PixlBit

This vibrant shooter is one of the best on the Genesis

Thunder Force III is the third game (duh) in the Thunder Force series. Developed by Technosoft and published by Sega, this horizontal shoot 'em up was released for Genesis in 1990. It was later converted into an arcade game (usually it's the other way around). While this is an early Genesis game, it doesn't look or feel like one; this is an excellent game, and playing it was a lot of fun. It doesn't do anything new, but it doesn't need to. 

The game throws you right in by having you choose which of the five levels to play first, but then you will be locked into a set order. The five levels are five different planets. Before a level begins, you are told what the boss is and its weak point. I'm not even sure what the story is because the game doesn't give you a shred of story. I'm pretty sure you're supposed to blast aliens (maybe an evil empire). 

The controls are perfect. You hold the B button to rapid fire. Your standard gun is a double shot. You can have up to five different weapons and can switch between them on the fly. However, if you die while using a particular weapon (except for your standard double shot), you will lose it. You die instantly upon impact, although you can obtain a shield which gives you one extra hit. You get five lives (which is generous) and limited continues, making the game much easier than other shmups like Gradius. 

Level design here is excellent. Levels aren't just about shooting, they also have unique features. For example, Seiren (the water planet) has bubbles that push your ship up, which keeps you on your toes. Haides has shifting terrain that will crush you if you're not careful. Ellis (the ice planet) has falling icicles that you need to avoid. Ellis also has the screen scroll up while you avoid icy terrain, which is really great. Gorgon (the lava planet) is probably the hardest level. It's hard to tell what's happening at times because the background is moving and the screen speeds up really fast, which can be a strain on the eyes. 

Most of the bosses are challenging, but not impossible. These bosses are big machines that shoot out a lot of bullets or other projectiles. Sometimes they move all over the screen and sometimes they just move up and down on the right side of the screen. It will take your full concentration to beat them, but doing so is very satisfying. 

The graphics here are pretty good. Each planet looks distinct with lots of color and always good backgrounds. Each level also has unique enemies (some of which are pretty big and detailed). The music is also a real standout. Themes fit the levels perfectly; they're enjoyable to listen to and still sound good today (check below for a couple of my favorite themes). Best of all, the game never slows down (one feature which is lacking in SNES shmups). 

I have a few minor gripes: enemies can at times come out of nowhere and kill you, which can be frustrating. Some enemies will fly onto screen so fast that it feels cheap. However, this is also true of most shmups. As I said before, there's not a shred of story here, which can be disappointing if you were interested in one, but most likely gamers just want to shoot stuff, and there's plenty of that here. There's no doubt that this is one of the best shoot 'em ups on the Genesis. 

Final Verdict--4 Stars: Recommended 

With strong level design, great power-ups, cool bosses, and good graphics and music, Thunder Force III is an excellent shooter. It holds up great after 30 years, which is remarkable. It's challenging but not ridiculously hard (and certainly beatable if you use save states). I'm not a shmup expert, so I'm not sure how it stacks up against Gradius or Blazing Lazers, but it's certainly one that should not be missed.