Thunder Tier One – Review

Our Score: 8/10

Thunder Tier One by Krafton is a realistic top-down shooter where you join an elite special operations team. Tasked with stopping a dangerous terrorist organization wreaking havoc across the fictional Eastern European country of Salobia.

What is Thunder Tier One?

Set in the 90’s, sometime after the fall of the USSR, Thunder Tier One is a realistic top-down shooter where you join an elite special operations team tasked with stopping a terrorist organization. In 4-player co-op or solo with AI teammates, players must carefully select their gear and utilize all their tactical skills to complete each operation successfully.

SBR, a paramilitary-turned-terrorist organisation, has carried out a series of attacks on civilian targets in Salobia, an Eastern European country. Thunder has been dispatched to track down SBR leader Marko Antonov and put an end to his terror campaign.

Campaign

The 9-mission campaign is designed to be played in 4-player co-op and takes you through various scenarios where teamwork and communication are critical to completing each operation successfully.

In solo mode, you will be joined by three AI teammates who will respond intelligently to each situation. And you can also take command and issue a variety of individual and group commands to ensure they are carrying out your plan. It is entirely up to you how much you manage them.

Gameplay

The squad management is fairly intuitive, your squad is occasionally prone to walking directly into an enemy’s line of sight. That can be aggravating, but there is also the option to play co-op with other players.

Campaign wise, coordinating strategies with your teammates is a lot of fun, but Thunder Tier One also has co-op skirmishes with Domination. In this mode, players compete against the AI to secure checkpoints and disarm explosives.

Finally, there’s PvP combat in Deathmatch, Advance, and Secure (holding control points), with post-launch mod support via Steam Workshop. Thunder Tier One is a comprehensive tactical combat package that will likely grow if it finds a strong community.

Look and Feel

Thunder Tier One is a great-looking Top-Down title. The gloomy aesthetic and feel of the 90s are very strong. The soviet vibe is authentic and done well. Additionally, the game has different weather types. These weather types help make each area feel unique. And, these weather effects might even affect your mission.

The audio of the game is quite good with a lot of dynamic feel to it. Weapons and explosions sound boomy and have the right amount of oomph to them. It’s immersive and does a great job to keep you invested in the world and the combat scenario. When things get intense, the audio really does shine and can help quite a bit.

Final Verdict

Thunder Tier One is a fantastic top-down shooter that will scratch a very specific itch. The game developers have a lot of love and care for their game which is quite evident. Combat also feels fun and intuitive which makes playing this game incredibly fun.

Thunder Tier One by KRAFTON is now available on Microsoft Windows on Steam.