R-Type II

Nintendo console exclusive

The game is the sequel to R-Type, which was first released as an arcade game in 1987 and profoundly influenced later shooting games with its charge shots, unique weaponry, and grotesque enemies. Hudson Soft ported the later 4 levels of the original R-Type to the PC Engine with the title R-Type II, but the Hudson release is unrelated to the game described in this article.

Released: 31 December 1989
Platforms: Amiga Arcade Atari ST/STE Game Boy
Genres: Shooter Arcade
Developers: Irem
Publishers: Irem Activision
Modes: Single-player
Perspective: Side view
Themes: Action Science fiction

About

R-Type II is a 1989 horizontally scrolling shooter video game developed and published by Irem for arcades. It is the sequel to 1987's R-Type, and the second game in the R-Type series.

Keywords

shoot 'em up
side-scrolling
virtual console
upgradeable vehicles

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

The player controls a ship called the R-9C, which is an improved version of its predecessor game's ship, the R-9. The ship's design was changed slightly, and the Wave Cannon is given a new charge level. Two new types of weapons (the Search Laser and Shotgun Laser) were added, bringing the total number of weapon types up to five. A new anti-ground unit bomb was added to the missile inventory.

Though the number of levels was decreased from the previous game, the number of enemies, their durability, and the number of bullets they shoot were greatly increased. Enemy movements and terrain were also made trickier, bringing the game's difficulty up considerably. The same revival system is used as in R-Type, where the player is brought back to a checkpoint whenever their ship is destroyed.