History VideoGame / ThunderForce

--> ''Legend of Wings continue.''

* ''Thunder Force II'' (Sharp X68000, 1988) -- Alternates between overhead sections and side-scrolling sections. Rereleased on the Genesis as ''Thunder Force II MD'', with one less overhead-sidescroller pair and more balanced difficulty. ''MD'' itself was ported to Saturn via ''Thunder Force Gold Pack 1'' and to UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch as part of the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion’s Genesis library.

* ''Thunder Force V'' (Saturn, 1997) -- The first game in the series with three-dimensional graphics, and introduces the [[LimitBreak Over Weapon]] system. Ported to the UsefulNotes/PlayStation as ''Thunder Force V: Perfect System'', with less slowdown (but reduced visuals) and some {{omake}} content.

** Unlike the prior four games, ''VI'' gives you all of your weapons at the start and does not take any of them away upon death, but only if you're using the default Phoenix ship or its EleventhHourSuperpower counterpat, the Syrinx.

%% * LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe

%% * NintendoHard: ''Thunder Force II''. Especially the X68000 version.

%% * OneHitPointWonder

* VersionExclusiveContent: ''Thunder Force AC'', an arcade port of ''III'', replaces the Haides and Ellis stages with new stages, one being some sort of space junkyard and the other being a [[NostalgiaLevel replica]] of Stages 5-2 and 6-2 from ''Thunder Force II'' (4-2 and 5-2 in the Genesis/MD version). ''Thunder Spirits'' adds another modification in the form of a new capital ship in Stage 6 in place of the original Cerebrus.

%% * VideoGameLives

* SurprisinglyGoodEnglish: All the English in ''V'' was there in the Japanese version as well. It kinda explains why the Guardian sounds slightly "off" compared to a native speaker.

* SpiritualSuccessor: Following the completion of ''III'', some of its developers would depart Technostoft for Red Company where they would make ''VideoGame/GateOfThunder'', another sci-fi horizontal shmup whose commonalities with ''Thunder Force'' include a rocking soundtrack, real-time weapon switching and rotatable attack drones. It would be followed by ''VideoGames/LordsOfThunder'', which switched to a fantasy theme but retains some obvious ''Thunder Force'' DNA.

* SpiritualSuccessor: Following the completion of ''III'', some of its developers would depart Technostoft for Red Company where they would make ''VideoGame/GatesOfThunder'', another sci-fi horizontal shmup whose commonalities with ''Thunder Force'' include a rocking soundtrack, real-time weapon switching and rotatable attack drones. It would be followed by ''VideoGames/LordsOfThunder'', which switched to a fantasy theme but retains some obvious ''Thunder Force'' DNA.

* ''Thunder Force II'' (Sharp X68000, 1988) -- Alternates between overhead sections and side-scrolling sections. Rereleased on the Genesis as ''Thunder Force II MD'', with one less overhead-sidescroller pair and more balanced difficulty. ''MD'' itself was ported to Saturn via ''Thunder Force Gold Pack 1''.

** Normally when your shots impact against objects, the explosions are red if they cause damage, and blue if they do not. This However, in ''IV'', the Blade weapon, as well as the Snake's floor and ceiling explosives, release red explosions regardless of whether your shots are causing damage. This means you can spend 5 or so minutes against a boss wondering why it won't die, then switch to another weapon and realize you were not shooting its [[AttackItsWeakPoint weak point]].

** Normally when your shots impact against objects, the explosions are red if they cause damage, and blue if they do not. This However, in ''IV'', the Blade weapon, as well as the Snake's floor and ceiling explosives, all release red explosions regardless of whether your shots are causing damage, making it difficult to tell if your shots are dealing damage.

* InterfaceScrew: In ''V'', the BossWarningSiren glitches out [[spoiler:upon encountering the Guardian.]]

* PrecisionFStrike: In ''Thunder Force II'', when you lose your last life, the robo-voice exclaims "Shit!".

