I finally beat the final boss, after having mowed down what is likely to be thousands of enemy choppers, tanks and battleships. And this was on easy with the maximum number of lives.
Super Thunder Blade acts as a part sequel, part re-imagining of the Arcade game Thunder Blade. But in reality, it rather feels like a downgrade. While I …
I finally beat the final boss, after having mowed down what is likely to be thousands of enemy choppers, tanks and battleships. And this was on easy with the maximum number of lives.
Super Thunder Blade acts as a part sequel, part re-imagining of the Arcade game Thunder Blade. But in reality, it rather feels like a downgrade. While I haven't played the first Thunder Blade myself, it is easy to see how the graphics, sound effects and fluidity of gameplay is superior in the original. When it comes to bringing the arcade experience home, I think other contemporary arcade ports for the Genesis such as Golden Axe and Altered Beast did a better job. I've heard the 3DS-release of the arcade game is a good port.
In total, Super Thunder Blade is kind of forgettable. Apart from the historical importance of being a release title for the Sega Genesis in both Japan, Europe and US, there is little to be found here but a somewhat monotonous 4 stages long rail shooter. The difficulty is very uneven, with the second stage by far being the hardest, and the third one the easiest one. While I managed to get to the end successfully multiple times just by spinning clockwise while shooting, the final boss felt extremely unfair, since I got hit from the onslaught of bullets no matter what flight pattern I used. In the end, it mostly felt luck-based that I managed to beat the game, which is never a good sign.
To be positive, I like the brake mechanic that allows you to stop mid-air and reposition yourself. This is utilized in the caves of level 2 and pipelines of level 4 in interesting ways. And going Rambo III on a whole army of vehicles has its primitive charm I guess?
Not a recommendation, unless you're like me and want to dig up and dissect forgotten relics of gaming history.
