Space Invaders Frenzy was released to arcades in 2016. It brings the classic Space Invaders feel but with new gameplay elements and light guns.
This ticket redemption game, usually found at Dave and Buster’s, has been a popular game to win tickets. The tips provided in this strategy guide will help whether you want to go for the high score or win lots of tickets.
Know if the Game is in Ticket Redemption Mode or Free Play Mode
This is actually a crucial tip if your goal is to win tickets on Space Invaders Frenzy.
Recently, a lot of arcades have been putting the Space Invaders Frenzy machines into Free Play mode or Ticketless mode. This is because the game has been so easily taken advantage of for winning tickets in the past.
Free Play mode does not give out tickets but the game lasts longer as you can play through more levels. You also have three lives instead of just one. This mode still allows you to go for the high score.
Most, if not all, Dave and Buster’s locations will have Space Invaders Frenzy in this mode where you can’t win tickets. This was not the case a few years ago. Back then, people won tickets too easily and took advantage of this. That is the reason why Dave and Buster’s changed it.
Other arcades may still have the game in Ticket Redemption mode.
To check if the game is in Ticket Redemption mode you need to look at the top of the screen. It will say how many points you will need to win the bonus and then tell you what the Invader Bonus is. The Invader Bonus is how many tickets you will win if you get enough points.
The top of the screen will say “Free Play” instead of the Invader Bonus if it is in Free Play mode.
Next, I’ll go over the best strategies to win tons of tickets. Even if you play on a machine in Free Play mode, these tips will still help you beat the high score.
Shoot the Bonus Point Ships
This gameplay tip is simple yet it seems like not a lot of people know about it.
Shoot this bonus ship whenever it pops up on the screen.
Keep your eye out for this ship. It can blend into the rest of the ships and be hard to spot.
This bonus ship gives you tons of points for not much effort. You will get 750 – 2000 points per ship.
When you hit it you will want to go back to shooting the other ships so you don’t get a game over.
Aim for the Lowest Row of Alien Ships
Just like classic Space Invaders, the alien ships start at the top of the screen and will move towards the bottom. It is game over once one ship hits the bottom of the screen.
Because of this, you will want to shoot the lowest row and work your way up.
It sounds simple enough but the ships gain a tremendous amount of speed later on in the game.
Aim on the same level as the lowest row and move slightly right and left horizontally to help get these faster moving ships at the bottom.
Save the Bombs Until you Really Need Them
Space Invaders Frenzy, the arcade game, added a new feature from the original where bomb power ups will bounce across the screen. If you shoot this floating “B” it will explode, killing all the enemy ships in a large area.
A lot of beginner players will shoot this as soon as they see it.
The key to getting further in the game is to save the bombs until later. The later into the game, the more ships will appear on screen. With more ships, the bomb can kill more enemies.
The bombs do not disappear until you shoot them. There can also be multiple bombs bouncing on the screen. Later on you can get a chain reaction of bombs which can destroy enemies on the whole screen.
This can really save your butt towards the later stages of the game where tons of enemies fill the screen and move quickly towards your base at the bottom of the screen.
Play When the Required Bonus Score is Low
The bonus score needed to win the bonus ticket amount is displayed at the very top of the Space Invaders Frenzy machine if it is in ticket redemption mode.
This required score should be around 20,000 points initially. This score gets a little higher after someone wins the jackpot bonus.
You should look for a required score of around 20,000 – 50,000. It is quite easy to get 20,000 – 30,000 points. It is tougher, yet doable with practice, to get 30,000 – 50,000 points.
If you want to win tickets, you should avoid playing if the bonus score needed is over 60,000. It is virtually impossible to get 60,000+ points, even for the best players.
Normally, the bonus score doesn’t jump up too high….but the score does get to this impossible number to beat when the game “decides” it is time to not allow more tickets to be won.
See, the Space Invaders Frenzy machines have a payout limit. If it reaches this limit, where it gives out a certain number of tickets, then the required bonus score will jump up to 80,000 points or higher.
The payout limit and how often the bonus score is reset can be changed by the arcade location in the settings.
Be Familiar With the Space Invaders Frenzy Manual Settings
Some settings can be changed depending on what the arcade owner has them set to. It is important to know so that you can have all the information you need to win. Again, Dave and Buster’s generally all share the same settings.
The important settings that we want to look at can be found in the Space Invaders Frenzy manual on pages 21 – 29.
Here is what the manual says on the payout limit; mentioned in the last tip:
“Payout Percent: Set your targeted payout percentage. Game defaults to 40% which is the recommended setting. IMPORTANT NOTE- Space Invaders Frenzy has a dynamic targeted payout system in place but it is a skill based redemption game. There will be some slight volatility and variation in payout among different skill level players.”
The arcade can change if the game is in free play mode or ticket redemption mode (like I mentioned earlier).
The coin or chip cost can be adjusted.
Space Invaders Frenzy costs 9 chips at Dave and Buster’s. Which is pretty expensive compared to the average arcade game that usually costs 6.4 chips.
The jackpot bonus ticket amount can be 250, 500, 750, or 1000 tickets. 500 tickets is the default.
Use these tips and tricks to give you the advantage at the arcade. Space Invaders Frenzy is a fun game, whether you play for tickets or for the high scores.
Thank you for reading the Space Invaders Frenzy strategy guide. If you want to know more tips about other arcade games then check out the links below.
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