Thunder Blade
Thunder Blade — frequently asked questions
- What platforms is Thunder Blade on?
- Thunder Blade was released on Arcade, Sharp X68000, Commodore C64/128/MAX, ZX Spectrum, Nintendo 3DS, Atari ST/STE, TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine, DOS, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Sega Master System/Mark III, MSX, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, PC Engine, PC (Microsoft Windows).
- When did Thunder Blade release?
- Thunder Blade was first released on December 31, 1987.
About Thunder Blade
A helicopter shoot-'em-up developed by Sega. The Arcade version made use of Sega's 3D super scaler technology to create city environments where the buildings would appear to have depth. The subsequent home versions sadly lacked this feature.
Summary via IGDB.
Game details
- Platforms
- Arcade, Sharp X68000, Commodore C64/128/MAX, ZX Spectrum, Nintendo 3DS, Atari ST/STE, TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine, DOS, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Sega Master System/Mark III, MSX, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, PC Engine, PC (Microsoft Windows)
- Developer
- Sega Enterprises, Ltd.
- Publisher
- U.S. Gold
- Game modes
- Single player
- Themes
- Action, Warfare
Details via IGDB.
Reception
Every version compared
Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release
| Platform | Year | Loose | Complete | Sealed | Period reviews | Fake risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sega Master SystemDetails ↓ | 1988 | $9 | $15 | $108 | 2 reviews | Low (look-alike) |
| Sega GenesisDetails ↓ | 1989 | $9 | $20 | — | 6 reviews | Low |
The cheapest way to own it loose is the Sega Master System version ($9).
Also released on: Arcade · Sharp X68000 · Commodore C64/128/MAX · ZX Spectrum · Nintendo 3DS · Atari ST/STE · TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine · DOS · Amiga · Amstrad CPC · Sega Master System/Mark III · MSX · Sega Mega Drive/Genesis · PC Engine · PC (Microsoft Windows). We haven’t priced or authenticated those versions yet.
Prices are per version and are not interchangeable, and neither are the reviews: conversions in this era were often built by a different studio than the original, so a score earned on one machine says nothing about how another plays.
Collector value & authenticity
Sega Master System · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-28
Other releases and variants
| Release | Loose | Complete | Sealed |
|---|---|---|---|
| European (PAL) release | $7 | $18 | — |
| Japanese release | $23 | $47 | — |
How often it sells
- Loose: about 2 times a month
- Complete: about once a week
- Sealed: about once a year
Prices marked “few sales” rest on about one recorded sale a year, so treat them as a rough guide: the next copy could sell well above or below. Expect to wait for one to come up.
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-28.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $1.37 in Jul 2009, $10.23 five years ago, and $8.50 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2010 | $1.71 | — |
| Jan 2011 | $0.75 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $1.69 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $1.99 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $3.62 | $4.99 |
| Jan 2015 | $4.99 | $6.95 |
| Jan 2016 | $5.00 | $7.95 |
| Jan 2017 | $5.99 | $7.49 |
| Jan 2018 | $5.34 | $9.84 |
| Jan 2019 | $5.50 | $9.47 |
| Jan 2020 | $6.21 | $10.01 |
| Jan 2021 | $7.88 | $11.18 |
| Jan 2022 | $8.99 | $13.07 |
| Jan 2023 | $8.87 | $14.99 |
| Jan 2024 | $10.00 | $15.00 |
| Jan 2025 | $7.01 | $11.93 |
| Jan 2026 | $5.00 | $15.86 |
| Oct 2026 | $8.50 | $16.99 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Date | Product number |
|---|---|---|
| North America | October 1988 | — |
| Europe / PAL | November 1988 | — |
| Japan | 30 July 1988 | G-1360 |
- Region
- NA+EU+JP
- Released
- 1988
- Authenticity
- Low
The Sega Master System version
A solid helicopter shooter that won an award as a home game, and a cheap US cart.
Thunder Blade is a conversion of Sega's 1987 arcade helicopter shooter, released in Japan on July 30, 1988, in North America in October 1988 and in Europe in November 1988. The Master System version won the Console Game of the Year award at the 1988-1989 Golden Joystick Awards.
What the press said at the time
| Mean Machines Sega Issue 3 | December 1992 | OVERALL 80% |
| Computer and Video Games | 80% |
“Thunderblade must have been a pretty tricky coin-op to convert, but the programmers have managed to capture it successfully with this conversion. The graphics are good, the gameplay is challenging and it provides plenty of entertainment for any shoot 'em up fan.”
Undated scores are from the review table in the game's Wikipedia article, limited to reviews of the Sega Master System version.
Also on other platforms
Arcade · Amiga · Amstrad CPC · Atari ST · Commodore 64 · ZX Spectrum · MS-DOS · MSX · X68000 · PC Engine · Nintendo 3DS · Windows
- Arcade. The arcade game was a stand-up cabinet with force feedback in which the joystick vibrates. A sit-down helicopter-shaped model replaced the feedback with a cockpit seat that moves with the joystick.
