Thunderfox is like no other space game you've ever played. With nonstop action and graphics that push the capabilities of the XE to the limit, this exciting game offers exceptional play value.
Your mission as pilot of the newest, state-of-the-art space ship in the solar system is to save that solar system from the destruction that will be wrought if the evil Phalosians complete the war machine they have begun to build. To do so, you must destroy the five transport ships currently traveling in a convoy toward the mothership. The transporters carry cargos of energy crystals that will power the war machine.
This mission may sound simple, but believe me, it's not! Each transporter is harder to destroy than the previous one, but luckily you battle only one at a time.
The game begins as your ship, Thunderfox, is launched from the shuttle that serves as your base during the game. When you encounter a transporter, you must fly horizontally to the far right, along the outer shell of the ship, where you must find and destroy two anti-gravity stabilizers before you can enter the transporter and destroy the deadly Crystal Guardian. To destroy a stabilizer, you must bomb it five times, which doesn't sound difficult until you hear what else is going on...
As you fly over the stabilizers, whirling shrapnel is launched at your ship, and enemy fighter formations attack with laser fire. And then there are the platforms that protrude from the shell of the transporter, providing obstacles into which your fighter can crash if you let your attention wander for even a moment.
Over your shuttle and at the end of each transporter are invisible force fields. The force fields can be used to your advantage if you hold your joystick toward them. This action causes your ship to remain reasonably stationary, which can keep you relatively safe as a fighter formation flies by or improve your accuracy when bombing the stabilizers. Position your ship in the middle of the screen to wait for a fighter formation, and when it has passed, pursue it from behind and destroy each fighter systematically. This is not only the most effective way to destroy the fighter formation, but it is the technique that will net you the highest score. The key here is to remain behind the fighter formation
as you travel horizontally over the skin of the transporter.
When bombing a stabilizer, try to use the force field as an aid rather than a hindrance. On Transporters 2, 3, and 4 you will find this very helpful. The hardest part is timing your bomb releases to take place when your ship is facing the right way. Also, be careful not to fly directly over the shrapnel launcher.
Now the bad news: your ship can carry only six bombs at a time, which means that you must return to the shuttle to reload at least once during the stabilizer attack phase of the battle. This, in turn, means that you must brave the exterior dangers of each transporter two or three times before you can enter and fight the Crystal Guardian. If you end up with any extra bombs, you can earn points by taking out the Phalon ground installations.
When flying back to reload bombs, be careful not to enter the transporter by mistake, and don't get so involved in your battle with the fighters that you forget to keep an eye on those dangerous platforms.
On your flight back to the shuttle to reload bombs, use any extra bombs you may be carrying to take out the ground installations located on the outside of the transporter. Your bomb bay must be empty before you can reload, so you might as well earn some extra points by blasting the enemy's ground installations. If you forget and arrive at the shuttle with a bomb or two in your bay, don't hesitate to waste it—it is better to waste bombs than time, because you must be ready for the next fly-by of the fighter formation.
Once inside the transporter, you must maneuver your ship through a thermonuclear laser room. The laser rooms are not all that difficult to negotiate; all you need to master is a series of perfectly synchronized taps of the joystick. But by this time your adrenaline is flowing so freely that you are apt to make mistakes, so try to keep cool, and don't linger any longer than necessary, because radiation buildup in the room can be as deadly as an alien's laser.
As you make your way through the laser room, move quickly and keep an eye on the radiation meter at the top of the screen. Crawl forward a little at a time. The hardest thing to master in the laser room is timing, and timing requires practice.
Once through the laser room, you meet the Crystal Guardian face-to-face. The Crystal Guardian is protected by a fortress wall that your laser fire cannot penetrate, so your only hope is to maneuver your ship into a position that will allow you to fire through a hole in the fortress wall. This is not quite as easy as it sounds, however. The openings in the wall are periodically blocked by a moving wall, and when the openings are not blocked, they provide a path for the Guardian's deadly and continuous laser fire. When battling the Crystal Guardian, I like to get right up against the moving wall and move vertically, timing my attacks to coincide with breaks in the laser fire.
To add tension to the game, an indicator at the bottom of the screen reminds you how much time remains before the transporters effect their fatal rendezvous with the mothership. But don't let the pressure get to you; remember just 10 laser blasts into the Guardian's pulsating head and BINGO, one transporter down and four to go!
As you play the game, you will notice that Thunderfox has two speeds. These can be used to your advantage. High speed pursuit of fighter formations on level 1 can help you accumulate points and eventually earn you an extra ship (at 5000 points). The slow speed is helpful when you need delicate maneuvering to get your ship out of sticky situations. Learn to change speed quickly and accurately.
If that sounds like a lot to contend with, you're right. But that's what makes Thunderfox so addictive and so much fun. As an onlooker you will be fascinated by the shading techniques and fine scrolling of the graphics. As a game player, you will find the game irresistible.
Be warned: you will not accomplish the mission your first time out. Plan on some long practice sessions to get the feel of Thunderfox; this game is intended for the serious game player.
Transporter 1. It is very easy to eliminate numerous fighter formations here. You should have just enough time to eliminate 11 fighter formations, the stabilizers, and all ground installations, and destroy the Crystal Guardian before the rendezvous takes place. That should give you approximately 7500 points and an extra ship. Not bad!
Transporter 2. This transporter is one of the harder ones. Very precise control is required to maneuver your ship along the shell of the transporter. Also, platforms make it difficult to attack the stabilizers.
Transporter 3. The pattern used on this transporter is easier than Transporter 2. But again, precise control is needed when attacking the stabilizers, and you fly 80% of the time in direct line of fire of fighter formations.
Transporter 4. The pattern for this one is simple in theory, but very difficult to execute. You are restricted to a very narrow corridor with shrapnel launchers at both ends. But destroying the stabilizers is a little easier. You might think of this one as "Threading the Needle."
2008 ben langberg, all rights reserved.