Thunder Force IV / SEGA AGES Lightening Force: Quest for the Darkstar

The above mouthful is the terribly-renamed M2 port of Thunder Force IV for Sega Mega Drive (henceforth referred to as TF4), considered by some to be the best installment in the Thunder Force series and one of the better shmups on the console. I have never played an M2 port before, but they are highly regarded in the STG community and TF4 has been quite enjoyable for me.

TF4 is a horizontal shooter with a wide-open vertical area, allowing for excellent parallax. The player can accumulate 5 different weapons (reverse shot, bombs, etc.), including two starter weapons that can be upgraded, shields. The player can switch between weapons at will, and some are essential for targeting enemies behind, above, and below. At first glance there are some superficial similarities to horizontal shooters like Blazing Star, but TF4 offers a much wider playfield.

The first four levels can be played in any order. The pixel art is beautiful, and some of the areas have interesting effects (a sand storm in the desert level, for instance). As with other games of this type, the pixel art color schemes can sometimes create visual confusion between projectiles and the background.

M2 has helpfully added a “Kids Mode” and if you think calling it “Kids Mode” is going to keep me from going there you’re dead wrong!~ This mode allows you to retain your weapons after death (but not through credits) which is helpful, but this thing has 10 levels and I haven’t come close to beating it.

I really like the open space in this one. I’ve become somewhat choosy about these the classic shmup ports on Switch because there are so many available and TF4 is a solid addition to my collection. It’s just fun to play. I don’t know how else to sell it to you.