Mega Turrican

The player has to complete numerous large levels always searching for secrets to pick up and enemies to shoot. To do this, the player can pick up three different, upgradeable shots: a "Multiple" spread gun, a more powerful, single-direction "Laser" and a "Rebound", which fires shots directly up and down that travel along floors and ceilings, while the main forward-firing shot is weaker. He can also go into wheel-mode by pressing jump while holding down on the D-Pad (as long as the player has enough special energy) and use a rope. In wheel-mode, the player is nearly invincible and can lay mines or explore previously unreachable areas, a mechanic similar to the "Morph Ball" from the Metroid series and the "Spin Dash" from the Sonic the Hedgehog series.

The player can also use a grappling hook for the first time in the Turrican series.

Time has passed since humankind last heard of The Machine. Bren McGuire is on a United Planets Freedom Forces mission when suddenly he sees his worst nightmares come true again. Years ago, he was the only survivor of the starship Avalon 1 when The Machine took out his comrades in an attempt to take over the galaxy. Back then, Bren sought revenge against his enemy and finally destroyed him in the planet of Landorin. Nobody expected a return of The Machine, but now, after many people enjoyed freedom and peace in the galaxy, the dark forces under his command are starting to assemble again.

A wave of terror strikes as The Machine devastates numerous planets and subjugates hundreds of innocent people. The old memories come back to Bren as he hears the message of a beautiful young girl. She appeals for help as her planet is invaded by the troops of The Machine. Donning his Turrican assault suit, Bren makes his final vow for revenge.

The German magazine "Amiga Games" published a complete 6-part development diary (The long way from Turrican II to Turrican III) in 1992. The German magazine "Power Play" published an article about the development of Turrican 3 in 1993.

Factor 5 began the work on Turrican III for the Amiga right after Turrican II was released in 1991. They had a working demo that already had some features from the final game. However, around this time, the Amiga market was already in decline and together with Rainbow Arts, it was decided to develop the game for the Sega Mega Drive instead. The game was completely redesigned for the console and it was co-developed by Factor 5 and members of Kaiko.

Mega Turrican garnered generally favorable reception from critics.

In 2017, GamesRadar+ ranked Mega Turrican 36th on their "Best Sega Genesis/Mega Drive games of all time" list.