Lords of Thunder is an extraordinary horizontal shoot'em up on MegaCD. Legendary heavy metal CD music, intense gameplay with elemental armours. One of the best shmups on Japanese console. Cult.
Your verdict
Category
Shooter1 player7+
Description
Knight Duran takes flight and destroys enemy armies in this medieval fantasy horizontal shooter with a legendary soundtrack. Published by Hudson, released in Europe in January 1995. Horizontal shoot'em up with elemental armours, titanic bosses, acclaimed rock/metal CD soundtrack. Multilingual version.
Lords of Thunder review
MAX
Art direction
★★★★★
"Iconic"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
1/5
Story
★★★★★
"Anecdotal"
Flamboyant medieval fantasy, a winged knight and outsized creatures: the shoot'em up unfurls a heroic-fantasy imagery of rare richness. The density of the settings and the brilliance of the colours overflow with panache. This visual direction, polished and epic, elevates a classic of the genre carried by a legendary soundtrack.
Pure concentrated heavy metal, the soundtrack makes distorted guitars and flamboyant solos roar over medieval-fantasy themes of a galvanising power. Each level rises like a piece of epic hard rock perfectly in tune with the action. This sonic fury, legendary among shoot'em up fans, remains a peak of the genre.
Gameplay
"Masterful"
Choosing an elemental armour before each stage reshapes your arsenal and your shooting strategy, giving the horizontal shooter a genuine tactical layer. The generous firepower and steady pace deliver exhilarating sensations, carried by a frenzied rock soundtrack. Dated in its backdrops, it keeps a snap and clarity that still delight fans of the genre.
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
Choosing an elemental armour before diving into a horizontal shooter of insane intensity, carried by one of the most memorable rock soundtracks of the CD era: that's an exhilarating combination. Spitting devastating spells and spraying the screen while juggling your power delivers instant pleasure. Spectacular and exalting, an absolute must of the genre.
Port of Hudson's PC Engine Super CD-ROM shoot 'em up, redrawn by Sega for Mega-CD with new cinematics and a reworked CD-Audio score. The European JVC pressing stands out for redrawn cover art foregrounding the fire knight and for an additional strategy booklet absent from the American release. That editorial specificity makes it the most contested version among European CD shmup collectors.
Memorable bosses
Few shoot'em ups let you face their guardians to the roar of thunderous hard rock pressed on CD. Cloaked in an elemental armor chosen before the assault, you challenge immense mythological creatures whose patterns reward the right magic. This blend of unleashed metal, colossal bosses and genuine tactical demand gives every duel a theatrical sweep that has stayed memorable.
An underrated gem
You come mainly for its rock-metal soundtrack, one of the most memorable of the 16-bit era, but this medieval-fantasy shooter also earns its keep with elemental armours and outsized bosses. Already low-key on the PC Engine, it stayed so on a sparsely owned Mega-CD. An absolute must for horizontal-shooter fans who run on adrenaline and volume.
Is Lords of Thunder still worth playing in 2026?
A heroic horizontal shooter by Hudson Soft, Lords of Thunder offers a fantasy universe with four elemental armours boasting distinct powers to choose before each level. The epic rock soundtrack by Yuzo Koshiro remains memorable and fully benefits from the CD support. The varied patterns, aggressive scoring and inspired art direction make this title one of the best shoots on Mega CD. For anyone fond of demanding and themed horizontal shoots, an absolutely essential recommendation today still here truly indeed for any genre fan.
