Developer Technosoft Publisher: Sega Released: 1992 Genre: Shooter
Someday we will learn why Sega renamed Thunder Force IV to Lightening Force. Silly name change aside, if you are even a slight fan of the shooter genre you need to buy this game. If you need more convincing keep reading. The shooting genre hit a high during the 16-bit era that was simply amazing. Nearly every console had stand out titles in the genre, from the Genesis to especially the arcade. Yet I can confidently say that Lightening Force is one of the best games in the genre from that period. It has a few small annoyances but man is this one hell of a ride.
Despite being a sequel Lightening Force heavily builds off of Thunder Force III. You can adjust speed, either in 25% increments or a percent at a time. The standard shot and rear gun are always available by default. They aren’t the greatest weapons but at least you aren’t left completely helpless if you suck. Both of these can be upgraded to the Blade and twin shot, both of which prove to be some of the most effective weapons in the game. Even the stage select makes somewhat of a comeback.
The rest of the weapons are brand new or moderately tweaked versions of past favorites. The size of the Hunter bullets is larger and it seeks out enemies more aggressively. Unfortunately it lacks power. The freeway I still have mixed feelings on. Its aiming method is still cumbersome but I have to admit when it works it is excellent. The Snake is still the most useless weapon in the game. It travels along the ground and ceiling but most levels take place in wide open areas. The CLAW returns as well and doubles as both an option and shield. Midway through the game it gains a secondary function, the Thunder Blade. This weapon needs to be charged but can unleash a powerful lightning attack. Its only drawbacks are that you need to abstain from firing to charge and its kickback.
Lightening Force differs from most shooters in that it uses a playing field a few screens high vertically. The elevated field offers a few cool benefits. You have more room to maneuver and dodge bullets. Power-ups appear on different sides of the screen. But most importantly you can choose your own “route” through the level. Enemies appear in lanes with some being safer than others. If you are having trouble in one layer a quick dip might be easier. It doesn’t always work out that way; the larger more aggressive enemies will follow you. Generally the game does a good job protecting you from off screen enemies which is why this setup works.
Sadly the coolest feature of Thunder Force III, the stage select has been neutered a bit. You select the order of the initial four levels which isn’t as cool. The order of these levels does not matter as much as they are similar in difficulty. After this quartet of stages the final six stages are linear journey to the finish. Although the levels are a little derivative you’ve never seen them like this before. The air raid level in particular is one of my favorite shooter levels ever as you dart and weave through a massive armada of ships.
Lightening Force starts off median in difficulty but after the first levels things change. There is a considerable spike in difficulty at this point. The number of enemies begins to border on ridiculous, and between your shots and the explosions creates a distracting visual noise. The end of each stage only offers a brief respite as the game awards your points and immediately transitions to the next level. The generous scoring system and frequent extra lives give you a fighting chance in spite of all this however. If there is one thing I wish were different it would be the boss battles. Every boss is an absurd bullet sponge that goes through multiple phases that is tiring rather than exciting. If they were less resilient or your weapons stronger these encounters would be thrilling rather than dreadful.
Even though Lightening Force was a mid gen release it remains one of the best looking titles on the Genesis. From an artistic and technical standpoint Lightening Force is incredible. There are layers of scrolling as far as the eye can see, foreground objects, and massive multi-jointed bosses. Each of its ten levels features a unique set of enemies which is no small feat. Although some of the level themes may seem similar to Thunder Force III artistically they blow that game out of the water. I dare say the game would not look out of place on the Neo Geo.
Now if only it had the performance of a Neo Geo game. Lightening Force’s technical prowess pushes the Genesis too hard leading to massive slowdown. Between the massive array of bullets, smaller sprites and capital ships the game dips to Super R-Type levels of slowdown. Unfortunately this can and will lead to many a cheap death. In the second half of the game you cannot afford such ill-timed deaths lest you lose your precious weapons. There is also a problem with visual confusion. The game is a bit gratuitous with its elaborate explosions and bullets are easily lost in the shuffle. I can appreciate the developer’s willingness to go all out but dialing it back a little bit would have made this near perfect.
In Closing
Lightening Force is an amazing game and one of the best titles in the Genesis library. Stop reading this review and go buy it now! It says a lot that it was released so early in the system’s life yet few shooters managed to reach its level. This is probably one of my top ten favorite games on the system.
