Thunder Force V

Unlike previous games in the series, Thunder Force V uses polygons to model the larger enemy ships and some of the scenery, in addition to sprites. The story revolves around a combat unit formed to fight against the Guardian supercomputer, which went rogue after deciphering the code of a space vessel. The player pilots a starfighter through a 2.5D perspective; the environments are rendered in three dimensions but the player moves in a 2D plane.

• Title — Thunder Force V • Developer — Technosoft • Director — Naosuke Arai • Programmer — Masaki Mutō • Composer — Hyakutaro Tsukumo • Series — Thunder Force • Platforms — Sega Saturn, PlayStation • Released — Sega SaturnJuly 11, 1997 PlayStationNovember 13, 1998 • Genre — Horizontal-scrolling shooter • Modes — Single-player

• Illustration — The Gauntlet fighting an enemy in the second level Thunder Force V is a horizontal-scrolling shooter video game. It is presented from a 2.5D perspective, with environments rendered in 3D and gameplay taking place on a 2D plane. The player controls a starship named the Gauntlet in its mission to destroy the Guardian, a supercomputer that became rogue after deciphering the code of a space vessel. There are seven levels total, and the first three can be selected in any order. Levels scroll automatically, and the player is given free movement. Its gameplay is similar to its predecessor, Thunder Force IV; players must destroy constantly-moving formations of enemies and dodge their projectiles and incoming obstacles. A boss concludes the end of a stage. As in previous Thunder Force games, the player has a special weapon named the "CRAW" that emits additional firepower and absorbs enemy shots. Thunder Force V allows for up to three CRAWs to be used at a time instead of two like its predecessors, and the CRAWs will remain on the screen for a finite period of time that allows the player to recollect them. The CRAWs can also be combined with the player's currently-selected weapon to create a more powerful version of it called an "Over Weapon". Over Weapons can be used for a limited amount of time before they revert to their original state. Creating Over Weapons uses up the CRAW's energy, which is indicated by its change in color. Energy can be replenished by collecting additional CRAWs or by waiting for them to recharge.

Production on the fifth installment in the Thunder Force series began on the Sega Mega Drive. According to former Technosoft staff member Naosuke Arai, the team started by utilizing pre-rendered 3D graphics, but were unhappy with its cheap look compared to Thunder Force IV. Minimal work was done on this version before the developers decided that the Sega Saturn would be more capable of creating the visuals they desired.

Thunder Force V was released in Japan for the Sega Saturn on July 11, 1997. There were two retail versions, the normal pack, and a special pack which contained a remix music CD of various Thunder Force music entitled Best of Thunder Force, which was later released separately. The Saturn version was never released outside Japan. Sega Europe took a preproduction version under consideration, and decided against publishing the game. Electronic Gaming Monthly urged readers to tell Sega of America to release the game in the United States, but it was never released there either. Thunder Force V was ported to the PlayStation and released in 1998 as Thunder Force V: Perfect System. It was published in North America by Working Designs under the SPAZ label. The PlayStation version features additional levels, high-resolution artwork, CG rendered movie sequences, and a time attack mode.