Space Invaders (1978): Beam Cannon Controls, Game-Over Rules and Arcade Versions

Space Invaders is Taito's original 1978 arcade shooting game. You move left and right and use a beam cannon to fight the invading enemies. The Invaders arrive from the upper part of the screen while firing, creating an exchange of attacks in both directions. The original arcade history also includes distinct monochrome and color versions, with a score-display change between them. Together, the controls, the conditions that end a game and the differences between those versions provide a practical introduction to this classic.

Moving and firing the beam cannon

Taito's gameplay instructions describe moving left and right while defeating the Invaders with the beam cannon. Movement and shooting are therefore the two basic player actions to recognize and understand first. The movement description is specifically horizontal, rather than a promise of free movement around the playfield. The targets are the invading enemies, and firing the cannon is how the player fights them. Reading the controls this way also connects them to the enemy attack: the player is operating a cannon against Invaders that advance while firing their own shots.

An exchange of attacks in both directions

The original-version description places the Invaders' attack in the upper part of the screen. They invade while shooting, and the player operates the defending craft to defeat them. Taito singles out attacks in both directions as a distinctive part of the game's action. This is a useful way to understand the encounter: the enemy is shooting as well as being shot at. The controls and the attacking Invaders belong to the same exchange, rather than describing a target display with no return fire.

The two conditions that end a game

The publisher's instructions identify two conditions for game over. One is the Invaders occupying the base; the other is all of the beam cannons being destroyed. These are separate conditions in the explanation, so preserving the cannons and preventing occupation both matter to the documented objective. The instructions do not give a fixed cannon count in this short description, and the rule does not need one to be understood: the relevant condition is the destruction of all of them. Occupation of the base provides the other stated endpoint.

Four score digits became five

The early version for monochrome monitors displays scores with four digits. Taito's history says many players reached 9,990 points, and describes that as the reason the color-monitor version supported five digits. This is a difference in the score display between the two versions. The four-digit format should not be turned into an invented claim about when play stops, how the counter rolls over or a universal maximum score. The documented comparison is simpler: four score digits in the early monochrome version and five in the color version.

Table cabinets and named techniques

Taito's account of the color version also describes the game's presence in cafes. It recalls many establishments replacing all their tables with Space Invaders table cabinets. The same account mentions techniques called Nagoya Shooting and Rainbow attracting attention. These details add context to the arcade game beyond its title and year: the history concerns how it was played and discussed, as well as where its cabinets appeared. The named techniques are historical references here, rather than step-by-step strategies reconstructed without instructions.

Comparing the versions in a modern release

The licensed publisher says its modern release includes both the black-and-white and color versions. It also describes work on reproducing their original sound. That gives readers a clear distinction between the original arcade versions and the later package presenting them. The year 1978 belongs to the game and versions described in Taito's original arcade history, while the modern inclusion statement describes what the later release contains. The publisher's sound-reproduction statement is its description of that release, rather than a claim based on independent audio testing for this feature.

First published Oct 16, 2026.