Thunder Force III

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Thunder Force III/Thunder Force AC

Publisher: Tecnosoft

Developer: Tecnosoft

Distributor: HOT-B (US)

Genre: Shooting

Release	Date	RRP	Code

Thunder Force III (サンダーフォースIII) is a 1990 shoot-'em-up developed by Tecnosoft for the Sega Mega Drive and released exclusively in the US and Japan. It is the third game in the Thunder Force series and the first to debut on a Sega console. It was brought to the arcades as Thunder Force AC.

Immediately after the events of Thunder Force II, the Galaxy Federation discovers five cloaking devices on five planets circling the ORN Empire's main base, and that any attempt to destroy these cloaking devices will result in ORN's Cerberus destroyer — capable of detecting and destroying large fleets — to take action. With this knowledge, the Galaxy Federation builds a new ship that is both powerful enough to destroy the five cloaking devices yet small enough to avoid detection by Cerberus.

Unlike its predecessors, III only features side-scrolling stages. fires; there is rapidfire. changes speed. changes weapons. Powerups are collected in the usual way.

Levels

You can start at any of the first five levels, skipping over ones before it.

Planet Hydra: A horizontal wilderness. Your only threats are ORN's enemies, with some enemies coming from behind, some shooting homing missiles, and some shooting lasers up at you when you cross.
- Boss: Gargoyle: A chicken-like beast that shoots fireballs at you. Hi its stomach repeatedly to destroy it.
Planet Gorgon: A lava planet with rapidly rising columns of lava being the greatest natural threat. ORN has filled this planet with all sorts of laser enemies to stop you, and the balls of rock take quite a number of hits.
- Boss: Twin Vulcan: Two machines that circle the screen and shoot bullets at you at intervals. Destroy them both (you won't have to worry about one coming back if you take too long; it won't).
Planet Seiren: An underwater level full of ORN enemies.
- Boss: King Fish
Planet Haides: A mountainous level with terrain that rises, falls, and moves around in other ways. Think fast!
- Boss: G Lobster
Planet Ellis: What appears to be an ice mountain planet full of ORN enemies.
- Boss: Mobile Fort
Cerberus: Destroy the destroyer one piece at a time. Penetrate through to the inside and defeat the core to destroy the ship (regardless of how much of the outside you destroyed).
ORN Base: Enemies stand guard left and right while a number of traps block your way. Beware the doors that close in on you; you lose a life if you're on the wrong side...
- Boss: ("No Data")
ORN Core: The base of operations of ORN. This is a short level where you fight a miniboss and then face the final boss.
- Boss: CHA OS [sic]: It (what it was is revealed in the ending) attacks rapidly with several different types of bullets, some of which (like its wave shots) you can destroy.

Production Credits

Program: Izumi Fukuda, Takashi Iwanaga, Haruhiko Ohtsuka
Graphics & Design: Osamu Tsujikawa, Yoichi Muto
Stage Design: Takashi Iwanaga
Music Compose: Toshiharu Yamanishi, Tomomi Ohtani
Sound Effects: Naosuke Arai
Voice: kaoru
Manual: Fumio Sugano
Wording: Kazue Matsuoka
Produce: Techno Soft

Physical Scans

Sega Retro Average

Publication

Version

Score

1700 igr dlya Sega (RU)

60

^[1]

ACE (UK)

91

^[2]

Beep! MegaDrive (JP)

NTSC-J

85

^[3]

Buzz! Computers (UK)

95

^[4]

Complete Guide to Consoles (UK)

91

^[5]

Complete Guide to Consoles (UK)

89

^[6]

The Complete Guide to Sega (UK)

89

^[7]

Consoles + (FR)

90

^[8]

Console XS (UK)

PAL

90

^[9]

Computer & Video Games (UK)

95

^[10]

Electronic Gaming Monthly (US)

NTSC-U

83

^[11]

Mean Machines: The Essential Sega Guide (UK)

91

^[12]

Famitsu (JP)

NTSC-J

78

^[13]

FX (UK)

84

^[14]

Game Power (IT)

