[SEGA Genesis Music] Thunder Force III - Full Original Soundtrack OST

Thunder Force III / サンダーフォースIII
Recorded from real Sega Genesis, Model 2 w/ASIC YM3438 +MegaAmp mod
00:00 The Wind Blew All Day Long (Opening Theme)
00:16 Beyond the Peace (Stage Select)
01:17 Back to the Fire (Stage 1: Hydra)
03:31 Gargoyle (Stage 1 Boss)
05:08 Venus Fire (Stage 2: Gorgon)
08:01 Twin Vulcan (Stage 2 Boss)
09:11 The Grubby Dark Blue (Stage 3: Seiren)
11:43 King Fish (Stage 3 Boss)
13:12 Truth (Stage 4: Haides)
14:53 G Lobster (Stage 4 Boss)
16:31 Final Take a Chance (Stage 5: Ellis)
18:11 Mobile Fort (Stage 5 Boss)
19:14 His Behavior Inspired Us With Distrust (Stage 6: Cerberus)
24:28 Hunger Made Them Desperate (Stage 7: Orn Base)
28:18 Off Luck (Stage 7 Boss)
29:55 Final Moment (Stage 8: Orn Core)
31:18 Be Menaced by Orn (Stage 8 Boss)
33:06 Stage Clear
33:09 A War Without the End (Ending)
34:13 Present (Staff Roll)
37:22 Continue
37:45 Game Over
Composed by
Tomomi Otani
Naosuke Arai
Toshiharu Yamanishi

[@DUSTINODELLOFFICIAL]

www.patreon.com/dustinodellofficial

[@matthewfarrell3113]

Thanks for posting. Is there no stage 6 boss for this game? It's not in the track list above.

[@mykie242]

It's been 30 years and i still love every second of this soundtrack

[@epicon6]

Yeah but the 31st year ruined the whole soundtrack.

[@mykieGunderson]

@@epicon6 Nope. Impossible.

[@epicon6]

@@mykieGunderson Just kidding dude. Why would a year change it? :)

[@mykieGunderson]

@@epicon6 of course you were kidding! it's impossible for time to ruin this soundtrack!

[@kbxthegamemaster06]

@@mykieGunderson *U FELL FOR IT HAHA*

[@azureprince9807]

Thunder Force 3 will hold a special place in my heart, as it was the very first video game I ever got to properly play. I remember seeing for the first time my Dad plug in the Mega Drive and start playing the game; little me was blown away by a cool spaceship flying through forests, volcanoes and under the ocean shooting and destroying the evil aliens invaders. The graphics, sounds, music and setting captured my imagination and I just couldn't stop watching and listening After a while spectating, I was finally passed the controller. Though I kept dying every few mins, it was so much fun holding that pad and navigating that powerful star fighter from planet to planet, using it's powerful weaponry to take down the Orn Empire It was that excitement which made me fall in love with video games as a whole and sparked a burning passion which continues to this very day. By far, one of THE best soundtracks the Mega Drive had to offer. Godspeed Technosoft and Sega

[@lehiboo]

Thunder Force III Soundtrack > Thunder Force IV soundtrack. It's not just music ... it's ambiance, theme, incredible energy, perfect osmosis with each level ... the job of the musicians for this opus is simply PERFECT.

[@KajuTheRudeMonke]

Although I still think that Thunder Force IV's OST is great, the more I listen to Thunder Force III's OST, the more I like it and agree more with your statement.

[@alxxz]

Best OST and game on the Mega Drive hands down! I grew up as a kid playing and listening to this! Good and care-free easy going times!

[@michaelzoran]

In 1999 I beat Thunder Force 3 on my Sega Nomad WITHOUT DYING! ... That was impressive! :-)

[@tmurphy1821]

Someone that had a Genesis Nomad?!I thought that system died the same horrible fate that the TurboExpress (handheld TurboGrafx-16) did...

[@NoobestK]

Absolute legend ;)

[@KajuTheRudeMonke]

Sega Nomad? God daaaaaaaayum, how many batteries did it took?

