Thunder Hoop Longplay (Arcade) [4K]

Game Info
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Developer: Gealco
Publisher: Gaelco
Year of Release: 1992
Game Review & Impressions
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Gaelco is a fascinating oddity in the world of coin-op arcade games.
Sandwiched between the likes of Atari and Midway in the West, and Sega, Data East and other Japanese gaming giants in the East, this Spanish studio produced some of the quirkiest arcade games of the 1990s. I'd recently completed a longplay of TH Strike Back, only to discover that it was, in fact, a sequel to Thunder Hoop. The game had impressed and intrigued me in equal measure, so I decided to go back and check out the prequel first.
At its core, Thunder Hoop is a run-and-gun shooter, with a spoonful of platforming stirred in for good measure. The general theme is a pastiche akin to Dragon Ball Z, with anime-styled cutscenes, although this doesn't carry over to the game itself. It's as if the developers looked at coin-op games through the lens of the early 1990s computer game development, and this was the result. It looks and feels much more like an arcade-style game you'd find on the Commodore Amiga (or maybe even a home console), rather than anything you'd find in an actual arcade.
As a result, Thunder Hoop is a fascinating oddity. Taken on its own merits, its a decent game, boasting some impressive graphics, but the game design and platforming feels somewhat alien to the world of coin-op. The audio, as is typical for Gaelco releases, features low quality samples ripped from other sources, including what sounds like Michael Jackson's Black or White. There are also sound effects which sound oddly similar to Risky Woods, plus other home computer games from that era.
This charming eccentricity became less pronounced in Gaelco's later games, presumably as the studio became more proficient at designing games for the coin-op market. This leaves Thunder Hoop as curious oddity that just doesn't quite belong, and it's precisely this reason why you should go and play it.
Information & Trivia
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Video Notes
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Related Longplays & Videos
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Chapters
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#gaelco
#retrogaming
#arcadegames

[@LPetal86]

The artstyle is so eclectic with so many different enemy types that it's interesting to watch. It does remind me of _Decap Attack_ . The player character has that over-the-top 90's try-hard cool vibe that was so common back then, but hey, this is an entertaining game. I can tell these guys are fans of _Contra_ and _Splatterhouse_ , the bosses like Korgan were genuinely disturbing to look at!

[@Freakinger81]

It has a very "Amiga-like" look and feel to it.

[@raakone]

I agree. I get the impression it's some Japanese company tries to copy the looks of certain British Amiga games from back in the day, at least for the enemies (while the main character looks like an Akira Toriyama reject)

[@aweirdredtoad3637]

@@raakone Actually it's a company from Spain.

[@JomasterTheSecond]

It has the same sort of aesthetic as Risky Woods; very anime-esque in its own Spanish sort of way.

[@countzer0408]

I was thinking the exact same thing.

[@blukmage19typeR]

26:20 To be continued in _TH (Thunder Hoop) Strikes Back_ ...

[@bernardafuturagael9213]

Manufactured in Barcelona (Spain) by Gaelco the game is Inspired in the anime Dragon Ball and her programation of the Toki, min 13:14 Bass enemy parody of Alien, the final boss is a parody of Vegeta of Dragon Ball anime 24:56 2 years later Gaelco manufactured Thunder Hoop Strikesback (Thunder Hoop 2)

[@josie1776]

The second game has much better art.

[@kingintyellow]

I only found this after watching a longplay of the sequel. Jesus Christ, talk about an art and tone shift! This game looks like it was made using spare sprites from the Trolls video game on the Amiga, and the other one looked like some dark and gritty late-90's action title.

[@dest151]

that first level boss turned into a "bloody" good time.

[@lamacchinadeltempo5737]

Excellent! Sounds Good 🔝👍

[@matteobanchio2786]

Watching this after TH strike back feels so weird

[@guyyoung4388]

The sequel is so crazy

[@shumymikaball]

I remember playing this on arcade. Not as easy as it seems.

[@keironhiggspoet]

I played this as a kid around 1997 in one of my trips to spain. Toki simarity aside, been i was yet to discover dragon ball and the like (DBZ was still huge in spain and unedited by looks, and hadn't touched UK shores yet) i really liked this characters design and the artwork that transitioned between the stages, to say i died around at stage 2! I've tried emulating it a few times but it always locks up on stage 4.

[@Hektols]

At first I used to think that this game was a Toki sequel due to the similarities with the gameplay.

[@yellowblanka6058]

This is one of those weird arcade games that seems like it would have been released on the Amiga or something and not in the arcade.

[@lamacchinadeltempo5737]

C'era anche in sala giochi, parecchi anni fa 😊

[@104d_3rr0r_vince]

Yes it's more like a home game that you can take your time. Looks like Toki.

[@AL82RetrogamingLongplays]

Quite a few people commented on the similarity with Toki, something I completely missed - good shout

[@ZEKESPILLEDINKMUSIC]

I would never have guessed that this was from a Spanish video game studio.

[@TeddyBelcher4kultrawide]

0:45 start

[@TorinnDerg]

Would you possibly be able to take on the Amiga game “Virocop”?

[@mariowario5945]

This game looks cool, run and gun platformer like megaman

[@AguFungus]

Mega Man meets Dragon Ball?

[@MegaMrJIN]

Kid Goku 😃

[@POGRetroModernGaming]

great game

[@captain0080]

It's like a mix between Toki and Bio Menace.

[@YamazakiRJ]

Clearly inspired in Toki.

[@alescano3504]

I believe that there are some assets from Super Castlevania. The brown cave interior ones

[@Solinaru]

I'm so confused how this game goes from cartoony violence to bloody gore/visera, and back again as if nothing happen on the same screen. lol

[@GenyaArikado]

the spanish dudes really made an 8/10 game! I love the sequel as well....the music is great too!

[@VJFranzK]

Notice the v a p o r w a v e imitations of themes from Beverly Hills Cop, The Good The Bad and the Ugly, etc. barely audible below the too loud sfx

[@GenyaArikado]

i didn't know Ken from Street FIghter was in this game 25:22

[@xxdkwxx]

Man....this game is bizarrrrrr......

[@josie1776]

Second is much more than this one.

[@FUTURAGAEL]

MIN 11:55, min 11:56 The enemies is automatic death before the boss in the stages of the game 18:52 this type of death of enemies is not points for player

[@AMDA_]

Spanish game ❤

[@Epicsilverdude134]

Yeah it's made in amiga

[@sofiilham9380]

AL82

[@TeryJones]

So I just saw a blue googly eyed monster that can shoot pellets out of its crotch or butt.... I think that's enough old video games for today....

[@kacpersobieraj5421]

TOKI + DRAGON BALL Z = THUNDER HOOP

[@rober4]

The English on those plot snippets is nightmarish.

[@BoardGameHero_]

Ehy but this is Toki!

[@rodrigojaramillo367]

Alarm 24:49

[@liburansendirian1232]

B.O.B

[@Tomato_Dragonzord]

Pretty cool game but the death sound... why does the protagonist sound like he was getting raped with a welding machine,

[@Zanctum]

Gotta be honest, this game is really bad

[@emanueleg.4651]

terrible