Information AboutR-type |
''R-Type'' is a Horizontally-scrolling Shoot-em-up Arcade Game produced by Irem in 1987. DESCRIPTION The ''R-Type'' series is set in the 22nd Century. 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 player's 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 gameplay of ''R-Type'' is noticeably distinct among Shoot 'em Up s. 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 - ie. by losing and restarting from earlier in the level. The Bydo The ''R-Type'' series, until recently, never really explained much about the ubiquitous enemy of the series: the Bydo Empire.
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.
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.
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. Within the heart of the Bydo Empire, a cloning plant was discovered. It lies in a steam cleaned area inside of a gigantic computer which controls the planet itself. Not only did they multiply as life forms, but achieved mass production of mobile weapons systems. These instincts of destruction and the feelings of terror which they caused, prompted mankind to call them the Bydo Empire. Power-ups The Force The Force is a piece of Bydo flesh. It has characteristics of both a life form and a mineral. By absorbing a certain type of energy, it undergoes a three stage transformation. When struck by a beam, a catalytic function causes the beam to change its form. Against the Bydo, the purest form of energy was extracted from this piece, and converged into a ball-like shape and manipulated through a control rod. The name "Force" implies both a physical and mental power. Four rods are needed to control the Force. Each one organically combines with the energy inside. The Force is ''R-Type'' To obtain the Force, the player must collect a weapon power-up. When this is done, the Force arrives onscreen from behind. To attach the Force to the ship, the player simply flies into it. It can be attached either to the front or back, and will fire in whatever direction it is facing. When the Force is attached, it acts as a weapons system for the player. The weapon it uses depends on what power-up the player has collected. There are three different weapon power-ups:
The Force also, importantly, acts as a Shield . It is indestructible and can block normal enemy weapons. It can also damage or destroy enemies by collision. The player has a single button with which to control the Force. By pressing the button when the Force is attached to the ship, it is rocket-ejected away in whatever direction it is facing. When detached, the Force can be made to fire, but it uses an array of simple blasters rather than the weapons it supplies to the ship. By pressing the button again, the Force can be called back to the ship. Because it homes in on the player's ship, the player can control it in a limited manner by moving the ship as it is returning. The Force has three levels of power. It is at its least powerful when it first appears, but increases in power whenever the player collects a new weapon power-up. The Force's visual appearance is different for each power level, and becomes more sophisticated as this increases. Wave Cannon The Wave Cannon is a special weapon integrated into the R9 craft. By simply holding the fire button down, the player can build up energy in their ship, drawing in tiny, glowing particles through the ship's nose. A 'BEAM' bar at the bottom of the screen indicates how much energy the ship is charged with. Releasing the fire button then discharges this energy as a destructive beam, which at full power can tear through waves of enemies. This is very reminiscent of Anime -style energy attacks. The Wave Cannon is a powerful weapon, but has the disadvantage that the player cannot fire whilst charging the cannon. In addition, it can only fire forwards. Further installments of the series see upgrades to the nature of the Wave Cannon's full discharge and give an added element to the gameplay. For example, in Super R-Type, if the cannon is not fired when the 'BEAM' bar has been charged completely, the gauge is able to enter a second stage of charging, and if the cannon is fired during this time, it launches a wide spread shot of medium power energy shots instead of a single large shot. Bits Bits are small, floating orbs, resembling miniature Forces in appearance. The player can acquire up to two Bits at once; they hover a short distance above and below the fighter. Bits can shield the ship from enemy collisions, although not usually from enemy weapons. When used in conjunction with the Counter-air Laser, they can fire small projectiles. This trend continues in later ''R-Type'' games - some Bits have the ability to use a miniature version of the Red weapon of some Forces. In the history of the R-Type saga, Bits are the product of incomplete research that was intended to independently mimic the bioenergy technology of the Bydo, namely, the Force Device itself; only with human life force. The project was extremely controversial and was not completed in time for the R-9's initial launch, and thus the units were limited to defensive roles and minimal offensive capacity. The Bit Cores resemble smaller versions of the Force Core for this reason. Missiles The R9 can be equipped with two missiles, which home in on enemies. LEGACY ).]]
TRIVIA
Humor Irem has used ''R-Type'' and its Bydo villains for more than a few of their trademark elaborate April Fool's Day pranks. Often, they were the star of the whole joke. If not, they were a large part of it.
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