Thunder Force III - Revision history

NullCat at 15:33, 24 March 2026

2026-03-24T15:33:21Z

NullCat at 03:48, 14 March 2026

2026-03-14T03:48:40Z

NullCat at 23:06, 13 March 2026

2026-03-13T23:06:55Z

NullCat: /* Weapons & Items */

2026-03-13T07:05:40Z

Weapons & Items

NullCat: Re-worked most of the page, spelling fixes. Gonna work on it later.

2026-03-13T06:03:58Z

Re-worked most of the page, spelling fixes. Gonna work on it later.

Trap15: Remove video index template bit

2023-11-21T09:42:39Z

Remove video index template bit

72.8% Water: /* Gameplay Overview */

2021-05-03T22:12:03Z

Gameplay Overview

72.8% Water: /* Unlockable Secrets */

2021-05-03T22:06:49Z

Unlockable Secrets

72.8% Water: /* Weapons */

2021-05-03T22:06:40Z

Weapons

72.8% Water: /* Stages */

2021-05-03T22:04:05Z

Stages

@@ Line 26: / Line 26: @@
 '''Thunder Force III''', released in 1990, is the third entry in Tecnhosoft's Thunder Force series of games, and the second to be released for the Sega Genesis. This game notably removes the top-view stages entirely and simplifies the weapon system, making the game much more easier compared to its predecessor. Thunder Force III would end up being a success, spawning an arcade port titled ''Thunder Force AC'', which also got ported to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System as ''Thunder Spirits''.
-Since the game is rather generous with extra lives, less severe with its punishment on death, and has very strong weapons, ''Thunder Force III'' is a rather easy game to 1CC on default settings and doesn't need as much practice compared to other games in the series.
+Since the game is pretty generous with extra lives, less severe with its punishment on death, and has very strong weapons, ''Thunder Force III'' is a rather easy game to 1CC on default settings and doesn't need as much practice compared to other games in the series.
 __TOC__
@@ Line 36: / Line 36: @@
 === Controls ===
 ----
-The player controls the Fire LEO-03 "Styx", which has the ability to change between four levels of speed and cycle up to 5 weapon slots.
+The player controls the Fire LEO-03 "Styx", which has the ability to change between four levels of speed and cycle up to 5 weapon slots. The controls can be changed in the title screen by holding '''A''' and pressing Start on the title screen. Below is the default controls set by the game.
 [[File:Mega Drive Contoller Illustration.png|frameless|none|]]
@@ Line 80: / Line 79: @@
 [[File:TFIII Fire.png]]
 *Damage: 18 per missile, 6 per bullet, 12 per CLAW wave.
-Launches anti-ground missiles directly above and below that crawl along the ceiling, floor, and walls alongside a standard shot from the front. While Fire is effective at taking out ground targets, the missiles' ability to crawl on any surface makes it useful to hit enemies in hard to reach areas. However just like Wave, it is also overshadowed by Hunter. When using CLAWs, they will fire out short-ranged wave projectiles, providing extra defense from incoming enemies all around.
+Launches anti-ground missiles directly above and below that crawl along the ceiling, floor, and walls alongside a standard shot from the front. Fire is very effective at taking out ground targets, the missiles' ability to crawl on any surface makes it useful to hit enemies in hard to reach areas. However just like Wave, it is also overshadowed by Hunter. When using CLAWs, they will fire out short-ranged wave projectiles, providing extra defense from incoming enemies all around.
 |-|
 Hunter =

