R-Type

R-Type (アール・タイプ, Āru Taipu) is a side scrolling shoot-em-up arcade game produced by Irem in 1987. The player controls a space fighter named the R-9 to defend humanity against a mysterious powerful alien life-form known as the "Bydo".

Gameplay

The game is made up of several sequential levels, with a boss enemy at the end of each. The player controls a small spacecraft and must navigate terrain and fight enemies using the various ship weapons.

The player's spacecraft has, by default, a weak but rapid-firing main gun, which can take out waves of weak fighters; and a more powerful gun called a wave cannon, which requires the player to hold their fire to build up power for the cannon. When released, this fires a concentrated bolt of energy which can do more damage to larger enemies.

During the game, the player can obtain an auxiliary device called a Force. This resembles a glowing orange ball. The Force can be attached to the front or back of the player's spacecraft, or detached to fly freely. When attached, the Force provides one of three different powerful weapons, in addition to the main gun and the wave cannon. When detached, these weapons cannot be used, but the Force will instead resort to a secondary set of guns, which can be fired by the player even if the Force is at a distance from the spacecraft.

R-Type Delta

R-Type Delta (アール・タイプ デルタ, Āru Taipu Deruta) is a horizontally scrolling shooter video game. Released only on the PlayStation, this is the fourth game in the R-Type series (hence Delta, the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet), and also the first game offering different fighters, with different Force and Wave Cannon combinations for the player to choose from. Set in 2164, Delta is also the first game in the R-Type series rendered in full 3D graphics.

The game introduced the Dose System, which allows Forces to absorb energy through collisions with projectiles or enemies. Every Force has a Dose Gauge, and when the Dosage becomes 100%, the player can use the fighter's Delta Attack, a superweapon attack whose form depends on the fighter being used.

New fighters

R-Type Final

R-Type Final (アールタイプファイナル, Āru Taipu Fainaru) is a horizontally scrolling shooter video game by Irem for the PlayStation 2 video game console originally planned as the last game in the series; however, R-Type Tactics was released for the PlayStation Portable in 2007.

Story

Final takes place after several long wars against the Bydo, the main antagonist in the R-Type series. The player's first mission is to investigate a mysterious enemy inside a crashed space colony, the remnants of a large battle codenamed Operation Last Dance, a previous attempt to wipe out the Bydo once and for all. This investigative theme is incorporated throughout the game as each level is considered 'research' on the Bydo and unlocks a gallery of in-universe artwork and additional playable ships. Levels are prefaced with hints of the R-Type universe in the form of poetry.

Gameplay

Final provides 101 playable ships, including altered versions of ships appearing in previous R-Type games, together with many original ones. They are unlocked through a branching system accessed via the R Museum, which was originally featured in R-Types. The PlayStation 2's internal clock is incorporated into each ship's development history (shown through a commemorative plaque) when certain in-game tasks are completed. For example, ships unlocked in 2008 will be seen in the game as having been rolled out in 2168.