How to send alien scum back to alien hell in Midnight Star: Hints, tips, and tricks

Midnight Star isn't your typical FPS. There's a focus on rapid-fire, high score chasing that gives it the feel of a super-shiny gallery blaster.

It can be a little fiddly to begin with, and some of the intricacies of the free to play mechanics can be a little confusing.

But don't worry, we're here to help. In this guide we'll walk you through some tips and tricks that'll have you blasting alien scum to bits before they've even had a chance to rethink their life-decisions.

We'll also show you how you can get the most out of the game without spending a shiny penny, and where you should be putting your investments if you want to throw down some cash.

Shoot shooty bang bang

Midnight Star has a rhythm that's all its own, and you need to get used to it if you want to get the most out of the game.

Perhaps the most important part of proceedings is manually reloading. If you want to get anywhere near the best scores on any of the levels you need to be tapping to reload.

A good plan is to upgrade the reload speed of your primary weapon as soon as you can. After a couple of upgrades you'll be able to reload between shots without really noticing.

Getting into the habit of not firing more than a couple of shots without reloading will ensure you're never left open and vulnerable by an open clip.

And remember, pinching to zoom when your magazine is empty will also result in a forced reload, so make sure you're shooting smart.

And while we're at it, using the game's aiming mode is another essential skill to master. To execute a zoom you perform a backwards pinch with a couple of fingers. This snaps you to the nearest target.

While you can get headshots when you're not zoomed in, they're pretty rare, so you should be sniping the bad guys as often as is humanly possible.

One thing to watch out for is the various movements of the different enemy types. Most of them have bob and weave animations that are going to mess up your shots if you're not careful.

It's also not really worthwhile shooting when you're on the move. It's hard to get the timing of your shots right, and there's a pretty good chance you're going to jerk into a different direction just as you pull the trigger.

A good tip is to focus on upgrading the two weapons you're given to begin with. You don't need to spend huge amounts to remain competitive, and it's more cost effective than buying new weaponry.

Spend as much of the premium currency as you can speeding up the upgrade process, but don't worry if you run out of it, you can still use weapons that are being upgraded.

The same goes for your special move. Upgrade the one you've got rather than chasing others to begin with. Once you've upgraded it all the way, then you can think about experimenting with other powers.

You'll easily complete all the normal levels with the standard weaponry, and the pistol is especially useful when it comes to one-shotting grunts. You'll only need to expand your arsenal when it comes to the trickier difficulty settings.

There aren't a huge number of different enemy types in Midnight Star, and those that are there usually follow pretty rigid patterns of attack and gyrate.

You should learn which enemy does which sort of attack, and be ready to react as soon as you see a foe entering its attack animation.

The tall skinny aliens might pack a punch, but you can usually double-tap them in the head to stop them unleashing an attack even if they're already well through their preparations.

But if they're wearing a helmet it's a different matter. And they won't be attacking with the usual glowing projectiles, they'll be firing rockets you need to shoot out of the sky.

Learn who does what and when and you'll be a step ahead of your alien attackers.

Always keep an eye on the icons that let you change your view. If one of them changes orange, then it means something off-screen is about to try and take a shot at you.

Watch out for containers that glow red or blue. Blue ones release crystals when you shoot them, and red ones release health boosts. Particularly handy in boss fights.

Use your machine gun weapon against bosses and your pistol against smaller enemies. Remember to aim lower with your machine gun as the kick will send your reticule much higher than you think.

It's also worth checking out our guide to getting free loot out of the digital comic book that accompanies the series.