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R-Type (1987)

Irem

Amiga · Arcade · Atari ST/STE · Commodore C64/128/MAX · MSX · PC-8800 Series · Sharp X68000

3.46 from 123 ratings

306 members have it in their collection · 8 playing now · 61 backlogged · 31 wish listed

How long? · with extras 1h (from 1 logged playthrough)

R-Type is set in the 22nd century, and the player flies a futuristic fighter craft called the R-9a "Arrowhead", named for its shape, and because it is the ninth model in the 'R' series of fighter craft (but it is the first of the series to actually be used in combat; the previous models were all prototypes). The mission is … Read more
R-Type is set in the 22nd century, and the player flies a futuristic fighter craft called the R-9a "Arrowhead", named for its shape, and because it is the ninth model in the 'R' series of fighter craft (but it is the first of the series to actually be used in combat; the previous models were all prototypes). The mission is to 'blast off and strike the evil Bydo Empire'. The R- in the series title originally stood for "ray", as in a ray of light. It was a reference to the many different types of ray-like weapons in the first R-Type. his was later retconned in R-Type Final to refer specifically to the production code as well as a term of endearment for the player fighter craft, the "Round Canopy". The original R-Type was well received by most gaming critics. However, it was also infamous for its relentless difficulty. It earned 7th place in IGN's Top 10 most difficult games to beat. The gameplay of R-Type is noticeably distinct among shoot 'em ups. Invariably the player will lose, not because of an inequality in firepower, but because of the design of the levels themselves. There is usually a 'correct' way to get through a level, but players must learn these by experience - i.e. by losing and restarting from earlier in the level. The game innovated with its weapon system compared to contemporary shooters, featuring a chargeable shot (beam-meter), and detachable 'force' pod; levels were designed to require different tactics and ideal weapons (air-air, diagonal, or air-ground laser). Read less
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Details

Developers
Irem
Publishers
Electric Dreams Software, Irem
Genres
Arcade, Shooter
Themes
Action, Science fiction
Franchises
R-Type
Series
R-Type

Release dates

  • Jul 01, 1987 (Japan) Arcade
  • Oct 1988 (Japan) PC-8800 Series
  • 1988 (North_America) Atari ST/STE, Commodore C64/128/MAX
  • 1988 (Japan) MSX
  • Jun 09, 1989 (Japan) Sharp X68000
  • 1989 (North_America) Amiga

Also available on

Related

Bundled in

Remakes

  • R-Type (Feb 2009) · PS3, X360
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Featured in lists

BMO's memorable games: childhood by BMO · 43 games · 1

Rating distribution

5 stars
22
4 stars
30
3 stars
52
2 stars
18
1 star
0
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Community All Reviews Statuses

GigaDeathNullGolem

Review GigaDeathNullGolem 3/5 · Aug 9, 2023

Was Ok. like some stuff dislike other stuff

R-type. I've played it before I think (Super R-type) Though I'munsure i've completed a game before. enter image description here Regardless of how much you enjoy this game or not, the stage 1 boss truly feels like an iconic part of SHMUP history when you see it

R-type is similiar in some ways to gradus the upgrade system particulary. One notable diffrence however, is …

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R-type. I've played it before I think (Super R-type) Though I'munsure i've completed a game before. enter image description here Regardless of how much you enjoy this game or not, the stage 1 boss truly feels like an iconic part of SHMUP history when you see it

R-type is similiar in some ways to gradus the upgrade system particulary. One notable diffrence however, is the ability to 'launch' one of your upgraded options as a misile weapon. This is an interesting, and different way to attack enemies. However, this option also acts as a shield (quite nice), so there is a bit of a risk-reward gambit. enter image description here The boss fight visuals and concepts are pretty cool. I love this one. What a fantastic Gigerian fantasy

Other than that, the game offers very little we haven't seen before. I do like the weapon systems. The missiles work well, and the bounce lasers function nicely. The ability to charge up your main attack for a big blast, also adds another method to deliver damage upon your foes. A versatile shooter that isnt overly hard. that is kind of nice.

The downsides are, this game requires you to loop your run under certain conditions to make progress and actually complete the game. I'm not a fan of repetitive bosses OR levels. Why not just let us play the game?

I had the impression that this game is a legend for it's bio-freaky looking bosses. But they are actually somewhat run-of-the-milll. Maybe the ante went up over the years, but I saw noting eye-gushingly radical, thought it is still completely functional and respectable.

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