Title: Super R-Type
Release Date: 7/13/91
Developer: Irem
Publisher: Irem
So here we have our third horizontal shooter in the history of the Super Famicom (the first being Gradius III and the second being Darius Twin). So far in this series we have played some difficult games. Some have been difficult due to poor conveyance of game rules to the player (I'm looking at you Drakkhen), some due to a poor transition from the PC to console (Populous), some due to some really poor game design (Ys III), and a very few have implemented difficulty expertly and with care to make sure that the rules and expectations are conveyed properly to the player before the difficulty ramps up. Super R-Type, though, is just plain punishing in its difficulty. Gradius III proved that horizontal space shooters could have high but balanced difficulty, but in a way that urged players to try again: introducing new rules and enemy types in a controlled setting before throwing them full force at the player, frequent level segmenting that allowed for a checkpoint system, a truly generous amount of player customization, and the ability for Vic Viper to take multiple hits via shields before destruction. Super R-Type, though, eschews all of that; this game is cruel in its difficulty and is very unforgiving in its gameplay. Sadly, this does not leave a very enjoyable experience for the player. I still can't believe 8 year old me liked this game...
Background
The game is a partial port of R-Type II, an arcade title. Irem was a well known developer of arcade and console games that dates back to the early 80s. They made such games as LodeRunner and the much loved gem Dinocity. Nowadays, though, they have repurposed themselves to being a pachinko and slot machine developer. Sad.
The story, as well, is very straight forward. You are Earth's fighter against the evil BYDO empire from space. You are tasked with repulsing the invasion and taking the fight to the enemy.
Gameplay
On its surface, Super R-Type seems like a typical shooter. You fly alternatively through levels of space and certain set piece areas (alien bases, alien hives, etc), fighting both mechanical spaceships and bio-organic extraterrestrial enemies. Your little fighter, though, only has a single hit to brave his way through this onslaught of alien forces. Anything touches your spaceship, your fighter is dead and heads straight back to the start of the level. That happens three times, and its game over and you start all the way over. Now the stages themselves aren't long, but they are long enough that getting sent back to start each time really sucks. Any game that is technically stuck "on the rails" shouldn't be so punitive with sending players back to start.
As well, many of the enemy placements and attacks make it seem less about skill and more about rote memorization. For example, the first half of the first level is rather simple; the enemies don't plague you too harshly, and you have the ability to react and respond accordingly to their patterns. Suddenly, though, a giant mech pops from the top of the screen and immediately shoots a laser that moves with the ship as it travels about 3/4 down the screen. If you didn't happen to be on the bottom portion of the screen, you are pretty much toast. It is a tough enemy, so there is no chance of killing it before the laser touches you. You just have to "know" that the enemy is going to arrive there. This enemy seems to pop up a lot actually, as there is another segment in the second level where two of them appear: one from the bottom of the screen and one from the top. As far as cheap moves go, this one is pretty bad.
The bosses are rather challenging as well, but nothing you wouldn't expect from another shoot-em-up. At least when you are killed by them, you start in the boss arena.
Now the upgrades system, as well, is rather punitive. Upgrades are handed out quite sparsely. As well, there is no handy system to really tell how what upgrade you are receiving. I am guessing that if you don't have the manual to tell you which upgrades you are receiving, then you are SOL. One interesting choice is Super R-Types version of the "options" buddy from Gradius. The options in this game are instead a pod that can be attached to the front, side, or back of your ship. It hangs there, shoots extra bullets, and can be fired off/reattached for when you need to change up the direction of fire. This idea was actually pretty novel for a shoot-em-up and allowed for some diversity of play. Granted, though, if you die (and you will) you lose all upgrades and added options to your vehicle.
The game overall, is short, and it only took me 50 minutes to beat. If you have the patience to grind the game out, go right ahead, but in my opinion, it is a shoot-em-up that you can really skip.
Sprite Art and Bosses
The sprite art and bosses are really quite visually striking, so I wanted to make sure that they get a shout out.
Music
Oh yeah, we got some good music too!
Ads and Commercials
Omgoodness we have a glut of commercials though...
Here are the NA commercials...
Here is the PAL (Spanish) version...
And here is the Japanese commercial...
Final Verdict
For the hardcore boys/girls out there looking for some retro schmup goodness, I will recommend this game. For the casual boys/girls out there, I would avoid this one. It was very hard to pick up and play, and took rote memorization to beat. That is not a fun way to play games.
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