Thunder Force 3 by Technosoft Author: DJ Tigresa and MC Pantera Email: djtigresa@classicgaming.com, mcpantera@classicgaming.com Copyright 1991 Chiguretha "Tigresa" Steel and Pansela "Pantera" Steel ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Introduction ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In the beginning, when the Genesis first appeared, scroll ing shoot-em-ups were the most popular types of games re leased. In fact there was some criticism that too many of the titles being released fell into this category. Of course now this is no longer true, as games of every type are being re leased in great numbers. Dur ing the early flood of shoot-em- ups there were a few titles that stood out from the pack, and Thunder Force III was one of them. Taking advantage of both the sound and graphic capabilities in the Genesis, as well as its ability to display up to 80 separate objects on the screen at one time, helped Thunder Force III became an instant hit. You control the Styx starfighter in representation of the Galaxy Union. Your ship features a small body to help prevent detection by the Killparos, a remote intercepting device used by the enemy to detect incoming enemy aircraft. Your mission is to disable the massive firepower of the Empire of Lone, a group you’ve been at war with for over a century. There are five planets in the galaxy controlled by the Empire: Hydra, Gorgon, Seiren, Haides and Ellis. As you land on each planet you must avoid the landscape while fighting the enemies, working your way to the boss or target and attacking his weak point. Both the target and weak point are displayed on the stage introduction for each planet. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Basic Tips ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As is the case with most shoot-em-ups, each level has a specific pattern. Every time you pass through the same stage or planet the exact same enemies will appear at the exact same position. The only variance in this rule is the firing pattern of the enemy’s weapon, which will sometimes follow the movement of your ship. The more you play, the better you’ll become at recognizing the patterns and avoiding the enemies. Check your manual for information on the various weapons you can collect along the way. The various weapons in your possession are shown in the box at the top-center of the screen. The Sever is the strongest weapon, firing a wide laser beam that can penetrate the armor of just about any enemy with one shot. The Fire weapon comes in second place, but its rockets are designed to remove enemies along the top and bottom surface only. Thunder Force III gives you the opportunity to play through the five primary planets in any order you choose. This way you can practice on the planet that gives you the most trouble until you feel confident you can complete it with a minimum number of ships before attempting an assault on all five planets. You cannot practice on the last three stages. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stage 1: Hydra ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Gargoyle is your final target on this planet. He gets my vote for the coolest-looking boss in a shoot-em-up. His stomach is his weak point. This is a good warm up level. You’ll need to use your various types of weapons to fight the enemies that attack. Use the Backfire to shoot enemies that approach from behind. The Fire weapon will help eliminate the threat of enemies that line the top and bottom surfaces near the beginning. The mini-boss at the half way point is a ship with a snake-like arm that shoots fireballs. Avoid the arm while shooting the head as rapidly as possible. The boss has an easy pat tern, but the firepower he uses against you is very powerful. He begins by shooting flames from his mouth in a stream, then he pauses for a few seconds before shooting out three groups of fireballs. Stay near the top of the screen to avoid the stream of flame, returning to shoot his vulnerable spot (the blue ball in his stomach) as soon as you can. As the fireballs are released do your best to fly between two near the top, then move downward to fly between the second and third groups. A medium to high speed is recommended to allow you to quickly return to his weak spot. He flashes when your aim is correct. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stage 2: Gorgon ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Many times throughout this planet you’ll be blocked by a solid flow of lava across the screen. Stay back to the left and wait for it to pass. Some enemies break into smaller piece when shot. Be ready to avoid or shoot the piece as they spread apart and shoot in your direction. The mini-boss is a ship surrounded by spheres, similar to the mini-boss on Stage 5. He’s very easy to destroy; just hold down the fire button while avoiding the spheres. There are twin bosses on this level. They look like ships with robotic claws reaching downward. The small periscope that raises up on the top of each ship is the Search Radar, and the weak point. The Hunter weapon (far right icon in weapons window) is use ful for attacking the Search Radars while you concentrate on not being hit or crushed by the ships. Its only drawback is its weak firepower, so if you have good aim pick a stronger weapon. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stage 3: Seiren ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A free ship is located near the beginning of this stage. It’s very close to the bottom of the screen. The mini-boss appears near the halfway point and is fairly easy to conquer. Keep firing until he splits apart, then avoid the wave beam that fires from the center while continuing your assault on the rest of the ship. The boss for this planet is the King Fish. His weak point is his eye, but your hits will only count when it’s open. He rises from the ocean floor surrounded by bubbles. His main weapon shoots large bubbles that spread out as they approach you. The safest area to fly (or swim) is between the two center bubbles, which are released closest to the eye. While flying between these bubbles shoot your strongest weapon at the fish eye each time it opens. