SUPERVERSE — Controls Guide

Overview

SUPERVERSE is a top-down space shooter. You pilot a ship by rotating it in place and thrusting forward in the direction it faces. There is no free 360° strafe — movement always comes from facing a direction, then applying thrust.

Core actions

How flying works

1. Point the nose where you want to go (or where you want to fire).
2. Apply thrust to move in that direction.
3. Momentum carries you — stop thrusting to coast, then rotate and thrust again to change course.
4. Energy is shared: thrusting and shielding both drain it. Let it recover (and pick up energy sources) so you do not stall mid-fight.

On keyboard, rotate and thrust are separate keys — you can spin and burn thrusters at the same time.

On mouse + WASD, move the pointer to aim — the ship turns to face it. WASD thrusts in screen space (W up, S down, A left, D right), not along the nose. See Mouse.

On a game controller (analog stick), the stick aims the ship. The current flight model is turn then thrust: the ship turns toward the stick first, and thrusters only kick in once you are roughly facing that direction. See Game Controller for details and alternate stick/trigger styles.

You can review bindings in-game under Settings → Controls.

Keyboard

Keyboard uses digital controls: each action is on or off.

Default bindings

Tips

• Hold thrust while turning to carve arcs; release thrust to pivot in place.
• Primary fire auto-repeats while held; secondary fires once per press.
• Customize keys in Settings → Controls → Keyboard (add/remove keys per action, or restore defaults).

Mouse

Mouse + WASD is its own flight scheme, separate from the arrow-key keyboard layout.

Move the pointer to aim — the ship turns to face it. Thrust is in screen space, not along the nose: W up, S down, A left, D right. You can fly one way while aiming another.

Flight bindings

Mouse + WASD is a second local player alongside the arrow keys, so two people can fly on one keyboard.

Menus and hangar

• In menus, click to select; right-click goes back one menu level.
• In the hangar, drag left or right to change ships. Click, right-click, or scroll the wheel to change colors. Click PLAY in the lower-right to confirm.

Game Controller

Game controllers use analog controls. Stick direction sets where the ship should face; stick deflection (and/or the right trigger) sets how hard you want to thrust.

Xbox-style button names are used below (the same layout applies to PlayStation and other mapped controllers via Steam Input / SDL mappings).

Bindings

A small stick deadzone ignores tiny drift.

Flight styles on game controller

You can mix these freely — they are complementary ways to fly, not separate settings menus.

1. Turn then thrust (left stick) — default analog flight

This is the current left-stick model.

1. Push the left thumbstick in the direction you want to face and move.
2. The ship turns toward that heading first.
3. Thrusters engage only when the nose is within about 45° of the stick direction.
4. Inside that cone, thrust ramps up as alignment improves — full thrust when you face the stick, none at the edge of the cone.

Practical tips

• For a sharp course change: flick the stick to the new heading, let the ship rotate, then keep the stick held (or add RT) once aligned.
• For fine aiming: nudge the stick slightly; small deflections still aim, with gentler thrust when aligned.
• Stick magnitude also scales how much thrust you request; the turn-then-thrust gate then scales how much of that request is applied.

2. Rotate only (right stick)

The right thumbstick aims the ship without applying stick-based thrust. Use it to line up shots or face a threat while coasting, then tap RT when you want to move.

3. Classic rotate + separate thrust (D-Pad + RT)

• D-Pad Left / Right rotate like keyboard left/right.
• RT applies thrust forward along the current nose direction.

This plays closest to keyboard: turn with the pad, burn with the trigger. Thrust from RT alone is not blocked by the turn-then-thrust cone (that gate applies to stick-aimed thrust alignment).

4. Mixed style

Common combinations:

• Left stick to turn-and-go for travel; right stick or D-Pad for precise facing in combat.
• Aim with either stick / D-Pad, boost with RT when you need a burst.
• Hold LT for shield while steering with the stick.

Combat quick reference

Phone, Tablet & TV (Steam Link)

Play on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Android through Steam Link.

• Pair a physical game controller when possible — bindings match the Game Controller section, including turn then thrust on the left stick.
• On supported mobile builds, an on-screen virtual stick and buttons may appear:
  • Left virtual stick — aim + thrust (same analog / turn-then-thrust behavior)
  • A — primary weapon
  • B — secondary weapon
  • L — shield
  • M — menu

Touchscreen as a dedicated native control scheme is listed as not available in this version in Settings; use Steam Link + game controller or the virtual overlay where provided.

Settings → Controls

Quick start checklist

1. Finish the in-game tutorial prompts for rotate, thrust, shield, and fire.
2. Prefer keyboard if you want separate turn/thrust keys; mouse + WASD to aim with the pointer; a game controller if you want stick aiming.
3. On a game controller, give the left stick a moment to turn, then expect thrust as the nose lines up — that is turn then thrust working as intended.
4. Watch your energy while thrusting and shielding.
5. Open Settings → Controls anytime to confirm bindings.