The frontier is falling. Hold the line.

The Drones have swept through three galaxies, relay by relay. Station after station goes dark. 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, made by a solo French developer. Twin-stick flight, fast combat, and a ship that grows with every contract you close.

Fly with a squadron

• Recruit pilots at any station and hand them a ship from your hangar

• Up to three wingmen follow your lead and fight on their own

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

13 kinds of contracts

Clash, Escort, Convoy, Siege, Elites, Armada, Swarm, Fleet, Holdout, Hunt, Rescue, Salvage and Strike. Contracts roll with modifiers such as asteroid fields, elite leaders, enemy reinforcements or a ticking clock, each with its own risk and reward.

Enemies that fight differently

Snipers keep their distance. Minelayers leave traps behind. Carriers launch waves of fighters, jammers scramble your guided missiles, support hulls recharge their allies' shields. Learn each Drone and pick your targets.

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

A campaign in three acts

Fly for Admiral Voss and Ilse Marin, with ARIA, the AI at your side, through 13 story missions, from the first stand in Aquarii to the heart of Drone territory and the final battle against the Nexus. Climb the ranks from Recruit to Admiral as the war turns.

Play your way

• Three difficulty modes

• Full controller support, or mouse and keyboard

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

• Key story moments voiced in all six languages (AI voices)