I've never been one to be picky with port differences. If I'm being honest, I usually don't even notice them and I typically don't care about small differences as long as the core gameplay remains intact. Sometimes, you can't help but notice the difference.
I wouldn't call the 90's the frontier days of gaming, but the landscape wasn't nearly as settled as it was today. Things were starting to get that way, as the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis went toe to toe in the console wars, establishing themselves as the two titans of the industry. But as I've talked about a lot recently, they were far from the only consoles out there. I've dedicated quite a bit of time this year learning about and playing games for some more obscure consoles from the era, which has really broadened my horizons when it comes to old school games. I've discovered a lot of interesting stuff and learned a lot about the consoles that kind of fell between the cracks, at least in the North American gaming landscape. Two of the consoles I have been playing a lot of are the Sega CD and the Turbografx 16, both very interesting 5th generation machines. There are a lot of games for these consoles that are just straight up foreign to me, particularly on the TG, so I am discovering a lot of these titles for the first time. I am also discovering how much porting was done between some of these lesser-known consoles, with a lot of them having similar or even identical titles in their library. This week, I am actually going to talk a little bit about two versions of the same game for those aforementioned consoles. It's also one of the first times I'm going to discuss the genre said game falls into.
Initially released for the TG16 (technically the TurboDuo) in 1993 before being ported to the Sega CD in 1995, Lords of Thunder is a side scrolling 2D shoot 'em up unsurprisingly developed by Hudson Soft. Before we get to the game itself, we need to discuss the genre, because it's not one I look at or play very often. Simply put, I'm terrible at these kinds of games and that's a major problem, because difficulty is probably one of their biggest selling points. From what I've seen, SHMUP fans are some of the biggest difficulty hounds out there, always looking for the next challenge to test their quick thinking and reflexes. Soulslike fans are new to that party when compared to these people, they've been seeking out the hardest of the hard since the 80's and they are as passionate about their genre as anyone else. I don't dislike the genre, I usually have fun for the few seconds it takes for me to get killed, but I don't quite have the passion for or knowledge of these kinds of games that I do for, say, RPGs or fighting games. I think the only one I've played for the blog is Silver Surfer for the NES, and that was less of a review and more of a deep dive into that game's notoriety. I am sure I am going to screw something up or use the wrong term and get called out for it, but I want to make very clear SHMUPS are a genre I do have some interest in with a player base I have a ton of respect for. Lords of Thunder certainly helped me understand the genre a little more and it was a great experience on either console, though one version was definitely the better option.
Lords of Thunder is unique to other SHMUPS in many ways. For one, it actually has a story, which sees the player take control of a knight named Landis. Landis wields the power of the four elemental armors passed down to him by his ancestor, the great and mighty Drak. That's good because his home, a kingdom called Mistral, has a little bit of a problem on its hands. You see, emperor Zaggart of the rival Garuda Empire is hell bent on destroying Mistral and he is willing to go to any lengths to do that. He so hates his rival that he has resurrected Deoric, the God of Evil, and his six generals to do his bidding. It's up to Landis to fight through the demonic hordes and battle Deoric at the top of his tower to save his people. It's basic, but that's more than what you would see in most games in the genre. Look, SHMUPs are the last place I would look for a deep narrative, but it's nice they included something. It's especially cool that they included some awesome, anime-style cutscenes to lay everything out for the player. These look great, especially for their time, and really get the blood pumping before you even start playing the game. There are definitely some noticeable differences between the two versions, as the Sega CD version seems to be missing a scene or two. It also looks a little worse than the TG16, which is odd because I'm pretty positive it's the more powerful console. Still, the fact that they included any narrative at all is kind of above and beyond. As a whole I think the medieval aesthetic makes Lords of Thunder stand out amongst its peers, which typically features more sci-fi backdrops. It makes the game feel unique in a genre that can often feel very same-ish at times.
But the one thing that makes Lords of Thunder stand out more than anything else is it's soundtrack. Simply put, this game absolutely shreds, it has an outstanding heavy metal inspired soundtrack that fits perfectly with the nonstop action. The driving riffs and ripping solos sound like they came straight from a 90's power or speed metal album and the CD quality makes it truly special when compared to its contemporaries. Honestly, I kind of expected to hear that a band from one of those genres composed this soundtrack, but it actually came from a Satoshi Miyashita, a member of a collective of sound engineers called T's Music Group. These guys also worked on the soundtrack for the Sega CD version of Final Fight, among other projects that I am now instantly interested in checking out. The more I do this, the more I realize just how much a soundtrack can make or break a game for me and it definitely added to the experience here. It most certainly fit with the medieval aesthetic. You know exactly what you are in for when the title screen hits with a huge, jacked up warrior brandishing a sword as a lightning bolt carves the title out of stone while electric guitars shred in the background. The version differences are fairly noticeable here, the Sega CD version is often criticized for sounding a bit muted and I kind of agree. It still sounds great, but the TG16 version definitely sounds crisper and clearer. However, the sound effects are way worse on the TG16, which is a bit jarring during gameplay, and the Sega CD version has voice samples where the TG doesn't.
