Scrapwing is a free vertical browser shooter where captured wreckage becomes part of your ship. Start with a cockpit and a small gun, then collect weapons, armor, and thrusters. Where you attach them affects your firepower, protection, and movement.
Key Takeaways
- Scrapwing is a shoot 'em up where your ship grows part by part from enemy wreckage: cannons, spread guns, lances, homing missiles, armor plates and thrusters.
- Parts add weapons, protection, or speed. Most break on one hit; armor plates take three. A cockpit hit costs a ship.
- A tractor beam reels in parts from a distance, and the jettison bomb throws your whole hull outward to clear the screen.
- Four levels each end in a boss: the Salvage Crawler, the Cryo Walker, the Hive Mother and a dreadnought's reactor core.
- Your guns fire on their own, so the game is all about flying, catching and choosing when to blow it all up.
A space shooter where your ship is made of scrap
In Scrapwing, catching a part is also a placement decision. Think about where you want protection or another gun before approaching the wreckage.
Shot-down cargo carriers drop hull parts, and so does every formation you wipe out completely. When a part floats near your ship, it snaps onto the free spot of the hull closest to it. That means where it lands depends on how you catch it. Fly in with your left side and the new spread gun ends up on the left. Catch an armor plate with your nose and it sits right in front of the cockpit.
There are six kinds of parts:
- Cannons fire straight ahead.
- Spread guns fan bullets out to the side they sit on.
- Lances pierce a whole line of enemies.
- Homing missiles chase targets on their own.
- Armor plates take three hits before they break.
- Thrusters make the ship faster.
Protect the cockpit and keep parts connected
Most attached parts break when hit. Armor plates withstand three hits before breaking. If a lost part disconnects other pieces from the cockpit, those pieces fall away too, giving you a chance to collect them again.
Only a hit on the small cockpit in the middle costs one of your three ships. So a big ship is safer in one way, because there is a lot of hull between the bullets and your cockpit, and more dangerous in another, because it is a much bigger target. Every part also adds weight that slows you down unless you add thrusters too. Deciding how big to grow, and where to put the armor, is the strategy hiding inside the reflexes.
Tractor beam and jettison
You don't have to fly into a curtain of bullets to grab a part. Hold Shift (or the GRAB button on a phone) and a tractor beam locks onto the nearest part within reach and pulls it to your hull. A blinking outline shows where it will land. Your guns stay quiet while the beam is pulling, so pick a calm moment.
When the screen fills up and there is nowhere left to dodge, jettison. Every part on your hull flies outward at once as a bomb. All enemy bullets on the screen vanish, whatever the flying parts hit gets smashed, and you earn points for every part thrown. It can save a run, but afterwards you start again from the bare cockpit, so it is a real decision every time.
Four levels and four bosses
The flight takes you through four very different places, and each ends with its own boss:
- The debris belt above an orange gas giant, guarded by the Salvage Crawler, whose claws rip parts right off your hull. Shoot the claws to make them let go.
- The canyons of an ice moon, where the Cryo Walker's beam freezes the parts it touches so they stop firing for a few seconds.
- A living hive in a violet nebula, home of the Hive Mother and the egg pods that guard her.
- The hull of an enemy dreadnought, ending at its reactor core, a boss fight in three phases.
Your ship and its parts carry over from one level to the next, so a well-built hull from the ice moon goes with you into the hive. Watch for warning lines: lancer ships and bosses draw a thin line before a beam fires along it.
How to play Scrapwing
- Arrow keys or WASD fly the ship. You can also steer by dragging with the mouse.
- Hold Shift to fly slowly through dense bullet patterns and to switch on the tractor beam.
- Space or X jettisons every part.
- P or Esc pauses and M toggles sound.
- Your guns fire on their own.
On a phone, drag anywhere on the screen to fly, hold GRAB to reel parts in and tap the JETTISON button below the play field.
Scores and leaderboards
Enemies award points, and each jettisoned part adds 100. Boss bonuses grow with the level, while clearing a level without a cockpit hit earns an additional bonus. Beating the final boss adds points for remaining ships. Sign in for supported submissions to the leaderboard.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get new weapons in Scrapwing?
Shoot down the cargo carriers and wipe out complete enemy formations. Each drops a hull part, which snaps onto your ship when you fly close or reel it in with the tractor beam.
Is Scrapwing free?
Yes. Scrapwing is a free space shooter in your browser with no download. An account adds leaderboards and achievements.
What happens when a bullet hits my ship?
Most parts break on a hit; armor plates can take three. Pieces disconnected from the cockpit fall away and can be collected again. A cockpit hit costs a ship and blows off the attached parts.
What does jettison do?
It throws every part on your hull outward at once. The parts smash enemies, every enemy bullet disappears, and you score 100 points per part. Then you rebuild from the bare cockpit.
Can I play Scrapwing on my phone?
Yes. Drag anywhere to steer, the guns fire on their own, and the JETTISON button sits below the play field.
Build a ship from the wreckage
Play Scrapwing and try catching a part on a chosen side of your cockpit. Keep track of the jettison control before a crowded wave. For another shooter, try Neon Invasion, or switch to canyon flight in Strafe Run.