@@ Line 53: / Line 53: @@
 <tabber>
 Twin-Shot =
 *Damage: 6 per bullet.
 The starting front-firing weapon, which can be upgraded to Sever. The weapon itself fires pairs of bullets from the front. Despite being a starting weapon, Twin-Shot's damage output is decent enough, as it is able to easily take out most aerial popcorn, however its larger hitbox makes it somewhat tricky to hit ground targets and some larger enemies or bosses. With CLAWs equipped, up to four more bullets are added to damage output, providing a slight damage boost.
 |-|
 Back-Fire =
 *Damage: 6 per bullet.
 The starting back-firing weapon, which gets upgraded to Lancer. Back-Fire provides a single stream of bullets from the back and the front. It is the weakest weapon in the game as its damage output is split in half. Giving it very few niche use cases if Lancer is not acquired. The CLAW upgrade for this weapon is the same as Twin-Shot except backwards, providing the same damage output as Twin-Shot from the back without CLAWs.
 |-|
 Sever =
 *Damage: 6 per segment, 36 total per beam.
 An upgrade to Twin-Shot. Sever is by far the strongest weapon in the entire game in terms of damage, firing high-speed lasers that rapidly alternate from the top and bottom of the Styx. The laser fired is split into four segments which quickly pulverizes any enemy in front of it and trivializes bosses. Adding CLAWs provide two extra beams, effectively doubling the damage output.
 |-|
 Lancer =
 *Damage: 9 per bullet.
 An upgrade to Back-Fire. Lancer fires two large projectiles from behind and one from the front. It has far better coverage compared to its non-upgraded counterpart, being very effective on large groups of enemies coming from behind while also providing decent firepower from the front. With CLAWs, two extra projectiles fire from behind.
 |-|
 Wave =
 *Damage: 6 per segment.
 Fires large wave projectiles that pass through terrain. If the top or bottom half of the projectile makes contact with an enemy, its other half will split and spread apart. Wave is useful for crowd control, however it can be overshadowed by Hunter in most use cases if available. With CLAWs, two of the split projectiles fire from them, increasing the weapon's coverage significantly.
 |-|
 Fire =
 *Damage: 18 per missile, 6 per bullet, 12 per CLAW wave.
 Launches anti-ground missiles directly above and below that crawl along the ceiling, floor, and walls alongside a standard shot from the front. While Fire is effective at taking out ground targets, the missiles' ability to crawl on any surface makes it useful to hit enemies in hard to reach areas. However just like Wave, it is also overshadowed by Hunter. When using CLAWs, they will fire out short-ranged wave projectiles, providing extra defense from incoming enemies all around.
 |-|
 Hunter =
 *Damage: 3 per missile.
 Fires volleys of 3 homing missiles, which home onto any enemy on the screen in addition to passing through terrain. Despite being the weakest damage-wise, they provide the best coverage in the entire game, making most sections in the game significantly easier and make the Wave and Fire weapons obsolete. CLAWs add two additional missiles to each volley.

