Thunder Cross (1988). Play online

Summary

Thunder Cross is Konami’s classic horizontal shooter that lit up arcades in the late‑80s. The game offers seven fast‑paced stages, each ending with a hulking boss that pushes players to master tight dodging and precise fire. Piloting the Thunder fighter, you can equip up to four helper ‘options’ that stack vertically, letting you blanket the screen with bullets.

Three weapon types—Vulcan, Laser, and the ricochet‑style Boomerang—swap on the fly, giving a satisfying layer of strategy. After clearing the initial run, the title flips into a harder second loop, a hallmark of Konami’s design. A sequel followed in ’91, and Space Manbow, released a year later, feels like a spiritual offshoot of this arcade staple.

Storyline

In the sci‑fi shooter Thunder Cross, humanity has spread out to the stars and now colonizes the distant world of Haniamu IV. The peaceful settlement is suddenly besieged by a mysterious, relentless military faction called Black Impulse, which threatens to wipe out the colony. To defend the planet, Earth dispatches its most advanced fighters: the sleek Blue Thunder M‑45, piloted by player 1, and its predecessor, the rugged Red Thunder M‑24, handled by player 2. Together these twin ships blaze through waves of enemy craft, aiming to halt the Black Impulse invasion and secure Haniamu IV’s future.