Recently, R-Type seems to be making a bit of a comeback. In just the past few months alone, we’ve had releases of R-Type Delta Boosted, R-Type DX: Music Encore, an easily accessible way to play through the Game Boy Color versions of R-Type and R-Type II and even a very nice remake of both the turn-based R-Type Tactics games with R-Type Tactics I • II Cosmos.
Out of all the various ports and rereleases, R-Type III has been sorely missing, with no real tangible way of playing the game outside of the SNES or GBA port. Thankfully, this is where R-Type Dimensions III steps in.
At the start of a run, you get to choose between 3 unique sub-weapons, essentially pods that can be launched either forward or backwards behind your ship. This is arguably the mechanic the R-Type series is known for best, and no other shmup has been quite able to replicate it. Each of the three options has its own shot type you can upgrade by collecting powerful capsules, and all three options can be used to block enemy attacks, making them pretty much vital for your success.
Along with the pod system, your ship comes equipped with both a rapid fire mode and a charge shot that must be held down and fill a bar for a much larger blast. After upgrading a few weapons, you can even swap your charged shot mode for a Hyper mode instead, which does even more damage but will overheat your ship, meaning you’ll have to wait for it to cool down a few more seconds before being able to shoot at full power again. Personally, I mainly stuck to the standard shot types as it was one less mechanic to manage.
R-Type III Dimensions takes place over 6 unique levels, which are notably longer than any level you would find in the first two games, with a full playthrough taking just a little over 40 minutes from start to finish. As per usual, R-Type III features some absolutely massive bosses, often filling at least half of the screen, which will be waiting for you at the end of each level.
With the tap of a button, you can switch between the new 3D graphics or the faithful, classic 2D pixel-based graphics. Pressing in on the analogue stick while in 3D mode will put you in what they call ‘Crazy’ 3D, which tilts the angle slightly, making everything much more 2.5D.
Not only will you have enemies and their shots to skillfully avoid, but you’ll also need to be mindful of the game environment, and often you’ll find yourself being pushed down a narrow corridor with one false input sending you crashing into the walls. I’m ashamed to say, but this happened to me often during my runs, and the hitbox of the ship felt a little off in 3D mode. Sadly, this meant I played the majority of my play time in the 2D mode while navigating through each stage, only switching to 3D mode when completely in the clear.
R-Type III Dimensions is a game that is meant to be played over and over. The game expects you to learn its patterns and enemy placements, and there’s only so far you will get it in the game by winging it. The infinite mode is great if you want to just blast through the game and see what it has to offer, but it’s the classic mode with its rigid checkpoints that force you to get better at the game.
It’s not just the 3D mode that’s new, either; there are both original and newly arranged soundtracks that can be selected per playthrough or even listened to from the main menu’s Jukebox option. The newly released tracks are great, but that’s because the originals were so good in the first place.
Sadly, there’s no option for a 4:3 mode, and to get around this, the levels have been cropped to fit a modern 16:9, which sadly makes the game suffer from a bit of screen crunch, making already cramped levels feel even smaller.
Two difficulty settings are available to choose from the get-go, being either normal or advanced mode if you fancy even more of a challenge. Along with difficulty, you can choose between two modes, classic or infinite, with the latter giving you infinite lives and the ability to respawn exactly where you are, without the need to reload a checkpoint. High-score chasers will be pleased to know there are leaderboards for both single-player and two-player modes.
Performance, for the most part, was good, with gameplay feeling pretty fluid. On level 3, the game came to an absolute crawl in 3D mode, noticeably dropping down in frame rate, which was easily fixed by switching back to 2D mode. This happened both in handheld and docked mode on the Switch 2, so there’s definitely something odd going on there.
Conclusion
For a game that was trapped on legacy hardware for decades, R-Type Dimensions III is a massive win for R-Type and Shmup fans, even if it’s not 100% perfect. The lack of a 4:3 aspect ratio and the occasional performance issues in 3D mode hold this back somewhat, but the sheer quality of the original game carries it through. Whether you are a high-score chaser or a newcomer relying on Infinite Mode, this package is well worth your time. It’s a fun experience, and I’m eagerly awaiting the arrival of my physical special edition!
8
Nintendo Switch 2 review code kindly provided by ININ Games.