Description of R-Type - MAME

This game R-Type - MAME working perfectly with emulator version mame64ui, you can download on this web site.

R-Type is a classic side-scrolling sci-fi shooter from 1987. Released by a Japanese software company Irem, it is perhaps one of their most successful and most renowned games, and as such it was re-released several times and ported to virtually every significant platform on the market. It also launched a number of sequels and spin-offs, both licensed professional and non-licensed indie titles as well (here G-Type comes to mind as an example of such an indie spin-off). In the game you take the role of an R-9 Space-fighter pilot, whose mission is to stop the evil Bydo Empire from threatening the whole galaxy. The spacecraft is equipped with a rapid-fire beam weapon, which can be charged to fire a significantly slower but considerably more powerful energy bolt, which is able to chew through several enemies in a row. More weapons can be picked up by collecting ‘force’ power-ups, which consist of an additional module attachable either to the aft or the bow of your spacecraft, expanding it’s firing capabilities. In addition to that, the module is invulnerable to pretty much any attack and thus serves as a kind of a directional shield as well. The game is controlled by an 8-way joystick (arrow keys, d-pad) for movement and a single ‘fire’ button for firing the beam weapon. Hold the fire button to charge the cannon for stronger ‘wave’ attack. Now, your job might seem pretty straightforward: blast through several levels, each with a boss at its end, while avoiding contact with the enemies and the surrounding terrain and structures, which would instantly destroy your ship. Yet in reality, nothing truly is quite how it looks. But before you start banging your head against the monitor and before you smash your controller against the wall, keep in mind that R-Type is crazy hard. As any other Japanese shooter, it was designed to be like that. It’s crazy hard, yet… yet fun and addictive (namely because the only real alternative to keep playing is to acknowledge that you were defeated by a thirty years old piece of entertainment software). And if it’s not crazy hard and addictive enough for you, just open up the BIOS menu and flip the difficulty dip-switch from ‘normal’ to ‘hard’ (or, conversely, flip the invulnerability switch to ‘ON’, but believe me, it’s nowhere as satisfying as when you beat the game without any cheating whatsoever). — I mean, take a look at the BIOS menu anyway, because even if you don’t want to play with god-mode on or to extend the number of lives available at the start of the game, switching the emulation to free-play mode might certainly come in handy (yeah, no more hitting the coin button anymore!). You see, R-Type is a legend and—along with Raptor, StarSoldier, Galaga, Asteroids and Invaders—definitely one of the founding fathers of all the space-shooters ever created. And as such, it’s definitely not a game to pass on. Visuals are incredible for 1987 and the gameplay, well… I’ve said it before: fun and addictive, even though also a bit rage-quit-triggering as well. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing at all, or is it?