Rolling Thunder (ARC)
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- For other games in the series, see Rolling Thunder.
Rolling Thunder is an action-platformer arcade game developed and published by Namco (published by Atari Games in North America).
In the game, the player takes the role of secret agent Albatross, the best operative of the special task force "Rolling Thunder". Albatross must save Leila (operative of the World Criminal Police Organization) from the evil clutches of Maboo, head of the organization Geldra.
The game plays as an action-platformer, where Albatross must proceed from point A to point B. Some levels require Albatross to ascend or descend areas to proceed. Armed only with his pistol, Albatross must go through 10 areas (each with several stages), taking out the many enemies that inhabit the levels, mostly Maskers. Some enemies have projectile weapons and their speed varies, so the player must be careful. However, the time limit forces the player to act fast. There are three types of levels; warehouse, cave, and lava lake. Aside from the enemies, the player must also exercise extreme caution around other hazards such as pits and other projectiles (literally) thrown at them. The primary enemies are Maskers; hooded thugs that come in different colors, each of which represent a Masker's speed, attack, and movement patterns. There are also Ninjas which emerge from the walls, Blogas; short android monstrosities that pounce and attack with their claws, Firemen; a fire in the form of a person that splits up into fours, and Gelzo; human-faced bats that fly at the top of the screen and swoop down and attack Albatross a la Red Arremers from Ghosts 'n Goblins. Other enemies include panthers in the cave levels which also pounce at Albatross, and Maboo himself once the player reaches the end of the last stage.
Though Albatross can only take two hits, he can enter the various doors throughout the level for health, time, and even ammo upgrades. Among these upgrades include bullets for his pistol, as well as a machine gun upgrade. However, the machine gun only has limited ammo.
The game was highly praised by critics, but was also noted for its high difficulty, especially in the later stages. The game was also ported to just about every platform during that time including the Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, and NES. The arcade version has since been included in numerous arcade compilations. Capcom also made a "clone" of the game on the NES called Code Name: Viper (NES). The game also went on to inspire Sega's Shinobi (ARC). A sequel was also made for both the arcade and Sega Genesis, while a third game only on the Genesis was released as well.
Contents
Screenshots
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Music
Rolling Thunder's music was composed by Junko Ozawa, one of Namco's flagship composers. Though there are only two main songs that play throughout the levels, they are both lengthy and well composed, fitting in with the James Bond/secret agent vibe that this game is themed around. The first in-game theme is more intense with ominous-sounding brass and Latin percussion. The second in-game tune, primarily used during the cave levels, mostly revolves on the Latin percussion with some brass and a sliding bassline. Each tune is crafted beautifully with the YM2151 FM synthesizer.
According to Ozawa, she had to write the music in assembly. She used Namco's FM sound driver developed by Junichi Mizutari and/or Takatoshi Kobayashi.
Recording
| # | Title | Composer | Length | Listen | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | In-Game 1 | Junko Ozawa | 3:23 | Download | |
| 02 | In-Game 2 | Junko Ozawa | 2:50 | Download | |
| 03 | Final Boss | Junko Ozawa | 0:58 | Download | |
| 04 | Maboo Dies | Junko Ozawa | 0:05 | Download | |
| 05 | Ending | Junko Ozawa | 0:37 | Download | |
| 06 | Level Complete | Junko Ozawa | 0:08 | Download | |
| 07 | High Scores | Junko Ozawa | 0:54 | Download | |
| 08 | Game Over | Junko Ozawa | 0:03 | Download |
Credits
- Ripper:
- Recorder: Doommaster1994
- Game Credits:
- Not Credited Composer: Junko Ozawa
- Not Credited Programmer: Junichi Mizutari
- Not Credited Programmer: Takatoshi Kobayashi
(Source: Verification from staff, code comparisons; game lacks credits.)
As was custom with Namco's games at the time, the game contains no credits. We have received verification from Junko Ozawa that she composed the game's music and sound effects. The game uses the same sound driver as Return to Ishtar (ARC), which explicitly credits Junichi Mizutari for the sound driver. However, other games using the sound driver also give credit to Takatoshi Kobayashi, so he also likely involved with the driver's involvement.
Game Rip
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This rip is missing songs. |
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Audio Devices
Rolling Thunder uses a YM2151 (clocked at 3.57958 MHz) for music, a CUS30 (clocked at 24 kHz), and a 63701X (clocked at 6 MHz).
Releases
Links
- mobygames.com/game/arcade/rolling-thunder - MobyGames.
- gamefaqs.gamespot.com/arcade/584202-rolling-thunder - GameFAQs.
- w.atwiki.jp/gamemusicbest100/pages/596.html - Atwiki.jp
| Rolling Thunder | |
| Rolling Thunder |  •  • •  •  •  •  • 
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| Rolling Thunder 2 | • 
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| Rolling Thunder 3 |
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| Notable Personnel | Junko Ozawa • Ayako Saso |
| Notable Companies | Namco • Tiertex |
