Lords of Thunder

Lords of Thunder
North American TurboDuo cover art
Developer(s)	Hudson Soft, Red Entertainment
Publisher(s)	Hudson Soft
Platform(s)	TurboDuo, Sega CD, Virtual Console, PlayStation Network
Release	TurboDuo[1] JP: April 23, 1993 NA: 1993 Sega CD[2] NA: 1995 EU: 1995 Virtual Console[3] PAL: February 8, 2008 NA: February 11, 2008 JP: June 10, 2008 PlayStation Network JP: August 18, 2010
Genre(s)	Horizontal scrolling shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player

Lords of Thunder, known as Winds of Thunder (ウィンズ オブ サンダー)^[1] in Japan, is a shoot 'em up by Hudson Soft and Red Entertainment for the Turbo CD which was released in 1993.^[4] It was ported to the Sega CD in 1995.^[5] The Turbo CD version was released on the Virtual Console on February 7, 2008 in PAL regions, February 11, 2008 in North America and in Japan on June 10, 2008. It is the unofficial follow-up to Gate of Thunder. The game is notable for its heavy metal soundtrack.

Gameplay

The game is centered around the world Mistral's confrontation with the re-awakened evil god Deoric and his dark generals who have torn the world asunder. With the armor of his ancestor Drac, the legendary knight Duran sets off to defeat Deoric's army in 7 different stages, the first six of which can be selected in a manner similar to Thunder Force III. Once the stage is selected, the player selects one of four armors to use, affecting his shots and bombs.

Reception

Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the Sega CD version a 6 out of 10, describing it as dramatically inferior to the Turbo CD version, and commenting that it had become outdated in the years since the Turbo CD version was released.^[6] GamePro, in contrast, remarked that though its colors aren't as sharp and bright as the Turbo CD version's, the Sega CD version is nonetheless "a fairly close port" and helps fill a niche on a system with very few traditional shooters.^[7]

Nintendo Life gave the Virtual Console reissue of the Turbo CD version a 9/10, deeming it even better than Gate of Thunder. They especially praised the challenging and strategic gameplay and the parallax scrolling, and added that the soundtrack "is discussed in hushed, almost reverent tones by those that have had the pleasure of experiencing it. It’s rip-roaring guitar rock – the kind of music that you might turn your nose up at if you were to hear it on the radio – but in this context, it fits like a chain mail glove."^[8]

References