Arcade Thunder Dragon: A Blast from the Past or Just Another Coin Eater?

June 14, 2025

🎮 "Insert Coin to Continue" – But Should You?

Ah, the arcade era—where your reflexes were tested, your palms were sweaty, and your wallet was empty. Arcade Thunder Dragon (1990) is one of those classic shoot 'em ups (shmups) that either makes you feel like a gaming god or a broken joystick away from rage-quitting. But does it hold up today, or is it just another relic for retro purists? Let’s find out.

Arcade

🔥 The Good: Pure, Unfiltered Arcade Chaos

1. Pixel-Perfect Bullet Hell

If you love dodging more projectiles than a politician dodging questions, Arcade Thunder Dragon delivers. The screen is constantly filled with neon bullets, enemy swarms, and explosions—all running on that sweet, sweet 90s arcade hardware.

• Tight Controls: Your ship moves like butter on a hot pan—responsive, quick, and deadly.
• Power-Up Madness: Collect those floating "P" icons and watch your firepower evolve from peashooter to literal screen-clearing death rays.

2. That Sweet, Sweet Nostalgia

The chiptune soundtrack? Banger. The pixel art? Glorious. The fact that you can feel the arcade cabinet’s CRT glow through the screen? Priceless.

💀 The Bad: Prepare to Suffer (Like, a Lot)

1. "Game Over? Insert Another $5."

This game was designed to eat your quarters, and it shows. The difficulty spikes harder than a caffeine addict at 3 AM. Expect:

• Unforgiving Checkpoints – Die at the boss? Congrats, replay the entire stage.
• Enemy Spam – Some levels feel like the devs just copy-pasted enemies until the ROM cried.

2. Zero Hand-Holding

No tutorials. No difficulty sliders. Just pure, unfiltered pain. If you’re new to shmups, this might feel like trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube blindfolded.

🔄 How Does It Compare to Modern Shooters?

If you’ve played Touhou or Crimzon Clover, Arcade Thunder Dragon will feel ancient but charming. It lacks the QoL features of modern bullet hells (like, y’know, not being designed to bankrupt you), but it’s a fascinating look at where the genre started.

🎯 Who Should Play This?

✅ Retro enthusiasts who miss the smell of arcade carpet.
✅ Masochists who enjoy screaming at their screen.
❌ Casual players who prefer not to develop carpal tunnel.

Final Verdict: Worth a Few Credits?

If you can embrace the jank, Arcade Thunder Dragon is a time capsule of arcade greatness—flaws and all. It’s not the best shmup today, but it’s a must-try for genre fans.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐☆ (3.5/5 – "Fun, but prepare to suffer.")

🔥 Still curious? Try it on MAME or hunt down an original cabinet (if you’re made of money).

"Insert coin to continue… if you dare." 🎮💥