The ride also features one of the largest drop tracks in the world reaching a height of 9.1 metres (30 ft).

Triotech designed the ride's interactive 3D animations, which are accompanied by other special effects such as wind, adding the fourth dimension.

During the park's Halloween Haunt event in October, the animations are replaced with zombie-themed effects.

It was designed by Sally Corporation and relies entirely on physical sets and theming rather than projected animations, and uses basic, moving props.

The technology available at the time meant the cost of building a more advanced dark ride was too expensive for a regional amusement park.

In 2011, as technology improved and the costs decreased, the park started planning a second interactive dark ride.

Several companies were contacted to design the audio-visual portion of the future ride; park management chose Triotech to do so.

[1][4] Speculation that Canada's Wonderland would build a new attraction for the 2014 season began at the end of July 2013 when maintenance work on the western side of Wonder Mountain was discovered.

[5][6] On August 8, Cedar Fair confirmed an interactive dark ride would be built at one of the company's parks.

[7] Wonderland officially announced Wonder Mountain's Guardian—a ten million-dollar attraction—on August 30, 2013, on Breakfast Television, a morning news program for the Toronto area.

[16] On November 7, 2013, Cedar Fair announced that during Halloween Haunt, Guardian would be altered to a zombie-themed ride.

[26] After the train leaves the station, it turns 180 degrees right and exits the mountain, leading into a 18.3-metre (60 ft) chain lift hill.

It makes a banked right turn back into the mountain, then a tarpaulin drops, blocking the entrance to prevent light from entering.

The first scene takes place in forest environment where riders fight Sneaky Spiders and Beasty Bats.

As the scene ends, the train passes two waterfalls; this transition is absent for backward-facing riders.

Riders are then confronted by more Draconians and Archers before entering a gold-covered area where King Adelsten's crown is found.

After a few seconds, the drop track releases the train into a 9-metre (30 ft) free fall, escaping from Ormaar.

The train then passes through a tunnel with abandoned cars; this scene is absent for riders facing backward.

The trains' light guns are programmed to display a unique colour on the ride's screens to indicate where each rider is shooting and to distinguish between shooters.

Verbolten at Busch Gardens Williamsburg has a drop track measuring 5.5 metres (18 ft).

Because Guardian makes tight turns, only the screen on the right-hand side of the track continuously shows content until the end.

[22] Because no physical sets are used in the attraction, the park management can change the film and theme of Guardian at any time.

[41] Jeremy Schoolfiiled from the IAAPA said, "Cedar Fair seems to have figured out how to create a lavish dark ride on a regional theme park budget".