been rebuilt for the C64 with careful attention to detail and smooth performance.
This version runs on both PAL and NTSC models of the Commodore 64. Players using an emulator on a 60 Hz display are encouraged to select the NTSC setting for a smoother experience.
How the Game Plays
Space Invaders is a fixed shooter where players control a laser cannon that moves horizontally along the bottom of the screen. The goal is simple: eliminate wave after wave of descending alien invaders before they reach the ground.
Each wave features five rows of eleven aliens moving side-to-side while creeping closer to the player. Protective bunkers offer temporary cover but are slowly destroyed by both the player’s shots and enemy fire.
As aliens are cleared from the screen, their movement speeds up, as does the game’s background sound, increasing the pressure as the player closes in on clearing the wave. Once the screen is empty, a new wave appears, increasing the difficulty.
A mystery ship occasionally sweeps across the top of the screen, rewarding players with extra points if destroyed.
Aliens will try to destroy the player’s cannon with their projectiles. If they reach the bottom of the screen, the invasion is successful. Depending on the difficulty level, this either restarts the wave with a lost life or ends the game.
Extra Lives and Difficulty Settings
The game offers three difficulty levels: Novice, Medium, and Arcade. Players earn extra lives by reaching certain score thresholds:
| Difficulty | First Extra Life At | Additional Lives Every |
|---|---|---|
| Novice | 1,000 points | Every 2,000 points |
| Medium | 1,500 points | Every 3,000 points |
| Arcade | 1,500 points | No additional lives |
Players can hold a maximum of nine lives. On Arcade difficulty, there’s no room for error — once you lose those lives, it’s game over.
Space Invaders follows a “Name Your Own Price” model, meaning you can download and play it for free. However, the developers suggest a contribution of just $2.00, encouraging players to support their work while still keeping the game accessible to all.
