Thunder Cross II (サンダークロスII Sandā Kurosu II?) is a horizontally scrolling shoot 'em up arcade game released by Konami in 1991 and it's the direct sequel of Thunder Cross. Thunder Cross II is an improved, solid shooter, even if things are again borrowed from Gradius. The game was included as part of the Arcade Archives on April 18, 2021 for PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch.
Plot[]
Three years after their defeat, the Black Impulse Empire tries once again to conquer the galaxy. They have used these years wisely as they have many new ships and creatures in their larger attack armada.
Figuring they would try again, we have spent this time further developing the "Thunder Cross" fighters. Brand new in the previous war, it only had one weapon and a bomb. Now the Thunder Cross has four different weapons whose power can be increased to unheard of magnitudes. Furthermore, we have given you control over your options.
Find the brains of the enemy empire and destroy the Black Impulse once and for all.
Gameplay[]
The developers obviously saw most of what the previous title lacked and improved the sequel. Thunder Cross II features more weapons, more varied and better enemies, and more shooter goodness.
In addition to speed power-ups and the standard weapons, you get newer, massively powerful weapons.
These fire from your options, but the new uber-weapons have a limited amount of fuel. Your options get all pumped up with the new power and become bigger than your ship. This time you can also control the position of your options. You still get two above and two below your ship, but now you can move them up and down to take out enemies so you don’t have to move your ship as much.
External links[]
- Thunder Cross II at the Gradius Wiki