is a

vertically scrolling shooter A vertically scrolling video game or vertical scroller is a video game in which the player views the field of play principally from a top-down perspective, while the background scrolls from the top of the screen to the bottom (or, less often, from ...

maze game A maze is a path or collection of paths, typically from an entrance to a goal. The word is used to refer both to branching tour puzzles through which the solver must find a route, and to simpler non-branching ("unicursal") patterns that le ...

released by Sega as an arcade game in April

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major off ...

. The player controls a

jeep Jeep is an American automobile marque, now owned by multi-national corporation Stellantis. Jeep has been part of Chrysler since 1987, when Chrysler acquired the Jeep brand, along with remaining assets, from its previous owner American Motors ...

and has to destroy enemy refineries. There are four stages with different gameplay. The first stage plays like a

. In the second stage, the player maneuvers his Jeep through underbrush, and enemies can only follow on its path, a concept later found in

Namco was a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company, headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo. It held several international branches, including Namco America in Santa Clara, California, Namco Europe in London, Na ...

's ''

Dig Dug is a maze arcade game developed by Namco in 1981 and released in 1982, distributed in North America by Atari, Inc. The player controls Dig Dug to defeat all enemies per stage, by either inflating them to bursting or crushing them underneath rock ...

'' (1982). ''Borderline'' was reissued later in the year with slightly altered graphics as ''Star Raker''. ''Borderline'' was later a launch game for the

SG-1000 The is a home video game console manufactured by Sega. It was Sega's first entry into the home video game hardware business. Developed in response to a downturn in arcades starting in 1982, the SG-1000 was created on the advice of Hayao Nak ...

in 1983. It was also converted for the

Atari 2600 The Atari 2600, initially branded as the Atari Video Computer System (Atari VCS) from its release until November 1982, is a home video game console developed and produced by Atari, Inc. Released in September 1977, it popularized microprocess ...

under the name ''Thunderground'', released by Sega's home division; it was one of the last games Sega released as a

third-party developer A video game developer is a broad term for a software developer specializing in video game development – the process and related disciplines of creating video games. A game developer can range from one person who undertakes all tasks to a large ...

for Atari. The SG-1000 and Atari 2600 ports received positive reviews from critics.

Reception

E.C. Meade and Jim Clark of '' Videogaming Illustrated'' magazine reviewed the Atari 2600 version ''Thunderground'' in 1983. Despite the original ''Borderline'' predating ''Dig Dug'' and '' Mr. Do!'' (1982), the reviewers were under the impression that ''Thunderground'' was a "semi-clone" of ''Dig Dug'' and ''Mr. Do!'' Despite this, they gave it positive reviews. Meade gave it an A rating; she said "there ''are'' superficial similarities to ''Dig Dug'' and ''Mr. Do''" but ''Thunderground'' "is a semi-clone with ''muscle''!" She called it "a real challenge" to play, stating "What a game!" Clark gave it a B rating, calling it "a thrilling game" and very "good stuff" but said "the sense of deja-vu detracted from its appeal" while also commenting on its "violence" though he didn't "think anyone will be too bothered." French magazine ''

Tilt Tilt may refer to: Music * Tilt (American band), a punk rock group, formed in 1992 * Tilt (British band), an electronic music group, formed in 1993 * Tilt (Polish band), a rock band, formed in 1979 Albums * ''Tilt'' (Cozy Powell album), 1981 ...

'' reviewed the SG-1000 version of ''Borderline'' in 1984. They gave the game an overall rating of 5 out of 6 stars, while giving 5 stars for the graphics and 4 stars for the sound. In a retrospective review of the SG-1000 version in 2014, ''Sega Does'' gave it a generally favorable review with a B− rating.

References

External links

''Thunderground''
at Atari Mania 1981 video games Arcade video games Gremlin Industries games Sega arcade games SG-1000 games Shoot 'em ups Video games developed in Japan {{Sega-stub