Mega Blast/Gameplay

Controls

 * Joystick: Use the 8-way joystick, to direct your Mega Blast (red for 1P, blue for 2P) around the screen; they are always moving forward, but you can direct them anywhere. (If the game's "Upright Controls" setting is set to "Single" 2P's Mega Blast still appears as blue when gameplay switches to it).
 * Firing Button: Use the button to make your Mega Blast fire shots in four directions (upwards, backwards, forwards and downwards) from its options.
 * 1 or 2 Player Buttons: Push these buttons to begin a 1 or 2 player game (if that "Upright Controls" setting is set to "Single"), or as player 1 or player 2 (if it is set to "Dual"); in the case of the latter, a second player can join in a game already in progress on the inactive side of the cabinet at any time.

Mega Blast
The two protagonists of the game; Player 1 controls the red Mega Blast upon the left (piloted by "Dowson"), while Player 2 controls the blue one on the right (piloted by "Bogey"). Described in the game's attract mode as "A space fighter equipped with all available products of the earth's scientific power", they both have the power to fire shots in four directions from the options that surround them - and they may increase the power of their shots by collecting device packs that some enemies will leave behind when killed. However, if they are hit by an enemy or anything fired at them by one (or crash into a wall), they shall lose a life; if the "Upright Controls" setting is set to "Single", gameplay will switch from one player to the other (and send the killed player back to the most recent checkpoint in the current round) but if it is set to "Dual", the resurrected player will immediately fly back into view from the left side of the screen (unless, of course, the life they lost was their last). Both Mega Blast will receive an extra life at 100000 points by default, but this setting can be changed to 150000 points, 200000 points or even disabled.

Device Packs
There are four different types of device packs that certain enemies leave behind when killed: red (heat laser bullets), blue (thunder beam bullets), green (shield), and white (reflection energy balls). Their effects will last until you lose a life - which means your Mega Blast's shots will revert to the normal ones it starts the game with when it's resurrected (and it is also not advisable to kill enemies which attack from behind with backwards shots because the device pack they leave will scroll off the screen).