Nova Defender

Everyone likes Novas, right? Not only are they handy in Battledome tight spots, but they're also shaped like stars. Well, apparently Mechanova is out to destroy the Novas! As a defender of star-shaped justice, it's your duty to make sure that this fiend doesn't succeed.

It's too bad we can't use one of these...

Novas

At the start of the game, you will be a small yellow Nova that can shoot in eight directions: up, down, left, right, and diagonally. To fire, simply hold down the corresponding arrow key (or keys). You can also use W-A-S-D instead of the arrow keys.

To move, use your mouse to move your pointer around the game screen. You may notice the occasional asteroid or cloud in your path, but you can ignore these, they will not harm you. Things that will harm you are the other evil Novas. These will fly around the screen attempting to touch you or shoot at you. Avoid both the evil Novas and their weapons, as both will decrease your health.

To prevent any health loss, you can raise your shields for a short amount of time by double-clicking the left button on your mouse when the green "Shield" bar at the bottom is filled. Finally, when you kill an enemy Nova, it will drop a blue gem. These gems are worth 80-140 points on their own, but will also earn you a handy bonus when collected in rapid succession.

Level Guide

Walkthrough

Level 1: This is the first and easiest level. This is a good level to start racking up points, however, as it is the easiest to earn the bonus from the blue gems by taking out six or seven Novas at a time. During this level, you will only see Light Novas. Light Novas are weak Novas that can only rush at you in an attempt to hit you. All you need to do is kill thirty of these to move on.

Level 2: In this level, things get slightly trickier with the introduction of the Mechanical Novas. These Novas are slow-moving, but they can shoot at you with a red pellet-like attack. Take out forty enemy Novas to move on to the next level.

Level 3: This level sees the introduction of Fire Novas. These enemies are quicker than the Mechanical Nova, and their shot is much better. When the Fire Novas shoot at you, the shot will follow your Nova around the screen for a short period time. Therefore, Fire Novas should have top priority when taking out foes. To complete this level, all you need to do is survive for one minute and fifteen seconds, as indicated by the timer in the lower right hand of your game screen.

Level 4: This level has no new enemies to best, but it does have one more Nova: the Friendly Nova. This friend of yours has managed to stumble across some enemy Novas. That means that it's your job to protect her. Now enemies will create green arrows to shoot at the Friendly Nova, and you will have to kill them as well as take out the arrows. Survive for one minute and fifteen seconds to complete the level.

Level 5: The next Nova to enter the arena is called the Attack Nova. Although this Nova will not shoot or rush at your Nova, it will leave irksome little red mines. If you run over one of these red dots, it will blow up and you will lose some health. Because of this, these Novas should be on the same priority level as the Fire Novas. Survive for one minute and fifteen seconds again to complete the level.

Level 6: Yet another Nova has come to hinder you, though this one is a bit different than the others as far as strategy goes. The Pulsar Nova will fly around the screen and shoot towards the center, making it less bothersome than some of the other enemy Novas. To complete this level, you must destroy 100 enemy Novas.

Level 7: The next Nova is particularly irritating, as it can only be destroyed at a specific time. The Dark Nova will be untouchable until it tries to shoot. It is only in that short window of time that you will be able to get it. To complete this level, blast through 150 of the enemy Novas.

Level 8: Don't be fooled by the icon—Super Novas, like their name suggests, are very, very strong. Not only are they large, but they can also release a stream of unending firepower at you. These Novas should be high on your hit list, as they can very quickly lead to a "game over." To defeat this level, you need to survive for one minute and fifteen seconds.

Level 9: Ultra Novas are just about the worst enemy Novas in the game. They are huge, green, and just plain awful. They will shoot enormous amounts of firepower out at you in patterns that you can only avoid by escaping to the far edge of the screen, where there might be a clear spot. Destroy these at all costs! Take out 140 enemies in this level to move on.

Level 10: Finally, Mechanova has stopped sending his grunts to take care of you, and has appeared himself! Watch out, because he's no Nova to meddle with. Mechanova will send out long patterns of fire power at you in an attempt to finish you off. Again, stay at the edge of the screen, where it is easier to dodge between rounds. When you finish Mechanova, you'll finish the game.

Final Tips

To earn a high score in Nova Defender, here are some tips to help:

• It is important to keep the gem bonus in mind—this can be the difference between a score of 800,000 and a 1,000,000 or higher.
• One particularly useful strategy is to fly around in circles on the first few levels before attacking multiple foes. This will ensure that you can collect all of the gems in time for a bonus.
• If you see a triangular pink gem on the screen, go straight for it! Picking it up will fire a huge swirl of bullets at every enemy on the screen.

Oooooh.... shiny.

• On the "Survive" levels, take fewer risks than on the "Destroy" levels. You can go without taking out a few more enemy Novas for these trials.
• Use your shield! The shield is possibly one of the most useful tools in this game, and can, quite literally, save you some lives.

History

Nova Defender was originally released in December 2009 under a different name: Nova Battle. It was renamed, re-released, and set up with a new high score table in April 2010, so you may still see trophies from the original version as "Nova Battle" on some older userlookups. Both of these versions were included in the New Game Challenge when first released.

 
The original (left) and current (right) trophies. Yes, they look identical!

Nova Battle was itself an update on the unreleased beta version of the game titled Nova Storm, perhaps as a reference to the TCG card of the same name.

Video

Game Info