Space Defender: Frontier Squadron

The frontier is falling. Hold the line.

The Drones have swept through three galaxies, relay by relay. Station after station goes dark, and pirates prey on whatever is left. Command has one answer left: you, a ship, and whoever you can convince to fly with you.

Space Defender is a top-down arcade space shooter with real RPG progression and a story you play in flight, made by a solo French developer. Twin-stick combat, a crew to lead, a front to hold, and a ship that grows with every contract you close.

A story with three endings

Fly for Admiral Voss and Ilse Marin, with ARIA, the AI at your side, through three acts and 13 story missions. The story plays out in flight, over the radio, in the middle of the fight. Bring down the Overseer, escort the Armada, then face a choice at the Threshold. Three endings wait at the end of the war, and one of them only opens to pilots who dealt with the pirate captains in a certain way.

Pirates and their captains

• One den per galaxy, raids on stations, ambushed freighters, kidnapped pilots and bounties on named lieutenants

• Three captains with their own story: Kessa Varn, Dorn Halvek and the Mask

• Spare them, enlist them or shoot them down: your choices follow you to the end

Step inside the spaceports

Dock at Horizon, Hephaistos or Sekhmet and walk into the bar, Command and the shipyard. Talk to the locals, buy rumors, take small jobs and earn their trust. Every pilot you lose for good joins the memorial.

Expeditions to the planets

Scan a planet to read its sheet, and sometimes a signal. Send members of your crew down: 12 illustrated expeditions where your pilots' traits set the odds. Rewards, wounds, archives from before the war... and losses that are for real.

Lead your squadron

• Recruit pilots at the stations: each one brings one of 20 traits that changes how your ships fight

• Up to three wingmen fly at your side: order them to attack your target, cover you, hold position or break, and they answer on the radio

• A downed wingman ejects: recover the rescue pod before it is lost

A front that moves

In Perseus and Orionis the Drones push back: stations come under threat, then under siege, then fall if nobody defends them. Take them back. Around you, miners, freighters and pirates go about their own business.

13 kinds of contracts

Clash, VIP Escort, Convoy, Siege, Elites, Armada, Swarm, Fleet, Holdout, Hunt, Rescue, Salvage and Strike, plus a signature mission in each galaxy. Modifiers such as asteroid fields, elite leaders, reinforcements or a ticking clock change the risk and the pay.

Enemies that fight differently

Snipers keep their distance, minelayers leave traps, carriers launch fighters, jammers scramble your missiles and support hulls recharge their allies' shields. Heavies charge, bombers drop barrages: every attack is announced, so read it and dodge.

Build your ship

• 13 ships, from the nimble Falcon to heavy frigates and destroyers

• Over 60 pieces of equipment: lasers, pulse cannons, railguns, flak cannons, guided missiles, turrets, shields, generators and batteries

• Manage your energy: every item you fit changes how your ship flies and fights

• A research tree across combat, ship, crew and logistics

• Mine, salvage, trade, refine and recycle

Play your way

• Three difficulty modes and 3 save slots

• Full controller support, or mouse and keyboard

• English, French, German, Spanish, Russian and Simplified Chinese

• Story and radio voiced in all six languages (AI voices)