Centipede

In Centipede, the player is trapped in the Enchanted Forest and must defend against continuous waves of insects using a magic wand. Pressing the controller button fires sparks, while holding it enables rapid fire.

Gameplay

The player begins with three magic wands. Being bitten temporarily paralyzes the player and removes one wand. Bonus wands are awarded for every 12,000 points, up to a maximum of six, but the game ends when all wands are lost.

The Centipede descends from the top of the screen across 12 waves. Its body segments can transform into heads and mushrooms when hit, with later waves featuring increasingly independent heads. Other enemies include the distracting Spider, the mushroom-dropping Flea, and the accelerating Scorpion, which poisons mushrooms.

Mushrooms and Scoring

Mushrooms act as obstacles and cover. They require four shots to destroy, and poisonous mushrooms cause the Centipede to move directly toward the player through other mushrooms. Scoring includes 100 points for a Centipede head, 10 for a body segment, up to 900 for a close-range Spider, 200 for a Flea, and 1,000 for a Scorpion.

Modes and Difficulty

Four difficulty levels are available: Novice, Standard, Advanced, and Expert. Game variations include one-player play, alternating two-player play, dual-player competition, and team play.