R.Type Review

It's back! The game that could probably make a grown man cry in terms of difficulty. Taken off the App Store due to license issues, R-Type, now known as R.Type returns once more. Carter loved it the first time round and I can safely say, it's just as good this time round.

It's worth immediately noting, again, that R.Type is tough. Very tough. Many gamers from the 1980s will happily admit that games were much harder back then and R.Type proves that easily. The shooter focuses partially on speedy reactions and partially on remembering the enemy wave patterns. Practice is key, a lot of practice.

R.Type does go some way to helping players, at least. There's an Unlimited mode in which players are given infinite lives. Combined with a checkpoint system, it doesn't make things easier but it does give players slightly more of a chance. The checkpointing often puts players a few steps behind meaning it's not quite a fool-proof method, more an acknowledgement that players need all the help they can get.

A game of such difficulty requires an effective control system and DotEmu has it covered with a choice of two types. There's a virtual joystick similar to before, but there's also the option to tap wherever the player wants, freeing them up to hold the iOS device how they prefer. Even better, there's iCade support, which is bound to excite hardened arcade gamers.

R.Type remains an incredibly difficult game, as it should do. It's never going to be a welcoming game to all. For those looking for a hard fix of 1980s style difficulty though, this re-release is just as fine as DotEmu's original iOS conversion, with the added benefit of Game Center support for the leaderboard happy. It captures all the frustration, tears and joy of the iconic shooter.