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Hellfire
地狱火
Hellfire is a vertical-scrolling shooter developed by Toaplan and released by Taito in 1989. Players control a fighter aircraft through multiple stages, engaging enemy formations and bosses with standard shot and bomb weapons. The game features rapid enemy patterns and intense arcade action typical of the era. Controls are straightforward: movement with joystick and fire buttons for primary and secondary weapons. The stage-based structure progresses through increasingly difficult levels populated with waves of adversaries and environmental hazards. Power-ups appear throughout stages to enhance firepower.
- Developer
- Toaplan (Taito license)
- Released
- 1989
- Platform
- Arcade
- Genre
- Shooter
- Rating
- 4.5 / 5 (4.6K)
- Last updated
Hellfire Controls — Arcade Keyboard Keys
Default keyboard bindings for Hellfire 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.
Hellfire Longplay & Gameplay Videos
Watch a full playthrough of Hellfire 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
"Hellfire" Arcade longplay 1989
External references
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Hellfire released?
Hellfire was released in 1989 for the Arcade.
Who developed Hellfire?
Hellfire was developed by Toaplan (Taito license), available to play in your browser on RetroGameSpace.
What type of game is Hellfire?
Hellfire is a Shooter game for the Arcade, playable instantly in your browser — no downloads, no installs.
How can I play Hellfire for free?
Open this page and click "Play Now" — Hellfire runs free in your browser via WebAssembly emulation. No account, no payment, no installer.
Do I need to download anything to play Hellfire in the browser?
No. Hellfire streams from a public archive into a browser-side Arcade emulator. Nothing is installed on your computer.
Can I save my progress in Hellfire?
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 Hellfire 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 Hellfire this way?
RetroGameSpace is a transient caching reverse-proxy and does not host first-party copies of Hellfire. 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.
