It wasn’t quite as big of a jump in quality from the original like with another franchise that I name-drop way too often, but Thunder Force II was quite the improvement from the original Thunder Force in just about every way. Not only did it feel like a game that I actually wanted to play without needing to break my hand, but it managed to mix different types of space shooters together pretty well, while also making the gameplay simple, fun, and challenging, despite it not being all the creative, nor it reaching the same heights as other shmups at the time. Despite that though, it managed to get pretty positive reviews back in the day, and it did sell enough to where the series would not only be getting sequels for years to come, but also becoming a regular series for Sega that one would find on their Sega Genesis. So, only after one year since the previous game, we would get the follow-up to that game, Thunder Force III.

Going into this one, I was somewhat skeptical as to how it would turn out, because when compared to the other two games in this series at that point, it completely lost its own original identity. Those top-down stages from the previous two games are completely gone here, and instead, the side-scrolling shmup stages take up the whole game, playing more closely to any other traditional shmup than ever before. That in itself kinda sucks, considering how those top-down stages weren’t all too bad in the previous games, but thankfully, unlike with ActRaiser 2, these changes made to the formula ultimately benefit the game significantly. It may not do that much to innovate on the genre or change much up at all, but Thunder Force III managed to be an incredibly solid shmup, one that manages to create a short, yet fun enough experience when you blast through it in one sitting, and it is one of the best shmups that I have played for the system………. although, full disclosure here, I did end up playing Thunder Force AC over the original version, because that version is more accessible compared to the original, but they are pretty much the same game, so who cares.

The story takes place immediately after the events of the second one, where despite the Galaxy Federation being able to fend them off in the last game, the ORN Empire manages to conceal themselves using cloaking devices so that the federation cannot fire back, so they create a new spacecraft, known as the Fire LEO-03 Styx, to go infiltrate these bases and take down the ORN Empire once and for all, which is about as basic of a plot as you can get, but again, if you are playing a shmup for the story, you need to get your priorities straight. The graphics are pretty good, looking about how you would expect for a shmup on the Genesis, but still managing to be as bright, flashy, and bombastic all the while, so that’s all good in my book, the music is also good, having plenty sci-fi tracks that will accompany you throughout the game, even if none of the tracks stuck out to me personally, and the control/gameplay are pretty much the same as the original game, but there are some new features to help make this game stand out from its predecessor.

The game is a horizontal shmup, where you take control of the Fire LEO-03 Styx (yes, the name is in all-caps), go through eight different stages across plenty of planets across the galaxy, shoot down anything that comes your way from the front or the back using whatever tools are necessary for the job, get plenty of different powerups that you can use to not only deal much more damage, but also increase your range to stand a better chance against your foes, and take on plenty of bosses that are… actually pretty easy, but they can still be challenging for those of you who aren’t that much into shmups. What you see here is pretty much what you got from the horizontal segments of Thunder Force II, but not only are they much more fun to go through in this game, but they also manage to switch things up slightly so that it makes the game more interesting and accessible.

Remember how in the previous game where, whenever you got a bunch of different powerups, you were able to swap between them at any point? Well, not only does that return in this game, but you now only lose the weapon you have equipped whenever you die, which is extremely helpful in certain situations. But that’s not all, because not only can you change what weapon you are using during the game, but you can also adjust your speed as well, choosing to go from either being blindingly fast as you obliterate everything in your way, or being slow enough to where you can get through some tight obstacles. I had never played any other shump before this that allowed you to adjust your ship’s speed on the fly, so seeing that feature in this game was not only pretty interesting, but also made me realize that I’d kill to have this kind of feature in any shmup game ever.

That’s really it though when it comes to the new features in this game, which for the sake of this title isn’t a bad thing at all. Unlike with the previous game, there is a proper balance here when it comes to gameplay, as you are not constantly switching between two different gameplay styles. As such, since the devs only had to focus on one type of gameplay, they refined it to where it is the best of the series yet, being as fun, fast, and explosive as any shump should be. This feeling is backed up by the powerups that you get access to in the game, which not only have plenty of versatility for when the situation calls for it, but can also be extremely powerful, such as with the Hunter shot, which I used for pretty much the entire run whenever I could. What can I say, I like homing shots, especially ones as fast and powerful as that one is.

If you have been burnt out by shmups overtime though, then this one won’t do anything to help remedy that, as it is yet another generic shooter at the end of the day. It still manages to be pretty fun when you try it out for yourself, and the slight changes that are made to the gameplay do make it an interesting experience, but for the most part, you have seen what this game offers in plenty of other games before this. Also, I did some research, and I figured out that in the original Genesis version of this game, you are actually able to select what stages to tackle in your own order (at least for the first five stages), so that is pretty neat………… too bad the AC version doesn’t have that. That doesn’t make the game any worse, really, but it is just kinda strange. I’m pretty sure they could’ve found a way to include that in the AC version, but whatever, who cares about trying.

Overall, despite a lack of major innovation and some minor gripes here or there, Thunder Force III/AC/Spirits/WhateverMakesYouSleepAtNight is a pretty great shmup, definitely the best in the series so far, and one that any shmup fan would be able to jump into and have a good time with, even without those innovations I brought up earlier. I would recommend it for those who were fans of the previous Thunder Force games, as well as those who are big shmup fanatics in general, because while it doesn’t focus too much on changing things up, what it does focus on instead is refining the gameplay to the best it has ever been, and that’s all that matters at the end of the day. I’m now looking forward to playing that next game at some point in the near future. I sure hope it doesn’t do anything weird like, I dunno, have a pretty weird alternate title…. that also happens to be misspelled…. only for North America…………… that would be silly.

Game #521

This is still my favorite shooter on the Genesis, and there's a whole lotta competition on the system. TFIII is one of those games where everything comes together perfectly to create something greater than the parts. The graphics are detailed with great parallax and animation; the soundtrack is an all-time great that I still listen to regularly (it recently got a CD re-release in Japan BTW); the controls are perfect; the action intense but fair, the challenge rising steadily but never becoming crushing.

It's all integrated into a vibe that is slick as hell. The level transitions are smooth and satisfying, boss fights emerge with a claxon warning and each with unique, jamming tunes. Weapon switching is fast, which is good because mastering the game means learning to do so on the fly rapidly. You can likewise change speeds instantly, and often need to in order to navigate tight passages. Even the UI is well-designed, doing its job efficiently and staying out of the way.

The levels are richly varied in design, scrolling all sorts of directions and speeds, and even the requisite "the level is fighting a giant ship" mission is done exceptionally well. The Hades mission and Orn bases are standouts, with the latter having one of my favorite soundtracks in any game.

The missing half star is because the bosses were unfortunately not balanced well - they all have nearly no health and die quickly even if you have little firepower, but some go down in low single digit seconds if you reach them powered up. (An issue fixed and then some in TF IV.) Still, this is a masterpiece right on through.

Played on Genesis Mini.