[@michaelzoran]

@@KajuTheRudeMonke Beating Thunder Force 3 on the Sega Nomad without dying was done with the four AA batteries that were in the Nomad. I actually had a set of really powerful rechargeable batteries. I also just kept the AC adapter plugged into the wall a lot, too. Thunder Force 3 was not a particularly "long" game to beat. Thunder Force 3 simply required a lot of pattern recognition and knowing what to do in each spot.

[@KajuTheRudeMonke]

@@michaelzoran Oh yeah, if you don't die a lot then it's more or less an hour of gameplay. I was asking about batteries, because as far as I know, Nomad was a battery hog. Still, beating TFIII without dying is super impressive, well done! :)

[@BloodyParry]

Thunder Force III, Gaiares, Streets of Rage... unforgettable memories of these soundtracks. Reminds me of my 8 years old. God we were spoiled kids.

[@TheLegendofRenegade]

"Hunger Made Them Desperate" kicks ass

[@TheLegendofRenegade]

Almost as badass as your username :D

[@Georgi_Slavov]

Fasting reverses aging,so it should be "hunger made them younger".

[@FoxBoy1992]

Higher quality than most games despite being from 1990. It is really impressive.

[@StriderVM]

This is because the Genesis uses a Yamaha FM Chip. Which means it has a very solid sound, if you know how to use it. Sadly most developers in the Genesis just convert their music lazily.

[@StriderVM]

@ETM Nation - Best ETM Music In theory, sampling can reproduce any sound. However, ROM sizes makes it very unfeasible at the time, for example, the Seeggaaaaa! Soundclip in Sonic 1 I think is about 384 Kilobytes, which is one third of the cartridge cost! Thats why on Genesis, lazy programming is its weakness and for the SNES, it is sample quality.

[@porcorosso81]

@@StriderVM I think this is overgeneralizing a little bit too much. Both Mega Drive and SNES suffer a lot from "lazy sound programming", and can perform best when utilized cleverly. Btw, you sure it's 384 Kbytes? The clip is 2-3 second, meaning at that size, it would be ~100-150kHz sampling rate...... ;-) 10-20KB sounds more appropriate, given the quality.

[@StriderVM]

@@porcorosso81 I'm not that versed on sound systems. But doesn't overall space usage of a sound byte isn't just sound quality? Theres also bitrate right? I remember my info from a from a random factoid thing that the sega chant in Sonic 1 used about 1/8 of the romspace.

[@vudusid8717]

Somehow it's not the same without hearing the occasional, 'Lancer!'

[@jonnythecroww]

i still whistle these tunes to this day, best game music of all time??!!

[@OtakuNerd94]

yes

[@user-sd7nl4mn2z]

alxxpspqr, I love TF3's ost more than TF4's too! The heavy-metal like electronic music of TF4 doesn't seem right to me, while TF3's music is 100% electronic and feel pleasant for the ears.

[@Joryo1]

It’s up there.

[@erictecher6520]

To me It's the best. I never cared about who made video games'music/soundtracks until thunder force. And then I discovered sst band.

[@erictecher6520]

@@user-sd7nl4mn2z me too. I totally agree with you. Thunder Force 3 has the best soundtrack.

[@CoquillageCrustace]

ABSOLUTE ANTHOLOGY ! This OST is probably the best made on Megadrive/Genesis. I've always felt it more melodic and rhythmic than the TF4. It deserves a vinyl pressing as much as TF4. State of art for Technosoft Sound Team !

[@MacUser2-il2cx]

III and IV are the best

[@xneoken]

The music of TF3 made me want to complete the entire game. One of the best music ever made. TF4 music was forgettable in comparison. I never completed TF4 and never felt the same desire as TF3 made me feel.

[@CoquillageCrustace]

Still never completed TF4 as well but getting its OST gave me the desire to try it harder. But after that, I don't expect to get those moments where some melodies (from this unforgetable TF3) pop in my mind from nowhere :) @@xneoken

[@MarkWandRobBobPresent]

Since enemies consistently show up at certain moments in the game, I expect to hear their shooting sounds at those moments as I listen to this soundtrack - hah.

[@Kaputznefreble]

I can hear in my head "laser" on the fisrt stage arround 1:30

[@Juampi536]

Same..

