Gate of Thunder (1992). Play online

Summary

I first played Gate of Thunder when I pulled the TurboDuo out of the closet. It was the default disc that came bundled with Bonk’s Adventure, Bonk’s Revenge and Bomberman, so the CD instantly became my introduction to the Super CD‑ROM² format. The developers—called Red Raimon—were veteran Technosoft staff who had helped craft the original Thunder Force shooters, and you can feel that lineage in every frantic loop. That pedigree meant the game pushed the TurboGrafx‑CD’s hardware to show lush, colorful sprites, smooth parallax scrolling and massive bosses without a hint of slowdown.

Inside, the vertical scroller offers seven tightly designed stages, three upgradeable weapon types—laser, wave and the earth‑shaking “earthquake” shot—and satellite‑like option pods you can power up for extra firepower. A flexible speed dial and secret item drops keep the pacing fresh, while a generous respawn system means the action stays relentless. The soundtrack, a full‑on CD‑quality metal suite composed by Nick Wood of Syn Sound Design, cranks the adrenaline even higher. Critics praised Gate of Thunder as a showcase of what the Super CD‑ROM² could deliver, and it still rings up as one of the best shoot‑‘em‑ups on the system.

Storyline

Gate of Thunder puts you in the boots of space cop Hawk, who flies the Hunting Dog fighter craft. His partner, the pilot Esty, commands the Wild Cat support ship. Together they chase General Don Jingi and his Obellon armada, who are racing to seize the mysterious Starlight energy source hidden on the planet Aries. The duo must battle through waves of enemy ships and massive bosses to keep the power from falling into the wrong hands. The story unfolds as a classic shoot‑'em‑up showdown across the stars.