| Thunder Blade | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Sega |
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Year released | |
| System(s) | Arcade, Sega Master System, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Commodore Amiga, DOS, MSX, Sharp X68000, TurboGrafx-16, ZX Spectrum, Nintendo 3DS |
| Genre(s) | Shooter |
|---|---|
| Modes | Single player |
Thunder Blade (サンダーブレード Sandāburēdo?) is an arcade, flight-based, third-person rail shooter originally released in 1987. In the game, players control a helicopter to destroy enemy vehicles. The game's plot and setting resembles the 1983 film and 1984 TV series of Blue Thunder. The player controls a helicopter using guns and missiles to destroy enemy tanks, helicopters, etc., to save his home country. Levels are in both a top-down or third-person perspective view. The boss levels are in the top-down view.
The game was released as standard stand-up arcade cabinet that introduced the use of force feedback, as the joystick vibrates during gameplay. A sit-down unit was also released, replacing the force feedback with a seat that moves in tandem with the joystick.
Versions of the game were later released for the Sega Master System, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, MSX, TurboGrafx-16, Sharp X68000 and ZX Spectrum. The Nintendo 3DS remake was released under the label in Japan on August 20, 2014 in North America and Europe on May 14, 2015, and in Australia on July 2, 2015.
A follow-up, Super Thunder Blade, was released exclusively for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis as a launch title.
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Title screen
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American flyer