91

^[15]

GamePro (US)

NTSC-U

92

^[16]

The Games Machine (UK)

85

^[17]

Hobby Consolas (ES)

95

^[18]

Joypad (FR)

94

^[19]

Joystick (FR)

93

^[20]

Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming (UK)

84

^[21]

Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming (UK)

PAL

85

^[22]

Mega Drive Fan (JP)

NTSC-J

87

^[23]

Mega Force (FR)

NTSC

100

^[24]

Mega Play (US)

NTSC-U

88

^[25]

MegaTech (UK)

89

^[26]

MegaTech (UK)

PAL

89

^[27]

Micromanía (segunda época) (ES)

73

^[28]

Mean Machines (UK)

86

^[29]

Mean Machines Sega (UK)

89

^[30]

Player One (FR)

97

^[31]

Sega Power (UK)

NTSC

75

^[32]

Sega Power (UK)

PAL

82

^[33]

Sega Pro (UK)

89

^[34]

Sega Pro (UK)

PAL

88

^[35]

Sega Pro (UK)

PAL

89

^[36]

Sega Mega Drive Review (RU)

84

^[37]

Sega Saturn Magazine (JP)

NTSC-J

83

^[38]

Supergame (BR)

88

^[39]

Tilt (FR)

85

^[40]

Tricks 16 bit (RU)

85

^[41]

Zero (UK)

94

^[42]

	87
Based on 42 reviews

Thunder Force III

Mega Drive, US
Cover
Cart

Mega Drive, JP
Cover
Cart

Mega Drive, South Korea
Cover
Cart

Thunder Force games for Sega systems / developed by Sega
	Thunder Force II (1989) \| Thunder Force III (1990) \| Thunder Force IV / Lightening Force: Quest for the Darkstar (1992)
	Thunder Force AC (1990)
	Thunder Force: Gold Pack 1 (1996) \| Thunder Force: Gold Pack 2 (1996) \| Thunder Force V (1997)
	Thunder Force VI (2008)
	Sega Ages Thunder Force IV (2018) \| Sega Ages Thunder Force AC (2020)
Thunder Force related media
	Best of Thunder Force (1997) \| Thunder Force VI Soundtrack Demo (2008) \| Thunder Force IV (2019) \| Technosoft Music Collection: Thunder Force III & AC (2020) \| Technosoft Music Collection: Thunder Force IV (2021) \| Technosoft Music Collection: Thunder Force I & II (2022)

[1] 1700 igr dlya Sega, "" (RU; 2001-xx-xx), page 243

[:File:ACE_UK_35.pdf_p60-2] ACE, "August 1990" (UK; 1990-07-xx), page 60

[:File:BeepMD_JP_1990-06.pdf_p109-3] Beep! MegaDrive, "June 1990" (JP; 1990-05-08), page 109

[buzz1990-08-10-4] Buzz! Computers (UK) (+0:00)

[:File:CGtC_UK_03.pdf_p85-5] Complete Guide to Consoles, "Volume III" (UK; 1990-08-xx), page 85

[:File:CGtC_UK_04.pdf_p37-6] Complete Guide to Consoles, "Volume IV" (UK; 1990-11-xx), page 37

[:File:TheCompleteGuideToSega_UK.pdf_p50-7] The Complete Guide to Sega, "" (UK; 1991-05-xx), page 50

[:File:ConsolesPlus_FR_000.pdf_p36-8] Consoles +, "Tilt Hors-Serie" (FR; 1991-07-xx), page 36

[:File:Console_XS_UK_01.pdf_p135-9] Console XS, "June/July 1992" (UK; 1992-04-23), page 135

[:File:CVG_UK_105.pdf_p84-10] Computer & Video Games, "August 1990" (UK; 1990-07-16), page 84

[:File:EGM_US_016.pdf_p19-11] Electronic Gaming Monthly, "November 1990" (US; 1990-xx-xx), page 19

[:File:MeanMachinesEssentialSegaGuide_Book_UK.pdf_p108-12] Mean Machines: The Essential Sega Guide, "" (UK; 1993-11-18), page 108

