lives and shield
mechanic · lives, time and score
In Asteroid Pong you start with 5 lives on easy and 3 on normal or hard, up to a maximum of 7. You lose one when a ball crosses your goal, when time runs out or when a final attack hits you. The shield saves one ball in your goal and charges differently depending on the difficulty.
How you lose and regain lives
You start with 5 lives on easy and 3 on normal and hard, and you can never hold more than 7.
- you lose one
- When a ball crosses your goal, when time runs out (the clock refills) or when a final attack hits you.
- you regain one
- With the ♥ power-up; every 10,000 points (5,000 on easy); by clearing a level without losing a life; by beating a boss; and with a ball combo.
- ball combo
- A ball you hit collides with 2 different balls: +1 life (at 7 lives, +250 points).
- no risk
- You can't lose lives during frenzy.
Shield
The shield saves the next ball that gets into your goal, and how it charges depends on the difficulty.
| difficulty | shield |
|---|---|
| easy | 1 per level. In endless mode it recharges on every odd pace. |
| normal | Earned every 15,000 points. You can hold 1 at most, and it carries over between levels until you use it. |
| hard | No shield. |
The "shield" chip at the bottom of the screen shows it is charged, and when it saves a ball you see "shield · ball saved".
Timer
Every level has a clock: if it reaches zero, you lose a life and it refills.
- Each goal you score adds +10 s, each hit +0.5 s and each hit on a boss piece +1 s. The clock never goes above 99 s.
- It freezes during frenzy (which leaves you at least 15 s when it ends), during a boss intro and while a boss dies.
- Yellow boss attacks take 3 s off your clock.
- Endless mode has no clock.
Goals to clear a level
You clear a level by scoring the number of goals on the CPU that the level asks for.
| level | easy | normal | hard |
|---|---|---|---|
| levels 1–2 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| levels 3–6 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| level 7 onward | 4 | 5 | 5 |
- Goals scored during frenzy don't count.
- On a boss level goals don't clear the level: it ends when the boss dies.
- In 2 players the first to 5 wins.
Scoring
Almost everything you break scores points, and everything is worth double while the ×2 power-up is active.
| action | points |
|---|---|
| Goal on the CPU | 100 |
| Block cube / whole asteroid | 10 / +150 |
| Shooter / kamikaze / shield / swarm drone | 200 / 250 / 400 / 60 |
| Destroy a shot with the ball | 50 |
| Your ball hits another ball | 25 |
| Ball combo or ♥ at 7 lives | 250 |
| Bomb, per ball | 50 |
| Frenzy: each hit / each leftover ball at the end | 10 / 50 |
| Boss piece: wall / target / core | 40 / 300 / 500 |
| Titan: comet through the reticle / probe | 150 / 400 |
| Boss defeated | 2,500 per 5 levels (level 5: 2,500; level 15: 7,500); titans, double |
| Level end | 500 × level (double with ×2 active) + 20 per second left |
Continue
When you run out of lives you can keep going on the same level by paying coins.
- It costs 100 coins the first time, 200 the second and 300 the third: up to 3 times per run.
- You return to the same level with your difficulty's lives (at least 3).
- You get a 10 s countdown to decide, with its own theme at 120 BPM.
- You can't continue in the daily challenge.
- On top of that, the game saves itself at the start of every level: pick it up again with "continue" on the start screen.
Frequently asked questions
How do you get lives back?
With the ♥ power-up, every 10,000 points (5,000 on easy), by clearing a level without losing a life, by beating a boss and with a ball combo. The cap is 7.
How many goals do I need to clear a level?
3 on levels 1 and 2, 4 from level 3 and 5 from level 7. On easy it's 3 up to level 6 and 4 after that.
What happens when time runs out?
You lose a life and the clock refills so you keep playing the same level. Each goal adds 10 seconds and each hit half a second.
How much does a continue cost?
100 coins the first time, 200 the second and 300 the third, up to 3 per run. You can't continue in the daily challenge.
Related
difficultymechanic · easy, normal and hard
power-upsmechanic · 9 power-ups
frenzymechanic · in-game eventDescribes version 0.8.26 · 2026-10-09