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stage 4: Haides ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This planet is one of the easiest to conquer because it mostly consists of avoiding the moving planet surface. The final boss is also very easy to destroy. You can control your ships speed by adjusting the number of arrows that appear in the box at the top right of the screen. As the moving surface of this planet attempts to crush you a fast-moving ship will often be useful, but as you’re trapped in a small crevice adjust the speed down quickly to avoid hitting the walls. There are many enemies along the top and bottom surfaces. Use the Fire weapon, which shoots rockets upward and downward from the rear of the ship, to easily destroy these enemies before they have a chance to attack. About halfway through this level you’re required to fly into a dead end at the bottom of the screen. As you reach the end the area will back up and a large alien will appear. Shoot the alien while stay ing directly in-line with the center of his body to avoid the beams he fires. Near the end of the water fall area, where you receive the Claw (looks like a patriotic rocket) you can grab an extra ship by flying down after the ledge with the swinging arm. You’ll see the small ship located just below the surface you’re flying over. As soon as you see the Emergency signal flash across the bottom of the screen move to the top or bottom to avoid the boss as he flies in from the left side. His eyes are the weak point so don’t hesitate firing on them as soon as possible. If you have strong weapons you can fly directly in front of him and intercept his missiles while shooting his eyes, otherwise stay to the left, moving up and down to avoid the missiles. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stage 5: Ellis ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Your goal here is to attack the Control Unit of the Mobile Fort. The beginning of this level has an onslaught of ships that attack from behind. By adjusting to the Backfire weapon you can easily shoot them while concen trating on avoiding what’s in front of you. The biggest threats, besides the boss, are the icicles that form along the top and bottom, then shoot across the screen. You can shoot them if you’re far enough up or down on the screen, but most will reform. Each group of icicles can be flown through, so concentrate on positioning your ship in between the icicles before they shoot across the screen. A mini-boss appears at the halfway point. It’s a head in a crystal ball that shoots a spiral of spheres. Shoot the spheres as they appear to avoid being hit as their path widens. If you have the Sever weapon (wide laser beam) use it to quickly destroy him. The boss is a Mobile Fort. Knowing to attack the Control Unit doesn’t help you until you know where it is. The boss will flash each time it’s hit, which happens when you fire shots at the center of the ship. The ports on the top and bottom area at the front of the ship will release sets of four ships, which fly towards you. It’s possible to destroy them, causing them to blow up and begin releasing a second type of ship, but only two at a time. Stay to the far left and move up and down to avoid his weapons while firing your own. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stage 6: Cerberus ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From this point on are the stages you can’t practice or select. Once you have plundered the other five planets you’ll automatically be sent here. It’s a large ship that plays very similar to the third stage of R-Type. You’ll begin be hind the ship. Shoot the engines while avoiding the flames that shoot out from them. As you reach the front of the ship you’ll be chased by guided missiles. Fly in small circles to lure them to the front of your ship where you can shoot them. As the ship begins to rise (or you begin to lower) use your Backfire weapon (second icon in weapon window) to shoot behind you. The guided missiles are being launched from a small gray turret just below the top of the ship. As you’re moving across the bottom of the ship use your Hunter guided missiles (far right icon in weapon window). The guided missiles will instantly be at tracted to any threats that appear on the screen, allowing you a chance to destroy them before they can shoot at you. Near the bottom center of the ship is a path with a red background. You must fly up into this path to destroy the ships Control Center. In this area is a small crevice in the top that you can hide in to avoid the shots fired from the Control Center. The Hunter guided missiles are still the best weapon to use, allowing you to hide in the crevice during the entire battle, unharmed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stage Seven: Orn Base ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This stage isn’t much tougher than the previous. The Hunter guided missiles are useful in seeking out enemies before you notice them. Also keep an eye out for a red wall that shoots up or down and blocks the path. If you notice one ahead fly for ward quickly so you won’t be trapped. A mini-boss is located at the halfway point. It blocks the path ahead and shoots two different types of fire balls. The first will move in close to your ship and then split apart into eight beams. It’s fairly easy to fly between the beams if you keep your distance. The second fire ball attack is a group of five that spread out as they shoot from the ship. While fighting the boss you have to avoid four large blocks that crush you if you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time. Guided missiles will help improve the number of hits on the boss, but they’re fairly weak in weapon strength. The large blocks will change their pattern a few times during the battle, so don’t follow them too closely. Try to stay on the right half of the screen as much as possible so you can move in and shoot the weak point (at the center) in between blocks. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Final Stage! The Orn Core ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The end is near! This final stage is very short, but contains two bosses that are as tough or tougher than the previous bosses. The first boss is as large as the screen and has two snake-like arms that wave into the center, then back out. His weak point is at the center. You must stay to the left to avoid the arms, then between the shots of spiralling fireballs you must move in and rapidly fire. Do your best not to get hit, because you’re going to need a few ships to survive the next boss. The final boss is also very large. You won’t be able to avoid all of his weapons, so having extra ships and a few powerful weapons will go a long way here. The good news is the weak point is his entire body. The groups of spinning fireballs are attracted toward your ship, so keep moving to throw them off. Your reward for conquering the Empire is a very long ending sequence with a message, animation and credits. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Secrets ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ENDING SEQUENCE WAVING/BLINKING During the final two screens of the ending sequence you can press the C button to make the pilot in the ship wave and one of the characters blink his eye.