Despite shoot ‘em ups being one of the most represented genres on the TurboGrafx-16, Lords of Thunder is able to stand out in the library thanks to its hybrid rock/fantasy aesthetics, level progression, and currency system. From the start of the opening cutscene, Lords of Thunder blasts out hard rock music, perfectly capturing the game’s fast-paced energy. As the gameplay begins, it becomes clear that nearly every defeated enemy drops crystals. These crystals usually don’t give an immediate bonus, but they serve as cash to spend between levels on upgrades, health, extra continues, etc. With the high price of the best shop items, there’s motivation to destroy every enemy and grab every crystal you can. In addition, there’s the option to play the first six stages in any order. This choice is a great way to try out the different armors and plan out a sequence for getting through the hardest stages. You could either rack up money in the easy levels before trying out the tougher ones or start with the most difficult parts of the game to minimize the risk of having to spend crystals on continues later on. Even with very short invincibility frames and some surprise enemy spawns, Lords of Thunder is still quite manageable if you have to start a level or two without any upgrades. Most importantly, it's incredibly fun and would be a great experience for anyone with even a slight background in shoot ‘em ups.