R-Type

seiji · Apr 3, 2012

R-Type (アールタイプ?) is a side scrolling shoot-em-up arcade game produced by Irem in 1987. The player controls a space fighter named R-9a "Arrowhead" to defend humanity against a mysterious but powerful alien life-form known as "Bydo", which was later discovered to be not entirely alien in origin. R-Type is recognized as one of the classics of the shooter genre from the 1980s arcade.]
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For the computer architecture instruction set, see MIPS architecture. For the cars, see Bentley R Type and Honda Civic Type R.

R-Type

Japanese arcade flyer of R-Type.
Developer(s)
Irem
Produce (planning)[1]
Publisher(s)
Irem (Japan)
Nintendo (North America)
Platform(s)
Arcade, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Game Boy, MSX, PC Engine, Sega Master System, Sinclair ZX Spectrum, NEC PC-88VA, PlayStation, Mobile phone (Java ME), Virtual Console, Xbox 360 (XBLA)
Release date(s)
Arcade version:

JP July 1987

Virtual Console
TurboGrafx-16

JP PC Engine (Part I) December 13, 2006; (Part II) January 23, 2007

NA December 25, 2006

PAL December 29, 2006

Sega Master System

JP May 19, 2009

NA November 2, 2009[2]

PAL September 25, 2009

(Delisted on September 30, 2011)
Xbox Live Arcade
February 4, 2009
Genre(s)
side scrolling shoot-em-up
Mode(s)
Single player, multiplayer
Rating(s)

ESRB: E

PEGI: 7

Cabinet
Upright
Display
Raster, standard resolution (Used: 384 x 256)
horizontal orientation
R-Type (アールタイプ?) is a side scrolling shoot-em-up arcade game produced by Irem in 1987. The player controls a space fighter named R-9a "Arrowhead" to defend humanity against a mysterious but powerful alien life-form known as "Bydo", which was later discovered to be not entirely alien in origin. R-Type is recognized as one of the classics of the shooter genre from the 1980s arcade.

Gameplay
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 significance of the R- in the series title refers to the production code as well as the 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.[3] 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.
[edit]
Bydo
The R-Type series, until recently, never really explained much about the ubiquitous enemy of the series: the Bydo Empire.

The pre-mission text for Stage 5.0 of R-Type Final is a perfect summation of the background plot of the game:

The Humans of the 26th century abandoned a horrible weapon in space. That mistake has come back to haunt us in the form of the Bydo Empire.

From the instruction booklet for R-Type Final:

The Bydo is the living embodiment of evil. A living weapon built with the self-replicating properties of DNA, the Bydo has physical mass, yet exhibits the properties of a wave. It diffuses easily, and fills any environment it encounters. The Bydo can even interfere with, and ultimately consume, human thought itself.

From Irem's official R-Type webpage:

The Bydo were created by mankind in the 26th century to be used as weapons of ecological destruction against our enemies within the galaxy. Unlike conventional weapons of defense, the Bydo were conceived as limited range weapons with the purpose of destroying every ecological form in their path. The Bydo were placed inside a container almost as large as the moon where they consumed everything and continued to evolve. A combination of physics, genetic engineering, and black magic resulted in man-made creatures of evil. Mankind intended to send the Bydo through a wormhole to the enemy solar system to annihilate their planet. Everything appeared to be going as planned. However, there was a slight error and the Bydo became active in our own solar system. For 150 hours they raged until they were carried away to another dimension by a special weapon. It appeared that mankind in the 26th century was safe. However, the Bydo were still alive and continued to evolve in another dimension. After wandering for what seemed like an eternity, they reappeared in the 22nd century to demonstrate their power against Earth.

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