Template:Series disambig Rolling Thunder (ローリングサンダー?) is a side-scrolling action game produced by Namco (now known as Namco Bandai Games) originally released in 1986 as an arcade game which ran on the Namco System 86 hardware. It was distributed internationally outside Japan by Atari Games. Rolling Thunder was later released for various computer platforms in 1987 and the Famicom in 1988. This is the first game in the Rolling Thunder trilogy. It was followed by two sequels: Rolling Thunder 2 (1990) and Rolling Thunder 3 (1993). The Capcom game Code Name: Viper and the Sega game Shinobi also feature similar gameplay to this series.
The player takes control of Albatross, a member of the WCPO's (World Crime Police Organization) "Rolling Thunder" espionage unit. Albatross's mission is to save a missing female agent named Leila Blitz from a secret society named Geldra located in New York. Albatross must travel through two different segments or "stories", each composed of five stages, for a total of ten stages. On each stage, the player can enter doors to hide and take cover from enemies, as well jump over to higher or lower floors with rails, including stairs. The player begins the game armed with a standard-issue pistol, which can be substituted with a fully automatic assault rifle that allows for continuous firing by holding down the shoot button. The player can find ammunition for either weapon by entering doors which are marked "bullets" or "arms". Despite the presence of a life meter, the player can only take two physical hits from the enemy: a single hit drains half of the meter and the player is killed instantly when struck by a projectile attack such as enemy bullets or lasers.
Story
It’s 1968 in New York. An unknown man calling himself "Mabu" appears and performs many miracles in front of people. Eventually, he introduces himself as savior of the world. However, his true identity is the leader of a secret organization known as "Geldra" which is plotting world domination. Interpol realizes Geldra’s global ambitions, and tasks the WCPO (World Crime Police Organization) to assign a spy with a mission to explore their ranks. Agent Leila is sent, sneaks into their organization, and obtains crucial information, but is ultimately caught. If she is not rescued, the truth about Geldra’s existence and their plans for domination will be lost. Faced with calamity, WCPO decides to send their most powerful agent. The man's code name is "Albatross” a member of team, "Rolling Thunder". In order rescue Leila and prevent Geldra from executing their plan for world domination, he disappears into the darkness alone...