Thexder became an instant arcade action video game when it was released in 1987. It first was released in Japan where it didn’t take long until over half a million games were sold. It’s a shooter game in which you shoot the enemy in order to make your way through the challenging levels.
You control a “Hyper Dual-armor Robot Jet Transformer” which is armed with heat seeking lasers. You have to battle hundreds of strange creatures as you make your way through 16 levels of play.
There are 20 different creatures that you have to fight, such as mutant jellyfish and rotating hamburgers. The levels consist of tunnels, cavers, and cargo holds that are all on a forbidden complex run by an evil computer. You have to make your way through the mazes while you avoid getting caught by booby traps, all the while killing things so you can keep your energy up.
Gameplay scans from left to right as you make your way through the complex. When you see a creature, your lasers automatically lock onto the target, but still have to fire at them. And you have to be quick at this, as if a creature touches you, your energy level will deplete quickly.
At some point you will have to
go explore downward pathways which will require you to transform into a jet. These areas are more difficult to complete because the creatures come at you much faster than before. If you are able to kill them without being killed first, you will simply keep progressing through the levels. There isn’t any game ending level, as the game just replays itself. There is no main objective, unless you count killing the creatures.
Compared to today’s graphics…no wait, you can’t compare them. I’m talking about a game made in 1987, and in 20 some years the improvements in graphics are phenomenal. But when the game was released the graphics were of equal quality with other games of the late 80s. Every so many levels the environment changes and gives you a change of background, but the changes aren’t so defined to add enough variety. The creatures could have been more defined. As for sounds, there is a version of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata on the title screen. Other than that, the sound effects are generic and sparsely used.
This is a nice game to add to your collection if you are into the old school games. And if you enjoy games that provide fast and continuous gameplay that is very challenging, then Thexder is definitely one to download.
