Vanguard (video Game) - Gameplay

Gameplay

Vanguard is very similar to Scramble, in the sense that the player controls a ship urged along a surrounding conduit with a constantly varying profile, and with a limited amount of fuel that constantly depletes. Some zones start off primarily as a horizontal scroller, but in some zones, the ship flies vertically. Also, at the end of each zone the player must defeat a boss that is guarded by two moving force fields with holes in them while scrolling vertically. There are a total of ten zones in the game: Mountain Zone, Rainbow Zone, Styx Zone, Rainbow Zone 2, Stripe Zone, Rainbow Zone 3, Bleak Zone, and the City of Mystery/Last Zone. The second tunnel consists of in order Mountain Zone, Stripe Zone, Styx Zone, Rainbow Zone, Bleak Zone, and the City of Mystery/Last Zone. The player loses a life if fuel runs completely out, but gains more as enemies are destroyed. The ship can independently fire lasers in any of the four cardinal directions using the four buttons. By securing the energy pods, a short time of invulnerability can be granted. This turns the ship effectively into a weapon, and the enemies change attack patterns to avoid the player. The player must constantly avoid colliding with the walls, which change in thickness and visual appearance all throughout the stages. The walls can be used defensively to avoid oncoming enemy fire. Pushing the joystick opposite the direction of scrolling allows the player to temporarily "park" the ship with respect to the direction of scrolling. This maneuver may be performed while the ship is protected by a wall, allowing enemy ships and their fusillade to pass without harm.