1997 · Technosoft · Shoot 'em up · Shooter

Thunder Force V

In a grim future where a once-benevolent alien technology has turned against humanity, only a ragtag group of ace pilots can save the Earth from total annihilation. Code name: Thunder Force! Witness the first 32-bit installment of the massively popular shooter series! Five spectacular weapons with multiple power-up levels let you blast through waves of metallic predators, and look good doing it.

Released: 11 July 1997
Platforms: PlayStation Sega Saturn
Genres: Shoot 'em up Shooter
Developers: Technosoft
Publishers: Working Designs
Series: Thunder Force
Modes: Single-player
Themes: Science fiction
Country: Japan
Age ratings: ESRB E

About

Thunder Force V is a horizontal-scrolling shooter video game developed and published by Technosoft for the Sega Saturn. The game was released in 1997, with the PlayStation port Thunder Force V: Perfect System released in 1998. It is the fifth installment in the Thunder Force series and the last one created by Technosoft. Unlike previous games in the series, Thunder Force V uses polygons to model the larger enemy ships and some of the scenery, in addition to sprites.

The story revolves around a combat unit formed to fight against the Guardian supercomputer, which went rogue after deciphering the code of a space vessel. 5D perspective; the environments are rendered in three dimensions but the player moves in a 2D plane.

Keywords

psone classics

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

Thunder Force V is a horizontal-scrolling shooter video game. 5D perspective, with environments rendered in 3D and gameplay taking place on a 2D plane. The player controls a starship named the Gauntlet in its mission to destroy the Guardian, a supercomputer that became rogue after deciphering the code of a space vessel. There are seven levels total, and the first three can be selected in any order.

Levels scroll automatically, and the player is given free movement. Its gameplay is similar to its predecessor, Thunder Force IV; players must destroy constantly-moving formations of enemies and dodge their projectiles and incoming obstacles. A boss concludes the end of a stage.

Development

Production on the fifth installment in the Thunder Force series began on the Sega Mega Drive. According to former Technosoft staff member Naosuke Arai, the team started by utilizing pre-rendered 3D graphics, but were unhappy with its cheap look compared to Thunder Force IV. Minimal work was done on this version before the developers decided that the Sega Saturn would be more capable of creating the visuals they desired.

Reception

Reviewing the Saturn version as an import, the British Sega Saturn Magazine said that the combination of polygonal ships with 2D parallax scrolling backgrounds "looks a little bit ropey", but judged that the strong gameplay and enhanced powerups compared to previous Thunder Force games outweighed the graphical weaknesses.

The PlayStation version received "average" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. Next Generation said of the game, "If there is a saving grace here, then it is this: Thunderforce [sic] takes you back to a time when games weren't as good as they are now."