Thunder Blade Master System

Description

Thunder Blade Master System

Thunder Blade is a 1988 Sega Master System arcade port that simulates piloting a helicopter in a military-style combat shooter. Players can fly over cities, deserts, and oceans while destroying enemy tanks, helicopters, and fortresses. The gameplay switches between two perspectives: a top-down view for maneuvering and a third-person, behind-the-helicopter view.

Gameplay features
Two gameplay modes: Each of the game’s four stages begins with a top-down, vertically scrolling sequence, followed by a third-person perspective sequence.

Arsenal: The Thunder Blade helicopter is equipped with a rapid-fire chain cannon for airborne targets and unlimited air-to-ground missiles for ground enemies.

Controls: Controls are fluent and responsive, with separate buttons for the chain cannon (button 1) and missiles (button 2).

Boss battles: Each stage concludes with a boss battle against a “super fortress,” such as a giant tank or jet.
Master System vs. arcade version
Compared to its arcade counterpart, the Master System port is a significantly scaled-down version.

Graphics: The Master System version lacks the arcade’s advanced “super scaler” 3D sprite scaling effects.

Altitude control: In the arcade’s top-down sequences, players could adjust their helicopter’s altitude, which created a unique visual effect. This feature was removed in the Master System port.

Level design: The levels in the Master System version generally follow the arcade’s design, but the order of the bosses was changed.

Difficulty: The port has a reputation for being repetitive and challenging, even on the “Easy” setting.

Sound: The music is considered repetitive and bland compared to the arcade version’s action fare.

FM audio: If played on a Japanese Master System or a Mark III with the FM Sound Unit, the game supports an enhanced FM audio soundtrack.

Reviews at the time of its release and retro reviews today acknowledge the technical challenge of porting the advanced arcade game to 8-bit hardware, resulting in a less-impressive overall experience. Despite winning “Console Game of the Year” at the 1988–1989 Golden Joystick Awards, many today find the port to be a much weaker and more repetitive version of the original arcade game.

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Another great retro game available at Escapist Gamer – Sonic The Hedgehog (Master System)