[@cyco7229]

Technosoft were wizards of the Genesis/Megadrive sound chip, Elemental Master, Devil's Crash and of course Thunder Force III and IV are all god tier OSTs

[@CyberLabStudio]

If you liked Devil's Crash's soundtrack be sure to take in Devil's Crush's soundtrack for the PC Engine / TurboGrafx16 then come back and tell me what you think.

[@Nuzz604]

@@CyberLabStudio It's quite good

[@Trolazo12345]

@@CyberLabStudio PC Engine Fanboy Detected

[@CyberLabStudio]

@@Trolazo12345 I like all the classic video game systems. All have good, bad and indifferent games and music. It's all subjective. You on the other hand seem have too much time on your hands or seem to have a problem with someone who is a fan of videogame music, possibly introducing or inviting other fans of videogame music to experience another system which they may have never heard or experienced due to its obscurity in the West, just because it may not happen to be your favourite system.

[@KajuTheRudeMonke]

@@Trolazo12345 Shut up, cuck

[@iftekharahmed6799]

Sega just announced that they have complete ownership of all Technosoft intellectual properties!

[@moopbread5582]

Wait what? So Sega owns Technosoft now? ARE THEY PLANNING ANOTHER THUNDER FORCE GAME!?

[@iftekharahmed6799]

Moop Bread Sega doesn't own Technosoft because they're a defunct company. They own Technosoft's intellectual properties because Sega bought those franchises off Technosoft's parent company, Twenty One Company. As far as Technosoft Intellectual Properties go, they're now under the Sega copyright. Sega are looking to re-release all the Thunder Force games as well as Herzog Zwei.

[@moopbread5582]

Iftekhar Ahmed No way! That sounds amazing!!

[@iftekharahmed6799]

Moop Bread Yeah it sure is. Let's hope for new entries from these dormant Technosoft franchises!

[@daSEGAfanatic]

IN the form of re-releases of, say, Thunder Force titles on 3DS... in THREEEDEEEE!!!!! (I poke fun at the idea, but I'd actually buy one)

[@TheCodedtestament]

This music is awesome and also I remember the rolling flames from the lava planet,Those lava backgrounds are spectacular.

[@jamiewalton666]

RAQUAAHWA TheCodedtestament agree and it shit all over ThunderSpirits on the snes which was terrible

[@theycallmejojo6090]

Played it for the first time on the Sega Genesis mini and I was pleasantly surprised of how great it was, the soundtrack in particular is amazing. I love how they are able to pull off some kickass tracks with the wonky sega genesis sound chip.

[@Scaraboy13]

They call me Jojo oh just wait until you see TF4 you may as well just throw your soul out the window as the soundtrack is one of the best on the sega genesis in history.

[@LavaCreeperPeople]

19:14 THE BEST 24:28 almost made me cry tbh...

[@sherlockholms1018]

The level 6 music build up to climax like it s telling a story. What a fantastic score

[@LavaCreeperPeople]

@@sherlockholms1018 yeah!

[@lehiboo]

perfect choice. (even if "the best" for me is 24:28)

[@LavaCreeperPeople]

@@lehibooW

[@kreeepyk0]

This was a favorite from my childhood, honestly I wasn't very good at the game but I did Gorgon over and over for the music, when the tempo picks up about halfway through always would get me pumped up!

[@RECHOOSENONE]

elemetal master too

[@Baitullmaqdis]

I was the pilot in that craft for a full decade... with these OST blasting in the cockpit

[@stevefitz2522]

This game is why I wanted the Genesis mini, it's awesome!

[@fikriyudhapangestu8540]

hydra stage bgm is my most favourite soundtrack in this game, it kinda like throw me back to some legendary situation and touch my heart deeply

[@bign3ck]

5:08 best tune .

[@michaelzoran]

I agree. The lava stage had the best music! ... I particularly love it at about 6:44. :-)

[@whosaidthat84]

This is the tune I never forgot, even after nearly 30 years!!

[@mikegarland4500]

Pretty good, but I still like Grubby Blue better 9:11

[@CoquillageCrustace]

Awesome but I'm more into this one "Final Take a Chance" : 16:31 (kicks beat all track long, crazy melody especially the kinda electric guitar). It's also the music one of the best stages, multi scrolling even in diagonal, agressive background). The overture theme is also a piece of anthology, brings you straight in the mood of this unforgetable schmup OST, Rock'n Roll !

