r-Type

R-Type feels ubiquitous. As if it just always existed in the shmup consciousness. As if it wasn't created by Irem, but rather just summoned itself into history. Maybe that's partly because it feels so timeless. Obviously it wasn't developed within a vacuum. But itt was created a mere two years after Konami changed the shmup landscape with Gradius, and yet absolutely demolishes that game in mechanics and visual design. At least that's the way that I see it. But let me rewind.

I have to think I was aware of R-Type pretty early on. I don't think I ever encountered it in an arcade. But I recognized Dobkeratops, the first level boss who has acted as a sort of poster-alien for the series ever since. This thing is the stuff of nightmares, and as such was probably often reprinted in magazines back in the day as an easy image to help sell the game. While the game wasn't ported to the console with the largest install base (NES) back in the day, it did hit both the Sega Master System and the Turbografx-16. I owned both of them, but again I don't think I played the game there. Indeed my earliest memory of actually playing R-Type would have been on Game Boy.

Now as you might imagine, the Game Boy port isn't the most ideal way to play this one. But I did eventually replace it with R-Type DX, which is one of those black cartridge Game Boy Color games that had full backwards compatibility. This version included both R-Type and its sequel. And this is an impressive port for sure. Later I also upgraded to the Playstation release, R-Types, which was also a compilation of the first two games. And now today, I'm actually playing R-Type Dimensions DX on PS3, which is an expanded version of both games.

R-Type Dimensions EX is a lovely way to play this game, by the way. This collection was released in 2009 and has plenty of bells and whistles. There's various display options. There's both the original 2D art along with a new 3D appearance that actually looks good unlike many similar HD remakes. The visuals can be swapped on the fly with a single button press in-game, which is always welcome. There's soundtrack options of both the original arcade game and new remixes. And maybe most welcome, there's a new unlimited lives mode that lets you continue where you die rather than start over. Don't worry, the arcade original is still present, but this easy mode is really nice for gamers like me who still suck at R-Type decades later.

So what is R-Type then? Well it's a horizontal shmup, clearly inspired by Gradius. But it does many things better than Gradius. The power-up system isn't as annoying. The speed of the game feels way more natural. But most important is the orb, a sort of option that flies around your ship and can be sent out and recalled to the front or back of your ship with the tap of a button. This thing is indestructible and can be used offensively to double your shots or ram things, or defensively as a shield. The orb really makes R-Type stand out in an era of Gradius and Gradius clones.

Also, R-Type is absolutely insanely hard. I've been playing this game for many years and I'm still terrible. I've probably played the opening level hundreds of times in my life, but it still took me three credits this time. The second level was maybe six lives. After that it's a blur, but most levels took me twenty or more lives. When all was said and done and I was finished credit-feeding I had blown through a whopping 131 lives. Wow.

Now part of this is that my reflexes are poor and I've never really memorized the level layouts. Part is that I've still not fully grasped the hitboxes. But the bigger part is that the game is just flat-out brutal. Enemies swarm in large numbers and at insane speeds and just never let up. Bosses have small hitboxes sometimes positioned in hard to reach places. I'd be tempted to bitterly write R-Type off as a cynical quarter-muncher if it wasn't so cool to look at and fun to play. Even when I'm dying, I'm pretty impressed by this game.

And I suppose that defines a good game. It doesn't always have to be perfect or fair or even fun to play. Sometimes a game can be flawed, unfair and straight up aggressive toward the player and still come off as pretty awesome and iconic. And perhaps that's R-Type in a nutshell.

That said, R-Type's legacy has limped along for decades, even the series wasn't always a cash cow. The SNES, Playstation and PS2 all received new entries, and most recently we saw a revival with R-Type Final 2 on PS4. The series also saw some semi-spinoffs with XMultiply and Armed Police Unit Gallop, and even a tactical game on PSP called R-Type Command. But perhaps R-Type's greatest legacy is the blatant clones. The Neo Geo had Pulstar and Blazing Star for instance, and while you could just as easily say that these were Gradius clones, I don't know. Something about the look and feel of them feel way closer to more developed visuals and mechanics of R-Type.