@@ Line 54: / Line 54: @@
 Twin-Shot =
 *Damage: 6 per bullet.
-The starting front-firing weapon, which can be upgraded to Sever. The weapon itself fires pairs of bullets from the front, which are limited to 8 on screen. Despite being a starting weapon, Twin-Shot's damage output is decent enough, as it is able to easily take out most aerial popcorn, however its larger hitbox makes it somewhat tricky to hit ground targets and some larger enemies or bosses. With CLAWs equipped, up to four more bullets are added to damage output, providing a slight damage boost.
+The starting front-firing weapon, which can be upgraded to Sever. The weapon itself fires pairs of bullets from the front. Despite being a starting weapon, Twin-Shot's damage output is decent enough, as it is able to easily take out most aerial popcorn, however its larger hitbox makes it somewhat tricky to hit ground targets and some larger enemies or bosses. With CLAWs equipped, up to four more bullets are added to damage output, providing a slight damage boost.
 |-|
 Back-Fire =
 *Damage: 6 per bullet.
-The starting back-firing weapon, which gets upgraded to Lancer. Back-Fire provides a stream of up to 4 bullets from the back and the front. It is the weakest weapon in the game as its damage output is split in half. Giving it very few niche use cases if Lancer is not acquired. The CLAW upgrade for this weapon is the same as Twin-Shot except backwards, providing the same damage output as Twin-Shot from the back without CLAWs.
+The starting back-firing weapon, which gets upgraded to Lancer. Back-Fire provides a single stream of bullets from the back and the front. It is the weakest weapon in the game as its damage output is split in half. Giving it very few niche use cases if Lancer is not acquired. The CLAW upgrade for this weapon is the same as Twin-Shot except backwards, providing the same damage output as Twin-Shot from the back without CLAWs.
 |-|
 Sever =
@@ Line 70: / Line 70: @@
 Wave =
 *Damage: 6 per segment.
-Fires large wave projectiles that pass through terrain. If the top or bottom makes contact with an enemy, the projectile's other half will split and spread apart. Wave is useful for crowd control, however it can be overshadowed by Hunter in most use cases if the weapon is available. With CLAWs, two of the split projectiles fire from them, increasing the weapon's coverage significantly.
+Fires large wave projectiles that pass through terrain. If the top or bottom half of the projectile makes contact with an enemy, its other half will split and spread apart. Wave is useful for crowd control, however it can be overshadowed by Hunter in most use cases if available. With CLAWs, two of the split projectiles fire from them, increasing the weapon's coverage significantly.
 |-|
 Fire =
 *Damage: 18 per missile, 6 per bullet, 12 per CLAW wave.
-Launches anti-ground missiles directly above and below that crawl along the ceiling, floor, and walls alongside a standard shot from the front. While Fire is effective at taking out ground targets, the missiles' ability to crawl on any surface makes it useful to hit enemies in hard to reach areas. Although this weapon suffers from being overshadowed by the Hunter weapon. When using CLAWs, they will fire out short-ranged wave projectiles, providing extra defense from incoming enemies all around.
+Launches anti-ground missiles directly above and below that crawl along the ceiling, floor, and walls alongside a standard shot from the front. While Fire is effective at taking out ground targets, the missiles' ability to crawl on any surface makes it useful to hit enemies in hard to reach areas. However just like Wave, it is also overshadowed by Hunter. When using CLAWs, they will fire out short-ranged wave projectiles, providing extra defense from incoming enemies all around.
 |-|
 Hunter =
 *Damage: 3 per missile.
-Fires volleys of 3 homing missiles, which home onto any enemy on the screen. Despite being the weakest damage-wise, they provide the best coverage in the entire game, making most sections in the game significantly easier. CLAWs add two additional missiles to each volley.
+Fires volleys of 3 homing missiles, which home onto any enemy on the screen in addition to passing through terrain. Despite being the weakest damage-wise, they provide the best coverage in the entire game, making most sections in the game significantly easier and make the Wave and Fire weapons obsolete. CLAWs add two additional missiles to each volley.
 |-|
 CLAW =
-WIP
+A pair of options that circle around the Styx, boosting the firepower of all weapons and blocking incoming bullets. They do not damage enemies on contact.
 |-|
 Shield =
-WIP
+Provides up to 3 hits of protection, which blocks all bullet, enemy, or terrain collisions. Getting hit with a shield will provide a brief period of invulnerability, turning red if the shield is on its last hit. Shields in general are far more useful than earning extra lives, as they allow the player to take a hit without losing any weapons especially on Mania difficulty. Shield pickups are very rare and only appear a few times throughout the whole game.
 |-|
 </tabber>
 ==== Extra Lives ====
-Score based extra lives are earned at 20,000, 50,000, then every other 50,000 points. Extra lives can also be found as an item picked up throughout the game.
+Score based extra lives are earned at 20,000, 50,000, then every other 50,000 points. 1-UPs can also be found frequently as an item picked up throughout the game.
 === Rank ===