Presentation is a big part of Lords of Thunder, but it would all be for naught if the gameplay wasn't any good. Fortunately, that isn't the case here. This is good, solid, SHMUP action with tight controls and fair hit detection with a nice sense of speed. Landis can control one of four armors, representing one of the four elements. Each of them have slightly different attacks and all have uses throughout the various levels, though fire and wind are definitely the strongest. You start by choosing one of six levels, which can be attempted in any order, with the seventh opening up once all of them are cleared. As one would expect, Landis can rapid fire his weapon as you would in any SHMUP to take out the swarms of enemies in your path. However, he can also swing his sword at enemies if they are close enough. This is extremely powerful, but also extremely dangerous with the amount of enemies that are always on screen and constant scrolling. The risk vs. reward dynamic is yet another differentiator here, most SHMUPs seem to have this to a point but not to the level it's on display in LOT. Both versions of the game run well, though I think the TG16 is a little smoother, which is critical in these kinds of games. The screen is frequently filled with enemies and bullets and you really need to be able to see what's coming and react. Fortunately, that's relatively easy to do here and when you get hit it really feels like your fault. There is a life bar here, so you can take a couple hits before dying. Taking damage also reduces your weapon power, each suit of armor has three levels, so its almost more important to protect that than it is your health. You can find powerups when you defeat enemies, but it takes quite a few to level up your weapons. Of course, you can also collect gems from enemies, which can be used in the shop to purchase upgrades before starting each level. Each level ends with a boss, which I typically found to be challenging but doable. I think that's why I liked LOT as much as I did, it just felt more fair than a lot of other SHMUPs I've played.
Of course, that's not to say it's without its flaws. I think a few too enemies attack from behind, which I never really liked in games like this. With so much going on, you are typically incentivized to hang at the edge of the screen and it feels cheap when enemies fly in from behind and insta-kill you. It's not as bad here with the life bar, but it still felt like a problem. The Sega CD version was criticized for having duller, more washed-out graphics than the TG16 and I definitely saw that playing them side by side. Of course, the Sega CD also seems to have some graphical effects that the TG doesn't and it has more frames of animation, which definitely helped from a gameplay standpoint. One of the bigger issues for me was, oddly enough, lack of difficulty in the Sega CD version. It wasn't just the lack of difficulty in said version, it was the wide gulf in difficulty between the two. As I mentioned before, SHMUP fans like their games on the difficult side. Honestly, even the TG16 version probably won't quite hit the level some of those folks are looking for, though it was plenty hard for me. But the Sega CD version was easy and again, that's coming from someone that openly and outwardly admits to being terrible at these kinds of game. I had absolutely no problem beating it, which was great for the purpose of this review but might be an issue for genre diehards. I will say both versions have adjustable difficulty, which is cool, but I definitely think the SCD version was a bit too easy.
Either way, both versions are great experiences, with the TG16 version edging out its SCD counterpart despite being inferior hardware. That's high praise coming from someone that typically doesn't play these games all that often and isn't good enough at them to stay alive very long when I do. But the unique aesthetic, eye catching entrance and phenomenal soundtrack drew me in and the responsive, tough-but-fair gameplay kept me hooked. I'm far from old, but I can sort of feel my reactions start to slow down and it's starting to get harder to play games that demand pinpoint precision. I've never really been too quick on the sticks to begin with, so I'm trying to play these twitchy games a little more while I still can. Lords of Thunder was definitely a great find and I'm glad it caught my eye the way it did, a more brutal SHMUP might have made me turn away from the genre forever. But now I kind of want to explore the genre a little more, maybe testing my skills on something a little more challenging. But I can definitely recommend Lords of Thunder, even to people that aren't fans of the genre. If you are looking for a good, old school gaming experience, this will provide it. If you like heavy metal, check this out for the soundtrack alone. I am actually going to give separate scores here; I do think the TG16 version did enough different to warrant scoring better. That's good, because it's the version that's readily available on the E-Shop. But you can't go wrong with either version of this underrated gem.
TG16 9/10
Sega CD 8.5/10
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