The Final Frontier

The Final Frontier is a twin-stick space shooter roguelike. You fight continuous waves of enemies that grow more powerful the longer you survive, steering your ship and aiming to destroy them. On your first run, you start with the Fighter, which fires short bursts of bullets.

Waves and upgrades

Destroying enemies earns points that let you level up and choose ship upgrades from your character’s skill tree. Upgrades can change how you approach fights and make earlier enemies less threatening. Enemies can also level up, gaining stats and a greater chance of having a shield; higher-level enemies become more frequent in later waves.

Each enemy comes in one of three levels with varying stats. The game includes 14 enemy types with different behaviors and combat dynamics, so different groups call for different approaches. Some powerful enemies have flashing red reactors inside their borders. You must destroy these reactors to defeat them, using bullets, missiles or lasers to make holes in the enemy and reach them.

Ships and threat levels

Killing enemies earns coins that you can use to buy new characters. Each character has its own tech tree, which can significantly change your playstyle. Defeating wave 50 with a character unlocks a new threat level that buffs enemies; each additional threat level increases their power.

Hazards and targets

Stations move across the map and are optional targets. They are heavily defended, but defeating one can reward you with a large number of points. Minefields sometimes pass through the area and track you when you approach, exploding when they get close or when you run into them. Their blast radius can also damage enemies.

Asteroids break apart when hit by a ship or shot, and their fragments can cause damage. You can use them to your advantage by luring enemies into a collision.

Bestiary and records

After you encounter and kill a new enemy, its bestiary entry fills in with information about it and your kill count. The game also tracks statistics and includes leaderboards.