[@michaelzoran]

Thunder Force 3 had BY FAR the BEST music of ANY shooter in videogame history! ... Genesis had an excellent sound processor.

[@darinherrick9224]

This game is the reason why I scratch my head when people say the SNES had a "superior" sound chip. Say whaaaa????

[@RetroMMA]

Speaking only to the Genesis/MD - Gaiares and Wings of Wor (Gynoug) were also quite excellent! I'd even throw a nod to Whip Rush 2222 AD, Fireshark and... you know what? They're plenty of great tracks and now I'm becoming encumbered with detail when the simple truth is that the chip was only and truly limited by the composers themselves. IMO the SNES had a cleaner sound but the Genesis was a form of raw focus...

[@SpiralPegasus]

Man... This very game's _immediate sequel_ had a soundtrack leaps and bounds superior in both composition _and_ instrumentation! And it's for the same system, too!

[@CyberLabStudio]

It's great but are you mad? Have you ever heard Lords of Thunder or Gate of Thunder for PC Engine / TurboGrafx16? Blazing Lazers, Super Star Soldier & Soldier Blade and Final Soldier are also up there with the best in my opinion. Some of the instruments in this even sound similar to the synthesis in some of those PC Engine / TurboGrafx16 games, for example the bass guitars and other instruments too. UN Squadron - a first gen SNES game also had a beautiful soundtrack, then there's Darius Twin. Go listen to them all then come back and tell me what you think.

[@michaelzoran]

@@darinherrick9224 Exactly. The indisputable quantitative fact that cannot be denied is the numbers. The Genesis sound processor could output 10 channels of sound simultaneously, while the SNES sound processor could output only 8 channels of sound simultaneously.

[@MVA74]

Absolute masterwork for graphics. music and gameplay

[@thelove9761]

19:14 온 제국군하고 본격적으로 맞붙기 시작하는 이 배경음을 들으면 아직도 가슴이 뛰네요.

[@KingOfGamesss]

English Translation: "My heart still races when I hear the background sound of the full-fledged battle against the entire imperial army."

[@DiffuseMoose]

I'm surprised more people don't mention how AMAZING 13:12 (Truth) is. It has such a great beat and gets me pumped. One of my fav stages in the game thanks to the music! Thank you for the upload.

[@alanlinnell6817]

Same here, what a game.

[@MegaTouhoufan]

Holy cow i love this game, that OST remind me my childhood.

[@GamestEra]

same here

[@KaneRobot]

The TF3 title screen, along with running/cartwheeling down the hill in level 2 in Strider (with the multi-layered backgrounds) made me realize on Christmas Day 1990 that I was not using an NES-era machine anymore.

[@HabAnagarek]

Love the bass and stereo separation.

[@zueldebizzjaafar7573]

24:28 still melts till these days.Infact all the songs are good.Bought sega longtime ago, back in 1990 :')

[@matiasgabrielmesa1508]

Thunder forcé 3 y Thunder forcé 4 los mejores shoot' em up de la historia

[@HabAnagarek]

One of my favorites. Stage 1, Hades, Stage 5, end themes... I'm a fan of the Thunder Force II music as well.

[@TheRestartPoint]

Brilliant! When I got my Mega Drive for Christmas in 1990 I got this game, Shadow Dancer and Ghouls n Ghosts with it. Back then I used to just leave the sound tests playing, and they are still three of my fave game soundtracks to this day.

[@hantedngui7034]

Everytime when you're down, listen to the musics and will definitely regain back your confident.

[@gi_nattak]

I absolutely love that Staff Roll song.

[@user-fo5pn8jr6n]

心が溢れだ巣BGMを決して忘れません。

[@chrismooney71]

lovely music, especially the ending. I remember it very fondly :-)

[@osama81m77]

I'm crying now

[@Affan.1]

This is the game I keep coming back to. The soundtrack is awesome!