- Nintendo 3DS. The Nintendo 3DS remake was released as a 3D Classic in Japan on August 20, 2014.
- ZX Spectrum. The ZX Spectrum version received a Crash Smash award from Crash magazine.
How the other versions reviewed
| ZX Spectrum | Crash | 91% |
| Arcade | Computer and Video Games | Positive |
| Atari ST | Computer and Video Games | 66% |
| ZX Spectrum | Computer and Video Games | 82% |
| ZX Spectrum | Sinclair User | 87% |
| Amiga | The Games Machine | 85% |
| Atari ST | The Games Machine | 84% |
| Commodore 64 | The Games Machine | 65% |
| Windows | The Games Machine | 54% (CPC) |
| ZX Spectrum | The Games Machine | 87% |
| ZX Spectrum | Your Sinclair | 9/10 |
| Arcade | Commodore User | 9/10 |
These are the other versions’ scores, not this one’s. Ports of this era were frequently built by different studios, so they do not transfer.
Before you buy
Three releases exist: the US cart, the European cart and the Japanese cart. The European cart is cheaper loose, but a complete European copy costs a little more than a complete US one. The Japanese cart costs much more than the US one in both conditions, and it is a different, smaller shape that does not fit a Western console without an adapter. Loose, the US cart is cheap, below what a typical game from its year costs, and the look-alike risk is low. Check the manual is there on a complete copy.
Collector value & authenticity
Sega Genesis · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-29
Other releases and variants
| Release | Loose | Complete | Sealed |
|---|---|---|---|
| European (PAL) release | $6 | $13 | — |
| Japanese release | $11 | $38 | — |
How often it sells
- Loose: about 2 times a month
- Complete: about once a week
- Sealed: about once a year
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-29.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $2.22 in Jan 2008, $8.50 five years ago, and $8.96 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2008 | $2.22 | — |
| Jan 2009 | $1.59 | — |
| Jan 2010 | $1.38 | — |
| Jan 2011 | $1.00 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $1.00 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $1.00 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $2.33 | $6.95 |
| Jan 2015 | $4.05 | $8.45 |
| Jan 2016 | $5.99 | $9.89 |
| Jan 2017 | $4.99 | $10.50 |
| Jan 2018 | $5.52 | $13.41 |
| Jan 2019 | $7.37 | $14.32 |
| Jan 2020 | $6.85 | $13.63 |
| Jan 2021 | $6.99 | $15.89 |
| Jan 2022 | $9.82 | $19.40 |
| Jan 2023 | $9.89 | $19.99 |
| Jan 2024 | $7.97 | $16.00 |
| Jan 2025 | $8.33 | $17.80 |
| Jan 2026 | $8.14 | $17.74 |
| Oct 2026 | $8.96 | $19.99 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Date | Product number | Barcode |
|---|---|---|---|
| North America | August 1989 | — | 010086011012 |
| Europe / PAL | September 1990 | — | 4974365611019 |
| Japan | 29 October 1988 | G-4003 | — |
- Region
- NA+EU+JP
- Released
- 1989
- Authenticity
- Low
The Sega Genesis version
An early helicopter shooter whose stiff 3D has dated, but it is a cheap cart in any region.
The Genesis cartridge is Super Thunder Blade, Sega's sequel to its 1987 arcade Thunder Blade. Each stage runs as a rail shooter and ends in a vertically scrolling boss battle. It reached Japan in October 1988, North America in August 1989 and Europe in September 1990.
ACE listed it among the five best Mega Drive games available in 1989, but by 1992 Mean Machines Sega felt the jerky 3D and sluggish controls looked rough around the edges next to newer games.
What the press said at the time
| MegaTech Issue 1 | December 1991 | MEGATECH RATING 69% |
| Mean Machines Sega Issue 3 | December 1992 | 69% |
| ACE | 88/100 | |
| IGN | 4/10 | |
| Computer and Video Games | 8/10 | |
| Computer Entertainer | 8/8 |
“Genesis promises arcade graphics and STB comes close. In fact, no home machine can do a better job.”
“Fans of the original machine will get plenty of kicks, but anyone else will find it all rather uninspiring.”
“This was one of the first ever Megadrive games, and three years ago it looked pretty good. However, compared with other offerings, the jerky 3D and sluggish control methods makes this game look rough around the edges.”
“It looked pretty dated even when it was first released, and now it really looks ancient.”
Undated scores are from the review table in the game's Wikipedia article, limited to reviews of the Genesis version.
Before you buy
Among US carts this sits below the median, so it is an easy buy. The European cart usually costs noticeably less, while the Japanese Mega Drive cart usually costs more and has a different cartridge shape. A complete US copy means the case, cartridge and manual.
Thunder Blade screenshots
Watch on YouTube
Listings on The Game Traders
No active listings for Thunder Blade yet.
Be the first to list →Buyers looking for this
No active want ads for Thunder Blade yet.
Post a want ad →More games like Thunder Blade
Latest news mentioning Thunder Blade
No recent news mentions in our 30-day feed window.