Thunder Force[a] is a series of shooter video games developed by the Japanese software company Technosoft and published by Sega. The franchise is recognized for its distinctive gameplay, graphics, and synthesizer-based chiptune music soundtracks.

Thunder Force
Genre(s)Horizontal-scrolling shooter
Developer(s)Technosoft
Sega
Publisher(s)Technosoft
Sega
Creator(s)Kotori Yoshimura
Platform(s)Sharp X1, NEC PC-8801 mkII, FM-7, Sharp MZ 1500, NEC PC-6001 mkII, NEC PC-9801, X68000, Arcade, Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Saturn, PlayStation, PlayStation 2
First releaseThunder Force
1983 (1983)
Latest releaseThunder Force VI
2008 (2008)

There are six games in the series in total. The first appeared on the personal computers. The majority of installments in the series appeared on the Mega Drive console. The most recent entry was released on PlayStation 2.

History

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The series' first game, Thunder Force, appeared in 1983 on a variety of Japanese computers, such as the X1, PC-8801 mkII, and FM-7. Since Thunder Force II, the majority of installments in the series appeared on the Mega Drive console, where the series gained much of its popularity. The most recent entry was released on PlayStation 2.

The original Thunder Force video game was created by Kotori Yoshimura in 1983. She later left Technosoft and founded Arsys Software in 1985, where herself and Osamu Nagano worked on notable titles such as Star Cruiser.[1] In 1984, Technosoft released a level editor, or game creation system, titled Thunder Force Construction, created by Yoshimura for the FM-7 computer.[2]

In September 2016, Sega announced at the Tokyo Game Show that they've acquired the rights to the Thunder Force franchise and all other Technosoft intellectual properties.[3]

Games

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Year Title Original platform
1983 Thunder Force Sharp X1
1988 Thunder Force II X68000
1990 Thunder Force III Mega Drive/Genesis
1992 Thunder Force IV Mega Drive/Genesis
1997 Thunder Force V Sega Saturn
2008 Thunder Force VI PlayStation 2

Compilations

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Year Title Included games Original platform
1996 Thunder Force Gold Pack 1 Thunder Force II
Thunder Force III
Sega Saturn
1996 Thunder Force Gold Pack 2 Thunder Force AC
Thunder Force IV
Sega Saturn

Notes

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  1. ^ Japanese: サンダーフォース, Hepburn: Sandā Fōsu

References

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  1. ^ "Wibarm". Oh!FM. Archived from the original on 19 January 2015. Retrieved 1 September 2012. Alt URL
  2. ^ "Thunder Force Construction". Oh!FM. Archived from the original on 28 July 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2012. Alt URL
  3. ^ "Sega announces acquisitions of Technosoft IP's". September 2016.