[@soundparcel6429]

I remember being 10 years old and a friend rented this for a sleepover at his house. Needless to say we did not sleep that night. Instead we stayed up taking turns slowly figuring out the levels and eventually beating them (at least the starting stages). Such a time to be alive. As a kid, this game captured my imagination and I still remember hearing the soundtrack for the first time, seeing the giant bosses made up of dozens of sprites. It really was cutting edge - stuff you'd never seen before. Just the fact you could change your weapons and ship speed at will was unheard of. Every level was so expertly designed that I'm not sure I've seen such originality yet in the 30+ years since. I mean, going down a dead end in Haides and having to reverse out? Genius! Playing through it all as a kid was pure magic. Even today the graphics still hold up, especially if you pass them through a good CRT filter like CRT-Royale. If only Technosoft was still making games, they'd be right up there with the likes of From Software in quality and respect amongst gamers.

[@carlinvoker4709]

omg this music is dope !!! it carries me back in time 25 years ago.

[@mister_bailey]

The whole soundtrack is one of my favorite video game soundtracks of all time, but that Stage 7 Boss music?!?!? EXTRA 🔥🔥🔥

[@8888ate]

Best 16 bit shmup!

[@MrDerOutsider]

thanks i love this ost. first time i hear it on real hardware very nice :)

[@theatomikpunk564]

Hell yes, oh HELL YESS! Much appreciated Dustin, as always.

[@tvaracuai]

9:10 best music

[@HayTatsuko]

I make a point of starting off every game in Seiren just because I love its music so much.

[@MuJoNeSs]

INDEED! Omg so great, so nostalgic! =D

[@HayTatsuko]

+Jason McAllister That one is also good!

[@michaelzoran]

9:10 is definitely some awesome music! ... That was the water stage. ... However, that is my second favorite stage. My first favorite stage was the music that starts at 5:07 on the lava stage. I really start to love it at 6:44.

[@opa-age]

Nah that would be 13:11 :)

[@gc3k]

The old Tecnosoft sound engine was great. Thunder Force 2, 3, Herzog Zwei. TF4 is a classic ost but it sounds different

[@djcalle1975]

Thanks for uploading this, such a great recording! truly impressed with the mega amp! Sounds pristine!

[@mikegarland4500]

Excellent quality! One of the best soundtracks ever.

[@acuriouslistener]

Thanks for this content. IMO is one of the best soundtracks for Genesis games, it makes full use of Genesis sound library, also very inspired and adequate for each stage mood. Grubby Dark Blue and The Wind are my favorites.

[@chrismooney71]

Great work Dustin in recording this beautiful music and uploading it for the whole world to enjoy. This was my favourite shooter of all time, a pure masterpiece. Thanks again.

[@olifromsolly6007]

05:08 Epic track!

[@hokutoryukenshiro]

Merci pour la compilation musicale de ce jeu d'anthologie !

[@lifeclip9878]

Wen to cousin when I was young teenager and he had this on Megadrive it still stays with me

[@pty507droneadventure7]

One of the best shooters ever......period!!!!!!

[@LysThePenguin]

The Best Mega Drive Soundtrack ever! Love this so much. Thanks.

[@user-fo5pn8jr6n]

そろそろデジタルテレビアニメになってきますよ。

[@CoquillageCrustace]

Totally agree, it's better than the 4th episode of the saga !

[@LysThePenguin]

@@CoquillageCrustace Absolutly ^^

[@siamesesofficialchannel8718]

Fantastic game and music.

[@stuartchapman7934]

A Masterpiece BGM of Video Game Music from a Golden Era . . . where Tec(h)no Soft Ruled Supreme! Every so often I Force😉 myself to listen intently to Stage 8 'Metal Squad' for an instant, all powerful reminder of what Pure Brilliance sounds like!!! 😃👊💯💯

[@paulh1355]

That Haides music will forever stick with me. Loved that level and boss and ofcourse game.

[@HorologicRannygazoo]

I remember the music to this being so awesome that I played the entire game more to hear the music than for the game itself. The sound effects for everything on it were also great. I actually still have a cassette from 1991 or so where I recorded all of the music and sound effects for this game when I first rented it.

[@julianorocha7785]

Um dos melhores na época !!!

[@Sonatarium]

Damn I just love that riff! 00:17

[@dlfrsilver]

This game was developped by Tecnosoft on Sharp X68000 for the Megadrive/Genesis.

[@Tpcool]

I was interested in Thunder Force III's soundtrack after loving IV's so much. This doesn't quite measure up, but it's not bad by any means. Solid overall. That Stage 4 boss theme is pretty badass.

