History VideoGame / RType

''Final'', on the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2, was intended to be the big finale to the series (as indicated by its name), and, as such, the developers went all-out in one department: the available ships. Taking the "multiple fighters" idea from ''Delta'' and running with it, there are ''101 ships'' to unlock and use in battle, including every ship seen thus far, as well as scouts, TransformingMecha, {{Living Ship}}s, and a flying ''tank'', along with several dozen Forces, Wave Cannons, Bits, and Missiles. Before you get too excited, keep in mind that many of these are not unique; most are simply more powerful versions of others, and many had little quirks or gimmicks that made them difficult to use effectively (such as the infamous [[JokeCharacter B-3A series]], also known as the "Misty Lady" series, which had weapons that only fired ''down''. It's as annoying as it sounds). The actual gameplay is considered a step down from ''Delta'', with stages that weren't quite as imaginative as ''Delta[='s=]'', although the story did branch a couple of times for variety.

A GenreShift from the rest of the series, ''Tactics'' (released as ''R-Type Command'' in North America), features turn-based gameplay that still managed to remain fairly true to the series's roots as a shoot 'em up. It is a retelling of one of the Bydo Wars featured in the older games, though which one exactly is not made very clear; some fans prefer to think of it as an {{Alternate Continuity}}. It is told not from the perspective of one single fighter pilot, but from the perspective of a fleet commander, featuring the larger war effort hinted at in the earlier games. The player commands a slowly-growing fleet of various R-Type fighters (mostly taken from ''Final's'' huge motorpool) and larger warships against similar fleets of Bydo fighters and warships, as it moves from the Sol System, to the Tesseract (a sort of bridge between this dimension and the Bydo's), and finally to the Bydo home system. The game perspective is from the side, rather than top-down, retaining the feel and look of the original games, while many locales seen throughout the series return. Even gigantic versions of classic bosses Dobkeratops and Gomander make appearances. A sequel titled ''R-Type Tactics 2: Operation Bitter Chocolate'' was released in October 2009.

After ex-Irem employees formed the new company Granzella, they kickstarted a crowdfunder to produce a follow-up to ''Final'' under license from Irem proper; it more than met its goal, and was released on April 30, 2021. It updates the franchise for modern sensibilities, including widescreen display, a variety of difficulties, and the ability to edit the colors and decals of your starships. Included are recreations of past ''R-Type'' stages, though only the stretch goals for recreations from ''III'', ''Delta'' and ''Final'' were met. It was published by [[Creator/NipponIchi NIS America]] for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, UsefulNotes/XboxOne, and UsefulNotes/{{Steam}}.

The game's development model follows the ''Videogame/PAYDAY2'' style of paid content addition, by adding in content such as newly-made stages to the game via DLC.

In June 2021, Granzella [[https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/granzella/r-type-final-2-aiming-for-a-brand-new-the-best-shmup-ever/posts/3222837 announced]] that they were releasing ''R-Type Final 3'' as a free update to ''Final 2''. The first part of this major update, titled ''R-Type Final 2.5'', was released for UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, UsefulNotes/XboxOne and UsefulNotes/XboxSeriesXAndS on August 10, 2022 in Japan and UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch on August 18, 2022, with the Steam version being updated on August 19, 2022 internationally alongside the console versions. It includes two brand new stages (Stage 5.1 and Stage R1.0) for the base game, new ships, customized difficulty, more customization options for ships, the R-Museum, Pilot and War Records, increased album slots and costumes now having a resource multiplier. This will culminate in the ''R-Type Final 3: Evolved'' update, which would include online rankings, online play, a Force model viewer, improved visuals, and more features. It was released for the [=PlayStation=] 5 on March 23rd in Japan and was released April 25th worldwide.

* ''R-Types'' for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation
* ''R-Type DX'' for the UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor.

* ''R-Type Dimensions'' is an UsefulNotes/XboxLiveArcade port of ''R-Type'' and ''R-Type II'' with remade graphics and a few new features; this compilation was rereleased for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch and UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} on November 28, 2018 as ''R-Type Dimensions EX''. The original arcade versions are also available.
* ''R-Type Tactics I & II Cosmos'' is a compilation [[VideoGameRemake remake]] of both the ''Tactics'' games, with the ''Operation Bitter Chocolate'' storyline being officially translated for the first time. It will be released for UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, UsefulNotes/PlayStation5, UsefulNotes/XboxOne and UsefulNotes/XboxSeriesXAndS, UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch and Steam, with target launch set for 2024.

* The UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}[='s=] UsefulNotes/VirtualConsole also had the UsefulNotes/TurboGrafx16 release of the original ''R-Type'' available beginning from December 25th, 2006, although the game was delisted on March 30th, 2012.

* CapcomSequelStagnation: ''Final 3 Evolved'' to ''Final 2''. While it is indeed the same game with improved visuals, it includes a set of all-new levels exclusive for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation5.

* CompilationRerelease: The first two games had several of them: ''R-Types'' for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation, ''R-Type DX'' for the UsefulNotes/GameBoy, and ''R-Type Dimensions'' for the PC and eighth-generation home consoles. The latter also doubles as a VideoGameRemake for both included games.

-->"In spite of superior balance and a powerful Wave Cannon, it never saw combat because the Wave Cannon was deemed too dangerous."

* TimeyWimeyBall: The entire war encompasses both space and time itself. Not only are the Bydo attempting to destroy their own creators in the distant past ''before they are created in the first place'', one of the endings to ''R-Type Final'' [[spoiler:involves traveling into the future to convince 26th century humanity to not banish the Bydo into where it can get into the past. It's implied that this doesn't work].]

* TheFederation: The [[[[https://rtype.fandom.com/wiki/Space_Corps Earth Allied Armed Forces]], also known as the Space Corps, serves as the main "protagonist" faction of the series, leading humanity's war against the Bydo.

* Foreshadowing: After destroying the Collector/QT Cat in ''Delta'', a R-9 hidden within it breaks free and flies off. [[spoiler:As it turns out, not only was the craft corrupted by the Bydo, it's encountered once more in Stage 6, with the implication being that it's the reason why the Space Corps base got infested.]]

%% * TimeyWimeyBall: The entire war encompasses not only different time periods, but even ''alternate timelines''. Not only are the Bydo attempting to destroy their own creators in the distant past before they are created in the first place, one of the endings to ''R-Type Final'' [[spoiler:involves traveling into the future in a ship built including Bydo technology to convince future humanity to not banish the Bydo into where it can get into the past. It's unclear if this works at all]].

* OneHitPointWonder: Your Force Device is invulnerable, but ''you'' aren't.

* RuleThirtyFour: Which isn't bad going for a series with ''no named characters''. How? There is MoeAnthropomorphism for most of Final's ships. Several are just cute and you might not think is so bad when this trope appiled... then you get to the Bydo series ships, [[{{Gorn}} your eyeballs fall out and your brain turns to cottage cheese]]. [[https://web.archive.org/web/20161207155253/http://www.geocities.co.jp/Playtown-Bingo/9962/ See for yourself, if you dare.]] (Careful, some pics are NSFW, and not all are clearly marked!)

"In spite of superior balance and a powerful Wave Cannon, it never saw combat because the Wave Cannon was deemed too dangerous."

* WombLevel: The Bydo tend to produce a lot of these.

Copying ''R-Type'' was quite the thing for a long time, to the point that Irem ended up suing Factor 5 (makers of the ''Franchise/StarWars: VideoGame/RogueSquadron'' series) for producing ''Katakis''.