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Guardian Force
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Guardian Force is a vertical-scrolling shoot-'em-up developed by Success and released in arcades in 1998. Players pilot spacecraft through multiple stages, blasting waves of enemies while collecting power-ups to enhance firepower. A key feature is the ability to rotate the ship's shot direction independently from movement, allowing precise aiming against enemies attacking from multiple angles. The game supports two simultaneous players, enabling cooperative play throughout the campaign. Stages include varied environments with mid-bosses and end-of-level bosses requiring pattern recognition to defeat. Players manage a bomb supply for emergency screen-clearing attacks. The arcade cabinet also received a Sega Saturn port, broadening its audience beyond the arcade setting.
- Developer
- Success
- Released
- 1998
- Platform
- Arcade
- Genre
- Action
- Players
- 2P
- Rating
- 4.4 / 5 (3.6K)
- Last updated
Guardian Force Controls — Arcade Keyboard Keys
Default keyboard bindings for Guardian Force on our in-browser Arcade emulator. Plug in a USB or Bluetooth gamepad to auto-detect mappings, or rebind any key from the emulator settings menu.
| Keyboard | Console button | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| ↑ | Joystick Up | Move up |
| ↓ | Joystick Down | Move down |
| ← | Joystick Left | Move left |
| → | Joystick Right | Move right |
| X | Button 1 | Primary action (jump / confirm) |
| Z | Button 2 | Secondary action (attack / cancel) |
| S | Button 3 | Tertiary action |
| A | Button 4 | Quaternary action |
| Q | Button 5 | Fifth button |
| W | Button 6 | Sixth button |
| 5 | Insert Coin | Insert coin |
| 1 | 1P Start | Start / Pause |
Coin and Start are convention "Insert Coin: 5" and "1P Start: 1". Some arcade boards expect specific button mappings — check the in-game prompts on coin-up.
Rebind any key from the EmulatorJS in-game settings menu (gear icon → Controls). A connected gamepad auto-maps to the same buttons.
Guardian Force Longplay & Gameplay Videos
Watch a full playthrough of Guardian Force on Arcade before you dive in — recommended for getting a feel for the game's pacing, story beats, and difficulty curve.
Watch longplay on YouTube
"Guardian Force" Arcade longplay 1998
External references
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Guardian Force released?
Guardian Force was released in 1998 for the Arcade.
Who developed Guardian Force?
Guardian Force was developed by Success, available to play in your browser on RetroGameSpace.
How many players does Guardian Force support?
Guardian Force supports up to 2 players, ideal for couch co-op or competitive sessions on the Arcade.
What type of game is Guardian Force?
Guardian Force is a Action game for the Arcade, playable instantly in your browser — no downloads, no installs.
How can I play Guardian Force for free?
Open this page and click "Play Now" — Guardian Force runs free in your browser via WebAssembly emulation. No account, no payment, no installer.
Do I need to download anything to play Guardian Force in the browser?
No. Guardian Force streams from a public archive into a browser-side Arcade emulator. Nothing is installed on your computer.
Can I save my progress in Guardian Force?
Yes. Save states are stored in your browser (IndexedDB) per game, and you can also use any in-game save the original Arcade cartridge supported.
Does Guardian Force work on mobile devices?
Yes — the Arcade emulator runs on iOS Safari and Android Chrome. Touch controls overlay the game; landscape mode is recommended.
Is it legal to play Guardian Force this way?
RetroGameSpace is a transient caching reverse-proxy and does not host first-party copies of Guardian Force. Game files are fetched on demand from publicly-accessible archives. You are responsible for compliance with your local laws and the bring-your-own-ROM principle.
