Thunder Wolves

AT A GLANCE

(Full review follows below)

• Game Name: Thunder Wolves
• Original Release: 2013
• Genre Tags: Arcade; Casual; Action; Mindless Fun; Local-Coop
• My Overall Grade: B+
• Estimated Playtime (Campaign): 4-12 hours
• Multiplayer Aspect: Optional (Local)
• Recommended To: Established fans of the genre; Those intrigued by the genre; Casual gamers; Arcade gamers

REVIEW

Thunder Wolves provides simplistic and explosive action in a familiar arcade style that will have you piloting combat-equipped helicopters across sandbox maps with the objective of blowing up whatever gets in your way. As an arcade game, the focus is on the action; and so: the controls are simple, the storyline elements are minimal, and the overall depth of the game falls somewhere between “puddle” and “kiddie-pool.” But it’s all good. Because it’s fun as hell. Anyone who is looking for some wild, mindless action should give Thunder Wolves strong consideration.

It is of medium length and is pretty easy (even on the high difficulties). It is one of those games where you are basically a god among men and your biggest challenge is the scoreboard. The controls may take a few levels to get used to, as the helicopters have three axes of motion; and so your standard ‘W-A-S-D’ will need two more helpers. I preferred using a controller. As for the graphics and animations: they are decent. Nothing special or jaw dropping, but they do a fine job of displaying destruction as you mow down everything in your path. It all comes together to offer an enjoyable experience that holds true to the genre and feels reminiscent of classic arcade quarter-eaters.

I know many PC gamers don’t usually care for it, but this game also makes for some wildly fun local-coop. In fact, I only played solo for a small fraction of my total playtime to mop-up achievements. I initially played through the game’s entirety with a friend, sitting next to each other on a couch, using controllers and the big screen, like it used to be in the old days. And it was fun as hell. The mindlessness and simplicity of the game is perfect for supplemental entertainment when you’re kicking-it with a buddy. And with PC gaming becoming more accessible from the living room, Thunder Wolves is a good game to keep in mind for such occasions.

And so, there isn’t anything extraordinary or incredible about it, but I feel this game accomplished its mission of providing what it was intended to provide. So if you’re a fan of blowing stuff up, and enjoy the simplistic action of arcade genre, then you should give Thunder Wolves a shot.

Follow my curation page to see more of my recommendations!

For the record this is the essence of Mercenaries 2: world in flames with choppers. It really all comes down to how much you love blowing stuff up. I highly recommend this game to any fan of demolitions and explosions but urge those who want some deep moving story line or a helicopter sim to go look up some of the realistic helicopter sims on steam. This is about mayhem.

Sometimes games don't need to challenge ideals, sometimes games don't need to be cerebral and introspective.
Sometimes, you want to blow ♥♥♥♥ up, you want music that lets you know you're blowing ♥♥♥♥ up, you want battle chatter that celebrates blowing ♥♥♥♥ up, and you want to feel like you're blowing ♥♥♥♥ up.

With a well executed PC port and slick keyboard/mouse support Thunder Wolves is exactly that. Feeling like an entry in SEGA's series of arcade shooters, Thunder Wolves is dedicated to doing one thing well: offering you missions in which your goal is to blow ♥♥♥♥ up.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ glorious.