Play Rolling Thunder Online

Rolling Thunder came out on the NES in 1986, a Namco game that was part of that wave of arcade ports trying to find a home on the console. It was a side-scrolling action game that felt a bit more serious than some of the brighter, cartoonish titles of the time, with its shadowy enemy organization and spy thriller setup.

You control a secret agent named Albatross, moving through a multi-level enemy hideout screen by screen. Your main goal is to rescue a captured female agent, fighting through waves of masked henchmen. The signature mechanics involve using cover; you can duck into doorways to avoid fire and pop out to shoot. You also collect different weapon power-ups, like a machine gun, to help clear rooms. The pacing is relentless, and the difficulty is punishing, with enemies respawning quickly and bullets coming from all directions. It feels tense and methodical, demanding careful timing over reckless speed.