Thunder Blade
| Thunder Blade | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Sega |
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, MSX, Sega Master System, TurboGrafx-16, Sharp X68000, ZX Spectrum |
| Release date(s) | Arcade |
| Genre(s) | Scrolling shooter Third-person rail shooter Combat flight simulator |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Distribution | ROM board, 8-bit cartridge |
| Arcade system | Sega X Board |
Thunder Blade (サンダーブレード Sandāburēdo) is an arcade, flight-based, third-person rail shooter originally released for video arcades in 1987. In the game, players control a helicopter to destroy enemy vehicles.
The game was released as standard stand-up arcade cabinet that introduced the use of force feedback, as the joystick vibrates during gameplay. A sit-down unit was also released, replacing the force feedback with a seat that moves in tandem with the joystick.[1]
Versions of the game were later released for the Sega Master System, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, MSX, TurboGrafx-16, Sharp X68000 and ZX Spectrum. A follow-up was released exclusively for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis as Super Thunder Blade while the Nintendo 3DS remake was released in Japan on August 20, 2014.
Gameplay
The game's plot and setting resembles the 1983 film and 1984 TV series of Blue Thunder. The player controls a helicopter using guns and missiles to destroy enemy tanks, helicopters, etc., to save his home country. Levels are in both a top-down or third-person perspective view. The boss levels are in the top-down view.
Reception
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The game was well received, with Your Sinclair saying "Thunder Blade is probably the game which took most of your money in the arcades this summer, probably one of the most eagerly awaited coin-op conversions".
The game earned the Golden Joystick Console Award in for 1988-1989.
