Thunder Ceptor

Thunder Ceptor is an on-rails tunnel shoot that is reminiscent of the later HyperZone on the snes.

The game features four levels to blast through with obstacles to avoid and bosses to take down. You are equipped with a few bombs which do replenish each level. These can be used to do some extra damage, useful for clearing groups of enemies more than the bosses. To maintain as much energy as possible it is essential to not hit anything while maintaining max speed. The bosses will get in your way and slow you down so need to be destroyed quick.

In stark contrast to the sequel released later the same year, apart from having fewer levels the gameplay is also different. In this first game, energy isn't as big of an issue (but still is) as it will replenish fully ready for the next level just as long as you shoot lots of the bad guys for the score tally at the end of the stage. Also notable is the bombs cant destroy obstacles so it is more likely you will crash into stuff than be shot down.

Overall, a nice short game where the difficulty is better balanced than in the games sequel.

00:00:00 Titles
00:00:32 Stage 1
00:02:12 Stage 2
00:03:55 Stage 3
00:05:38 Stage 4