Thunder Force III

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ThunderForceIII MDTitleScreen.png

Thunder Force III/Thunder Force AC
System(s): Sega Mega Drive
Publisher: Tecnosoft
Developer:
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 in the US, Japan, Germany (with the US packaging and an additional German manual), and France (and likely other European nations, though details on the full extent of its European release are sparse). 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. B fires; there is rapidfire. A changes speed. C 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 Score Source
91 №35
95 №105
85 №33, p55
94 №6
93 №8, p105
89 №1
80 №23, p54/55
89 №6, p30
88 №9, p28/29
89 №18, p68
Sega Mega Drive
 89
Based on
10 reviews
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]
Sega Mega Drive
 87
Based on
42 reviews

Thunder Force III

Mega Drive, US
ThunderForce3 MD US Box.jpg
Cover
Thunderforce3 md us cart.jpg
Cart
Mega Drive, JP
ThunderForce3 MD JP Box.jpg
Cover
ThunderForce3 MD JP Cart.jpg
Cart
Mega Drive, FR

Mega Drive, DE

Mega Drive, BR
Thunderforceiii md br cover.jpg
Cover
Thunderforceiii md br manual.pdf
Manual
Mega Drive, KR
ThunderForceIII MD KR cover.jpg
Cover
ThunderForceIII MD KR cart.jpg
Cart



Thunder Force games for Sega systems / developed by Sega
Sega Mega Drive
 Thunder Force II (1989) | Thunder Force III (1990) | Thunder Force IV / Lightening Force: Quest for the Darkstar (1992)
Arcade
 Thunder Force AC (1990)
Sega Saturn
 Thunder Force: Gold Pack 1 (1996) | Thunder Force: Gold Pack 2 (1996) | Thunder Force V (1997)
Sony PlayStation 2
 Thunder Force VI (2008)
Nintendo Switch
 Sega Ages Thunder Force IV (2018) | Sega Ages Thunder Force AC (2020)
Thunder Force related media
Music
 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
  2. ↑ ACE, "August 1990" (UK; 1990-07-xx), page 60
  3. ↑ Beep! MegaDrive, "June 1990" (JP; 1990-05-08), page 109
  4. ↑ Buzz! Computers (UK) (+0:00)
  5. ↑ Complete Guide to Consoles, "Volume III" (UK; 1990-08-xx), page 85
  6. ↑ Complete Guide to Consoles, "Volume IV" (UK; 1990-11-xx), page 37
  7. ↑ The Complete Guide to Sega, "" (UK; 1991-05-xx), page 50
  8. ↑ Consoles +, "Tilt Hors-Serie" (FR; 1991-07-xx), page 36
  9. ↑ Console XS, "June/July 1992" (UK; 1992-04-23), page 135
  10. ↑ Computer & Video Games, "August 1990" (UK; 1990-07-16), page 84
  11. ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "November 1990" (US; 1990-xx-xx), page 19
  12. ↑ Mean Machines: The Essential Sega Guide, "" (UK; 1993-11-18), page 108
  13. ↑ Famitsu, "" (JP; 1990-0x-xx), page 1
  14. ↑ FX (UK) (+0:00)
  15. ↑ Game Power, "Dicembre 1991" (IT; 1991-1x-xx), page 56
  16. ↑ GamePro, "November 1990" (US; 1990-xx-xx), page 106
  17. ↑ The Games Machine, "August 1990" (UK; 1990-07-19), page 55
  18. ↑ Hobby Consolas, "Noviembre 1991" (ES; 1991-1x-xx), page 24
  19. ↑ Joypad, "Mars 1992" (FR; 1992-02-1x), page 138
  20. ↑ Joystick, "Septembre 1990" (FR; 1990-0x-xx), page 105
  21. ↑ Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming, "September 1992" (UK; 1992-xx-xx), page 80
  22. ↑ Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming, "January 1993" (UK; 199x-xx-xx), page 95
  23. ↑ Mega Drive Fan, "October 1990" (JP; 1990-09-08), page 79
  24. ↑ Mega Force, "Septembre/Octobre 1991" (FR; 1991-09-13), page 97
  25. ↑ Mega Play, "February 1991" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 40
  26. ↑ MegaTech, "Xmas 1991" (UK; 1991-12-06), page 81
  27. ↑ MegaTech, "February 1992" (UK; 1992-01-20), page 43
  28. ↑ Micromanía (segunda época), "Noviembre 1991" (ES; 1991-1x-xx), page 43
  29. ↑ Mean Machines, "October 1991" (UK; 1991-09-27), page 88
  30. ↑ Mean Machines Sega, "October 1992" (UK; 1992-09-xx), page 142
  31. ↑ Player One, "Octobre 1991" (FR; 1991-xx-xx), page 54
  32. ↑ Sega Power, "October 1991" (UK; 1991-09-05), page 54
  33. ↑ Sega Power, "November 1991" (UK; 1991-10-04), page 22
  34. ↑ Sega Pro, "April 1992" (UK; 1992-03-19), page 30
  35. ↑ Sega Pro, "July 1992" (UK; 1992-06-18), page 28
  36. ↑ Sega Pro, "April 1993" (UK; 1993-03-11), page 68
  37. ↑ Sega Mega Drive Review, "1" (RU; 1995-04-03), page 170
  38. ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "September 1995" (JP; 1995-08-08), page 85
  39. ↑ Supergame, "Julho 1992" (BR; 1992-07-xx), page 37
  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
  42. ↑ Zero, "September 1990" (UK; 1990-08-09), page 72
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