[13] Famitsu, "" (JP; 1990-0x-xx), page 1

[fx1991-11-08-14] FX (UK) (+0:00)

[:File:GamePower_IT_01.pdf_p56-15] Game Power, "Dicembre 1991" (IT; 1991-1x-xx), page 56

[:File:GamePro_US_016.pdf_p106-16] GamePro, "November 1990" (US; 1990-xx-xx), page 106

[:File:TGM_UK_33.pdf_p55-17] The Games Machine, "August 1990" (UK; 1990-07-19), page 55

[:File:HobbyConsolas_ES_002.pdf_p24-18] Hobby Consolas, "Noviembre 1991" (ES; 1991-1x-xx), page 24

[:File:Joypad_FR_006.pdf_p138-19] Joypad, "Mars 1992" (FR; 1992-02-1x), page 138

[:File:Joystick_FR_008.pdf_p105-20] Joystick, "Septembre 1990" (FR; 1990-0x-xx), page 105

[:File:MDAG_UK_01.pdf_p80-21] Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming, "September 1992" (UK; 1992-xx-xx), page 80

[:File:MDAG_UK_05.pdf_p95-22] Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming, "January 1993" (UK; 199x-xx-xx), page 95

[:File:Mdfan_JP_1990-10.pdf_p79-23] Mega Drive Fan, "October 1990" (JP; 1990-09-08), page 79

[:File:MegaForce_FR_02.pdf_p97-24] Mega Force, "Septembre/Octobre 1991" (FR; 1991-09-13), page 97

[:File:MegaPlay_US_02.pdf_p40-25] Mega Play, "February 1991" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 40

[:File:MegaTech_UK_01.pdf_p81-26] MegaTech, "Xmas 1991" (UK; 1991-12-06), page 81

[:File:MegaTech_UK_02.pdf_p43-27] MegaTech, "February 1992" (UK; 1992-01-20), page 43

[:File:Micromania2_ES_042.pdf_p43-28] Micromanía (segunda época), "Noviembre 1991" (ES; 1991-1x-xx), page 43

[:File:MeanMachines_UK_13.pdf_p88-29] Mean Machines, "October 1991" (UK; 1991-09-27), page 88

[:File:MeanMachinesSega01UK.pdf_p142-30] Mean Machines Sega, "October 1992" (UK; 1992-09-xx), page 142

[:File:PlayerOne_FR_013.pdf_p54-31] Player One, "Octobre 1991" (FR; 1991-xx-xx), page 54

[:File:SegaPower_UK_23.pdf_p54-32] Sega Power, "October 1991" (UK; 1991-09-05), page 54

[:File:SegaPower_UK_24.pdf_p22-33] Sega Power, "November 1991" (UK; 1991-10-04), page 22

[:File:SegaPro_UK_06.pdf_p30-34] Sega Pro, "April 1992" (UK; 1992-03-19), page 30

[:File:SegaPro_UK_09.pdf_p28-35] Sega Pro, "July 1992" (UK; 1992-06-18), page 28

[:File:SegaPro_UK_18.pdf_p68-36] Sega Pro, "April 1993" (UK; 1993-03-11), page 68

[37] Sega Mega Drive Review, "1" (RU; 1995-04-03), page 170

[:File:SSM_JP_19950901_1995-09.pdf_p85-38] Sega Saturn Magazine, "September 1995" (JP; 1995-08-08), page 85

[:File:Supergame_BR_12.pdf_p37-39] Supergame, "Julho 1992" (BR; 1992-07-xx), page 37

[:File:Tilt_FR_081.pdf_p58-40] Tilt, "Septembre 1990" (FR; 1990-0x-xx), page 58

[41] Tricks 16 bit, "Tricks Sega Gold 800 igr" (RU; 1998-03-20), page 27

[:File:Zero_UK_11.pdf_p72-42] Zero, "September 1990" (UK; 1990-08-09), page 72

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Thunder Force III

From Sega Retro

Levels

Production Credits

Physical Scans