Stardust Vanguards

RPG· 4 Player Local· 2D Fighter· Local Multiplayer

Released Jan 2015

STARDUST VANGUARDS is a local four-player dueling game combining arcade-style battling with the ability to summon your own NPC army as support! But be careful: a random event system dynamically alters the flow of battle with NPC space pirates gunning for victory themselves!

78% positive · 120 reviews

Done

All announced content has been released

High confidence

Done

All announced content has been released

High confidence

Where to buy

Steam Updated 9 Oct 2026 $3.99

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Evaluation

Stardust Vanguards launched on January 30, 2015 as a complete, self-contained local multiplayer game. Following launch, Zanrai Interactive released two post-launch updates: the v1.1 "Prettiness Update" on March 26, 2015, which added a new bounty target system and a range of UI and balance improvements, and v1.2 on July 14, 2015, which activated 26 Steam achievements. No further developer communications, updates, or content announcements have been made since July 14, 2015. The store description presents the game as a finished product with a defined feature set — 13 battlefields, multiple game modes, and a cooperative mode — and contains no references to planned future content, seasonal updates, or ongoing development. There are no unreleased DLC listings. The game launched as a complete package and received two polish updates in its first six months, after which development concluded.

Evidence

v1.2 update shipped, activating 26 Steam achievements. This is the last developer communication on record.

news post · Jul 14, 2015 source development ending

high

v1.1 'Prettiness Update' shipped with new bounty target system, UI overhauls, balancing changes, and bug fixes.

news post · Mar 26, 2015 source content shipped

medium

Media

Details

Developer

Zanrai Interactive

Publisher

Zanrai Interactive

Achievements

Platform

Windows, Linux

Controller

full support

Steam Deck

Not rated

Players

Multiplayer · PvP · Local/Split Screen

4 Player Local 2D Fighter Local Multiplayer Bullet Hell Arcade Combat Action Hack and Slash Competitive Mechs Swordplay Pixel Graphics 2D Space Robots

About this game

Get your friends and bust out the controllers, STARDUST VANGUARDS is a local four-player dueling game combining arcade-style battling with the ability to summon your own NPC army as support!

Each battle is unique with the game's random event system, forcing players to respond to dozens of potential surprise attacks by computer-controlled space pirates. The pirates can even win the whole battle themselves so perhaps a temporary truce is in order? STARDUST VANGUARDS brings fast-paced dueling, a dash of strategy, and plenty of bullets to competitive couch-multiplayer fans.

Features

Lightning-fast local (shared screen) multiplayer dueling that rewards precision
Summon reinforcements as you earn reinforcement points (RP) by taking out enemies
Random event system with dozens of NPC space pirate scenarios. Trivial line attacks, pincer tactics, transport convoys, mercenary squads, fleet blitzkriegs, and more!
Space pirates are gunning to win the battle themselves. Will you team up with your rivals to stop them or use the moment to your advantage?
Unlock 13 different battlefields each offering unique offensive and defensive strategies
Deathmatch, Team Battles, Conquest (King of the Hill), and Space Ball Mode (soccer style capture the flag)
Cooperative Mode for 1 to 4 players with shared lives across three different difficulties and an endurance mode through all three
Custom Deathmatch options let you build your perfect battle. Infinite ammo, swords only, reinforcement variables, pirate event regularity, and more!
Rocking in-game soundtrack

Note:

STARDUST VANGUARDS is a local multiplayer game (with no online functionality) and is recommended to be played with 4 Microsoft Xbox 360 controllers. The keyboard can alternatively be used as an input for one player.