Thundercade (NES) - Full Run ALL Clear
32Full run/playthrough of Thundercade for the NES/Famicom, by Sammy corp. This game is also known as Twin Formation or 特殊部隊UAG (Special Forces Un-Attached Grenadier) in Japan. This was played on a real NES with real cart.
Stage Listing:
00:00 - Start
00:24 - Stage 1 - City
05:50 - Stage 2 - Base
10:47 - Stage 3 - Wood Lands
14:59 - Stage 4 - Fortress
21:07 - Final Boss + Ending
When you first boot up Thundercade you are greated with a game that just looks ugly, with it's bland colors and sparse animations. Once you actually start playing in you will no doubt be dying over and over again, wondering what you are even doing playing something that appears so terrible. I'm guessing at this point early in stage 1 is where most people just give up and write this game off as awful, never to play it again.
But I continued playing it more and more, and you know what? I actually started to really like it and respect the level of challenge that it provides, despite the shortcomings. Thundercade is actually a fun game to play once you get over the initial learning curve and figure out how to play it properly (hint: kill everything in sight as quick as possible).
The basic concept behind Thundercade is that you are on a motocycle that can obtain 2 weapons, one for each side of your bike. The weapon will attach to the side of the bike that you touch it with, and will also replace any weapon that is already there. In addition to the many weapons you can pick up, there are also bombs. Obtaining weapons and bombs basically comes down to destroying all of the objects and buildings on the screen to uncover them.
The bombs are very powerful and will clear enemies and bullets instantly ahead of you. Dropping 2 bombs back to back will make the second bomb even more powerful, whipping out everything on the screen. You get a bunch of them in the game so my advice is to use them often, as clearing the screen and staying alive should be your number 1 priority, and losing a full stock of bombs on dying will really set you back.
There are only 4 levels in the game, so it's a relatively short playthrough, so even if you game over it doesn't take too long to get back up to where you were before. After each stage you will play a minigame where you can collect extra powerups, including extra lives , bombs, and the "V" gun, which is the most powerful weapon in the game. Try to prioritize the 1 ups. Note: you only get the minigame after stage 1 and 2 if you defeat the boss quickly enough. You automatically get the bonus level after stage 3 everytime, since there is no boss on that level.
What I really appreciate about the game is the sheer level of destruction that you are able to bring about using a motorcycle. Mowing down endless amounts of soldiers, tanks, helicopters, turrets etc is quite satisfying in the game, and part of the reason I enjoyed it. Once you get some good weapons (especially the "V" gun) you can unleash absolute mayhem and it feels like you are unstoppable...until you get hit that is. The biggest problem is coming back from a death, and thankfully you can rely on using a few bombs before getting your weapons back.
Despite all of the problems with Thundercade, I do recommend it. Just try not to give up on it too soon!
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