[@namelessjedi2242]

I actually like this one more. IVs style was just not quite right, though it is good.

[@buildbros871]

There is no bad track in this game ❤

[@n333k333]

most metal soundtrack ever. been praying for a full metal arrange for years. sadly not a remixers' favorite ...

[@ericjohnson6634]

You've heard the metal boss medley here on KZbin already, I assume?

[@eduardoodraude7906]

Muito obrigado pelo video...eu adoro o soundtrack deste game...me traz ótimas memórias👍😀

[@crisluis2159]

i came here for planet gorgon theme

[@death_the_d0g]

The Genesis was my first gaming console ever and it came with a TFIII cartridge included with it. Gargoyle's boss theme will be forever engraved in my heart and mind.

[@michaelplatt1959]

You can hear how they were going for a heavy metal sound on so many Technosoft games. Take the “lead guitar” of Venus Fire for example. And it works brilliantly.

[@para5063]

brings back so many memories

[@martincolombo3986]

How is it even legal to make a soundtrack so good for a 16 -bit console?

[@LavaCreeperPeople]

FR. 19:14 is the most depressing, epic and emotional at the same time music ive ever heard come out of any video game. more emotional than galeems boss fight theme from smash ultimate, and that theme is AWESOME. It's that good!

[@tisatisu5752]

It was my first sega games.. the song is amazing...

[@adamschmidt5959]

Not sure which one is better the great game play or the incredible music, both are just awesome!!

[@d3ltaking419]

I remember beating this game. These where the days of when games where about fun and challenging now there just more about the visuals

[@tanishshrivastava2442]

Thunder Force III, and Gradius III, both have such a memorable soundtrack.

[@erictecher6520]

I whistle and hum them too! It's been a great part of my adolescence. Back in the days.

[@Megadriveanos]

The Grubby Dark Blue & Kings Figh!

[@irfanafendi4837]

It's King Fish, man! Not Kings Figh!

[@nicolaspopo7815]

Stage 3

[@sangksatria3167]

I love it very much, thank's

[@johnbolls9606]

trop bon souvenirs... surtout la musique de fin apres des heures a essaier de finir ce jeu assez difficile...

[@leviakrmen559]

wow awesome Songs

[@kylekedzuch6249]

Even the stage select theme is cool.

[@off9443jp]

16:31　I Like it

[@ChoobChoob]

THAT SLAP BASS ON BEYOND THE PEACE; AND IT'S ONLY STAGE SELECT.

[@IMNODOCTOR]

This game's music was etched into my mind for three straight years... playing daily in my head every five in the afternoon for about 40 minutes. Weird brain huh?

[@vice86]

Cripes all the memories rushing back hearing these tunes I loved. Used to record them to cassette and listen them while not playing. Cray how far tech has come. Now you can play everything emulated and just rip the music.

[@MuJoNeSs]

Nostalgic goosebumps!! 🤩❤‍🔥

[@cheejun7719]

one of my fav

[@tutuque1]

indémodable

[@user-jp5lb1kq3x]

Good music, good game and good memory

[@darinherrick9224]

The music...my God the music!!!!

[@desteromyxin7708]

Best game and best soundtrack ever...

[@FatFilipinoUK]

I love how the OST for Thunder Force III and IV are available on KZbin in all their unemulated glory, but why no love for Thunder Force II? That game has music equally good as III and IV! Knights of Legend, Ray of Hope, Cloud of Dust, Big na Okata 3, Dark Side Requiem, all excellent tunes! Big na Okata 3, in particular, is one of the most creative and best short, looping tunes ever committed to 16-bit, in my opinion.

[@LavaCreeperPeople]

agree II is great, III is god tier, IV is one of the most legendary game music ever made, there is better ost but thunderforce music is amazing

[@Sinasi08]

9min12 Stage 3 : absolutely fantastic !!!

[@brbZoning]

Damn this takes me back 9:07 that's my song!

[@matrixleader]

same here. i love the bgm on the seiren stage.

[@andrebahia8832]

16:32 marcou muito!

[@cooljazz72]

best of best!

[@Locomamonk]

YEEEEAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH (em... I love this soundtrack)

[@Azel954]

Staff Roll song is incredible