R-Type II
Title screen
| Developer: | Irem |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Irem |
| Planning: | Tara-chan[1] |
| Music: | Masahiko Ishida[2] |
| Art: | Akio[1] |
| Release date: | Arcade JP: November 1989 [3] US: April 1990[4] PlayStation JP: February 5, 1998 JP: October 25, 2001 (Reprint) US: February 28, 1998 EU: September 20, 1998 Xbox 360: 2009 |
| Previous game: | Dragon Breed |
| Next game: | X Multiply |
R-Type II is a horizontal scrolling shoot em up developed by Irem in the year 1989. It is the first sequel to the original R-Type and the second game in the series. Just like its predecessor, R-Type II has had several ports, more often than not downscaled in some way to make up for the different hardware (most notable one is Super R-Type for the Super Nintendo). The Arcade version has been ported to PlayStation as part of the R-Types compilation and R-Type Dimensions release.
Contents
Gameplay Overview
There are 6 stages with a second loop in R-Type II.
Controls
- A button (Press): Fires the player's weapons.
- A button (Hold): Charges the Wave Cannon.
- B button (Press): Controls the Force Pod.
Weapons
Wave Cannon
This is always available without the need of any power-ups. By holding the A button, the player can fire larger single shots, represented by the bar at the bottom of the screen. About a second after fully charge, the bar will go from light blue to gold, allowing the usage of several overlapping shots. There is a small window to use this, afterwards it will keep looping from blue to gold.
Force Pod
The Force Pod is obtained by collecting any laser items. It can block projectiles and does contact damage. Pressing the B button will release the Force, where it can fire in multiple directions. The Force can be reattached by pressing the B button or simply flying close to it.
Bits
The bits are option items attached to the top and bottom of the ship. They can deal contact damage and fire when using the red laser.
Items
| Icon | Description |
|---|---|
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Rebound Laser Fires 2 lasers at 45° angles and one directly forward. They bounce off terrain. |
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Counter-Ground Laser Fires 2 laser at 90° angles that travel across the terrain. |
 |
Counter-Air Laser Usually called the "DNA shot". Fires intertwined shots forward. |
 |
Search Laser 2 thin lasers that move diagonally (including terrain) while tracking enemies. |
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Shotgun Laser Fires special rounds that explode after a short distance. At full power, they can travel about half a screen. |
 |
Scatter Bombs Travels across the ground releasing explosions on its way. |
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Homing Missile Flies forward and tracks enemies. |
 |
Bit Adds a bit. |
 |
Speed-up Increases movement speed. |
References
