Centauri Dominion is a top down space shooter set in the Centauri sector where a new colony is being established. There are others arriving seeking to dominate the sector for themselves and will not take no for an answer. You will patrol the sector destroying enemy ships wherever you find them, harvest minerals to bolster your defenses, protect colonists arriving from Earth and finally put an end to the planetary invasion.

There are ten waves each bringing a new type of enemy ship to the sector that will require different tactics to defeat. You will need to upgrade your ship and base to stand a chance of defeating each new threat. The waves start off in a casual manner but the sector will soon become teaming with enemies as each wave progresses to become a fast paced battle to save the colony.

Player Ship

Your ship is armed with a powerful cannon and can also be armed with high explosive and heat seeking missiles purchased from the base. Proximity mines are also made available in later stages of the game which are great for doing considerable area damage.

You ship has five main systems which can be damaged and are automatically repaired provided your spare parts stock is not empty. When these systems are damaged they will start to fail, your engines will slow, radar becomes hard to read, viewing port gets filled with static, weapons fire erratically and your turn jets will become weak.

It is important to keep a close eye on your ships systems, fuel and health statuses. Be sure to return to base for repairs before enemy ships overwhelm you. Note that if the ships weapons are active, the base will not activate the repair tower.

Upgrades

Asteroids will need to be mined and brought back to the base in order to upgrade the ship and base systems. Ensure you stock up as much as possible before a new wave when new upgrades are made available. An upgrade menu will appear with a mouse cursor when hovering over the base.

Many upgrades are available throughout the course of the game, however some are more vital than others. Focus on your ships maneuverability and firepower first to increase your survival rate. It is recommended that you also purchase the homing beacon in order to find your way back to the base with ease. You can otherwise use landmarks in your environment to find your way home.

Civilian Transports

In each wave a civilian transport will arrive from Earth heading towards the colony which will need to be escorted to arrive safely. Each time a civilian transport arrives safely, an additional cargo ship will be deployed that will provide regular shipments of minerals to your base. You may find yourself a bit battered after an escort, use the jump gate located near the colony to quickly return to your base.

Enemies

At the beginning of each wave a new type of enemy ship will arrive in the sector with unique characteristics. You can out maneuver most enemy ships to be able to engage from their side. You will need to be careful about which ships you decide to take down in a group as enemy ships capabilities will compliment each other. Check the "About" screen in the main menu to get a detailed description of each ship.