** ''Thunder Force AC'' (Arcade, 1990) -- An arcade port of ''III'' (unusual in that ports generally go from arcade to console and not the other way around), but with altered 4th and 5th stages. Ported to the Saturn via ''Thunder Force Gold Pack 2'', with an autofire feature that was not present in the original version. and later to the Nintendo Switch as part of M2's ''SEGA Ages'' series of ports.
** ''Thunder Spirits'' (SNES, 1992) -- A SNES port of ''AC'' (making it a ''port of a port''), with a new stage 5 and stage 8. Notable for being the only ''Thunder Force'' game on a Nintendo platform until the ''3D Classics'' version of ''Thunder Force III'' in 2016.

* DeathIsASlapOnTheWrist: The default ship in ''VI'' doesn't lose its weapons when you die.

* ''Thunder Force III'' (Genesis/MD, 1990) -- Completely does away with overhead sections. Ported to the Saturn via ''Gold Pack 1''.

** ''Thunder Spirits'' (SNES, 1992) -- A SNES port of ''AC'' (making it a ''port of a port''), with a new stage 5 and stage 8. The least-known of the three versions of ''TFIII'', despite being on the most popular platform of the three platforms it appeared on.

* AwesomeButTemporary: In ''V'', when you reach Stage 5 you gain access to the Brigandine module, an attachment to a new ship you also get at the same time, the Vambrace. The Brigandine has infinite-use Twin Shot and Back Shot [[LimitBreak Over Weapons]] that can easily shred any non-boss enemy. However, it also has a LifeMeter, and once it runs out or you proceed to the next stage, it's gone and you have to go on in just the Vambrace.

* AwesomeButTemporary: In ''V'', when you reach Stage 5 you gain access to the Brigandine module, an attachment to a new ship you also get at the same time, the Vambrace. The Brigandine has infinte-use superweapons that can easily shred any non-boss enemy. However, it also has a LifeMeter, and once it runs out or you proceed to the next stage, it's gone and you have to go on in just the Vambrace.

* OddballInTheSeries: ''Thunder Spirits'' is notable for being the only game in the series to be released on a Nintendo platform, at least prior to Sega becoming a third-party company that releases their games on all major platforms.

* OrbitingParticleShield: The Claw powerups soak enemy bullets and can fire a few of their own.

%% * RealTimeWeaponChange

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The first game, released in 1983, has no side-scrolling stages and plays more like a combination of ''VideoGame/{{Xevious}}'' and ''VideoGame/TimePilot'', and is similar to 1985's ''VideoGame/RaidOnBungelingBay''. It also features a PublicDomainSoundtrack (Rossini's William Tell Overture) that plays throughout the entire game.

* LaterInstallmentWeirdness: Unlike the prior four games, ''VI'' gives you all of your weapons at the start and does not take any of them away upon death, but only if you're using the default Phoenix ship or its EleventhHourSuperpower counterpat, the Syrinx.

* NintendoHard: ''Thunder Force II''. Especially the X68000 version.

* EasyModeMockery: The ''SEGA AGES'' versions of ''AC'' and ''IV'' have an ArrangeMode where dying does not take away any of your weapons, but it is called "Kids" mode, with the implication that people who can't handle the game at its original specs are [[{{Manchild}} ((wo)man)]]-children.

** Stage 5 in ''Thunder Force AC'' and ''Thunder Spirits'' is a recreation of ''Thunder Force II''[='=]s Stage 5-2 (4-2 in the Genesis/MD port).

* VersionExclusiveContent: ''Thunder Force AC'', an arcade port of ''III'', replaces the Haides and Ellis stages with new stages, one being some sort of space junkyard and the other being a [[NostalgiaLevel replica]] of Stage 5-2 from ''Thunder Force II'' (4-2 in the Genesis/MD version). ''Thunder Spirits'' adds another modification in the form of a new capital ship in Stage 6 in place of the original Cerebrus.