Lords of Thunder is one of the most perfect video games ever, right up there with the best of them.
I see so many peeps label it as an "easy" shooter, but it seems they equate easy to "can be beaten without becoming OCD with the game". I find that the game requires some dedication in order to crack, in order to learn patterns of tricky sections and develop strategies to get around them, and most importantly, how to utilize your money the best. But it doesn't require a PHD in LOT to beat.
Now, to the folks who are saying the game is hard, I'll outline my basic strategy of armor, level and money usage to start out:
-Always start in the default desert Dezant level. Pick Earth Armor. Spend 200C on Level 2 Life Orb, 100C on an extra bomb. This level is easy, so memorize it well and make sure you come out of it maxed out, or as close to max life/power as possible, so you don't have to break the bank for the next level. Stay on the top of the level until you shoot fireballs diagonally up and be patient with the boss, moving up and down to dodge the energy balls and flame.Until I got better and could do the levels in any order, I would just start over if I didn't have everything maxed upon finishing this level, but its not absolutely necessary, as you should come out of it with at least 2,000C.
***After Dezant, make sure you ALWAYS spend money to max out life and get level 2 shield. All my strategies revolve around this simple pattern***
-Now pick Cielom. I always choose Water armor for this level, as when its on level 3 power, it shoots backwards, which helps tremendously in the first 2/3 of the level. The important thing with this armor is to be in the green range power level, so if you didn't come out in this range in hte previous level, spend your money to do so. MAke sure to max out your life (be wise with money, count the bars to get to max, as its usually unnecessary to spend 500C on Max Life Orb...), max out your bombs and buy the Level 2 Shield. This is one of the hardest levels, but dont spend your money on continues just yet, so if you die, start over.
-If you come out well (meaning, level 3 power and close to max life) in Cielom, pick Helado and Water Armor. Otherwise, choose Auzal and Earth Armor. Auzal is easy (except the boss can be a bitch sometimes), so you'll only have to spend money on maxing out your life and getting level 2 shield, since earth armor at level 1 will suffice.
-The rest of the levels are Water Armor and all maxs. I usually leave Llamarada last, as the boss can be unpredictable, so you might need to use a continue here...
-For the last level, pick Earth Armor, max Life+Shield and get the Elixir.
-Next, try the game in Hard. The boss patterns are much trickier and it feels almost like a new game!!
I love this game, it is the reason I got into the Turbo/PCE!