@@ Line 62: / Line 62: @@
 Sever =
 *Damage: 6 per segment, 36 total per beam.
-An upgrade to Twin-Shot. Sever is by far the strongest weapon in the entire game, firing high-speed lasers that rapidly alternate from the top and bottom of the Styx. The laser fired is split into four segments which quickly pulverize any enemy in front of it and trivializes some bosses. Adding CLAWs provide two extra beams, effectively doubling the damage output.
+An upgrade to Twin-Shot. Sever is by far the strongest weapon in the entire game in terms of damage, firing high-speed lasers that rapidly alternate from the top and bottom of the Styx. The laser fired is split into four segments which quickly pulverizes any enemy in front of it and trivializes bosses. Adding CLAWs provide two extra beams, effectively doubling the damage output.
 |-|
 Lancer =
 *Damage: 9 per bullet.
-The upgraded Back-Fire. Lancer fires two large projectiles from behind with one from the front.
+An upgrade to Back-Fire. Lancer fires two large projectiles from behind and one from the front. It has far better coverage compared to its non-upgraded counterpart, being very effective on large groups of enemies coming from behind while also providing decent firepower from the front. With CLAWs, two extra projectiles fire from behind.
 |-|
 Wave =
 *Damage: 6 per segment.
-WIP
+Fires large wave projectiles that pass through terrain. If the top or bottom makes contact with an enemy, the projectile's other half will split and spread apart. Wave is useful for crowd control, however it can be overshadowed by Hunter in most use cases if the weapon is available. With CLAWs, two of the split projectiles fire from them, increasing the weapon's coverage significantly.
 |-|
 Fire =
 *Damage: 18 per missile, 6 per bullet, 12 per CLAW wave.
-WIP
+Launches anti-ground missiles directly above and below that crawl along the ceiling, floor, and walls alongside a standard shot from the front. While Fire is effective at taking out ground targets, the missiles' ability to crawl on any surface makes it useful to hit enemies in hard to reach areas. Although this weapon suffers from being overshadowed by the Hunter weapon. When using CLAWs, they will fire out short-ranged wave projectiles, providing extra defense from incoming enemies all around.
 |-|
 Hunter =
 *Damage: 3 per missile.
-WIP
+Fires volleys of 3 homing missiles, which home onto any enemy on the screen. Despite being the weakest damage-wise, they provide the best coverage in the entire game, making most sections in the game significantly easier. CLAWs add two additional missiles to each volley.
 |-|
 CLAW =
@@ Line 90: / Line 90: @@
 ==== Extra Lives ====
 Score based extra lives are earned at 20,000, 50,000, then every other 50,000 points. Extra lives can also be found as an item picked up throughout the game.
 === Rank ===
 ----

@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 |developer = [[Technosoft]]
+|
-|music = Person A
+|music = Toshiharu Yamanishi, Tomomi Ōtani
+|
-|program = Person B
+|program = Izumi Fukuda, Takashi Iwanaga, Haruhiko Ohtsuka
+|
-|art = Person C
+|art = Osamu Tsujikawa, Yoichi Muto
+|
-|releasedate = Release Date
+|releasedate = June 8, 1990
 |previousgame = [[Thunder Force II]]
@@ Line 24: / Line 24: @@
 }}
-Thunder Force III, released in 1990, is the first original game Technosoft developed for the Mega Drive.
+'''Thunder Force III''', released in 1990, is the third entry in Tecnhosoft's Thunder Force series of games, and the second to be released for the Sega Genesis. This game notably removes the top-view stages entirely and simplifies the weapon system, making the game much more easier compared to its predecessor. Thunder Force III would end up being a success, spawning an arcade port titled ''Thunder Force AC'', which also got ported to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System as ''Thunder Spirits''.
 __TOC__
@@ Line 30: / Line 32: @@
 == Gameplay Overview ==
-Thunderforce is a traditional shmup with a focus on memorization for survival. It is considered a relatively easy game to 1CC.
+Thunder Force III is similar to it's predecessor, which has a heavy focus on weapon usage and memorization. Enemies come in from all directions, which usually requires the correct weapon for the right scenario. Losing a life results in an instant respawn and the loss of the currently equipped weapon excluding the starting weapons (Unless the difficulty is on Mania, then all weapons are lost.)
 === Controls ===
 ----
 [[File:Mega Drive Contoller Illustration.png|frameless|none|]]
-{| class="wikitable"
+* '''A:''' Speed Change. The Styx can cycle between four different levels of speed which starts from slowest to fastest, starting from the slowest again after reaching the fastest.
-Additional weapons are added by collecting weapon items. On death, if any of these weapons is currently equipped, it is lose.
+* '''B:''' Fire Button. The game has a built-in autofire.
-{| class="wikitable"
+* '''C:''' Weapon Select. The next available weapon in the weapon bar is selected, reverting to the first weapon after reaching the end.
-The claw item will increase the fire power of whichever weapon is equipped.
+=== Weapons & Items ===
 ----
-{| class="wikitable"
+<tabber>
-|-
+Twin-Shot =
-! Name !! Image !! Description
+*Damage: 6 per bullet.
-|-
+The starting front-firing weapon, which can be upgraded to Sever. The weapon itself fires pairs of bullets from the front, which are limited to 8 on screen. Despite being a starting weapon, Twin-Shot's damage output is decent enough, as it is able to easily take out most aerial popcorn, however its larger hitbox makes it somewhat tricky to hit ground targets and some larger enemies or bosses. With CLAWs equipped, up to four more bullets are added to damage output, providing a slight damage boost.
-| Weapons || Example || Example
+|-|
-|-
+Back-Fire =
-| Shield || Example || Example
+*Damage: 6 per bullet.
-|-
+The starting back-firing weapon, which gets upgraded to Lancer. Back-Fire provides a stream of up to 4 bullets from the back and the front. It is the weakest weapon in the game as its damage output is split in half. Giving it very few niche use cases if Lancer is not acquired. The CLAW upgrade for this weapon is the same as Twin-Shot except backwards, providing the same damage output as Twin-Shot from the back without CLAWs.
-| Claw || Example || Example
+|-|
-|-
+Sever =
-| 1-UP || Example || Example
+*Damage: 6 per segment, 36 total per beam.
-|}
+An upgrade to Twin-Shot. Sever is by far the strongest weapon in the entire game, firing high-speed lasers that rapidly alternate from the top and bottom of the Styx. The laser fired is split into four segments which quickly pulverize any enemy in front of it and trivializes some bosses. Adding CLAWs provide two extra beams, effectively doubling the damage output.
 ==== Extra Lives ====
+Score based extra lives are earned at 20,000, 50,000, then every other 50,000 points. Extra lives can also be found as an item picked up throughout the game.
 === Rank ===
 ----
@@ Line 124: / Line 110: @@
 * Cerberus
 * Orn Base
 === Scoring ===

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 [[File:Thunder Force III Logo.png|center|350px]]
 {{GameInfobox
@@ Line 25: / Line 23: @@
 |nextgame = [[Thunder Force IV]]
 }}
 __TOC__
 == Gameplay Overview ==
@@ Line 162: / Line 163: @@
 </div>
 ----
 == References & Contributors ==

@@ Line 43: / Line 43: @@
 === Characters / Ships / Styles ===
 ----
-If there is only one playable character and no elements to augment/customize your ship, ''this section can be omitted from the page''.
+The player ship is called the Styx (also known as the Fire LEO-03).
 === Weapons ===
@@ Line 102: / Line 105: @@
 === Rank ===
 ----
-If the game features a relevant [[rank]] system, use this section to discuss it in more detail. ''Otherwise, this can be omitted.''
+''Unknown. Add details here.''
 === Stages ===
@@ Line 123: / Line 126: @@
 === Scoring ===
 ----
-This section should cover a general breakdown of the scoring system of the game. Feel free to put the meat and potatoes here. A great example of a scoring section is the ''[[DoDonPachi]]'' page.
+''Add details here.''
 == Strategy ==

@@ Line 112: / Line 112: @@
 [[File:Thunder Force III Level Select.png|thumb|The stage select screen]]
-The player can choose which stage to start on. The stages the proceed in a clockwise order around the stage select screen, until all five starting stages are complete:
+The player can choose which stage to start on. The stages the proceed in a clockwise order around the stage select screen.
 * Hydra
@@ Line 120: / Line 120: @@
 * Ellis
-...
+When all five initial stages are complete, the player proceeds to the final stages in the following order:
 === Scoring ===