It's your against the creatures of the evil Bydo Empire! Pilot the supersecret R-9 fighter spacecraft through waves of aliens and their deadly war machines.
They came from a dimensional plane clear across the galaxy, wreaking havoc and chaos from star system to star system. With an evil that smothers all resistance with fear and terror, the horrid creatures of the Bydo Empire are now knocking on Earth's front door.
The Earth Defense League has one ray of hope to stop the wave of terror: R-9, a supersecret spacecraft capable of striking the enemy in their own dimensonal plane. When flown by a hot pilot like you, the R-9 can rip through bug-eyed monsters faster than a light saber through butter. But the horrendous creatures of the Bydo Empire are more than claws and pointy teeth; they've got some pretty impressive hardware, too, so stay frosty! Earth's future depends on you!
R-9 is Earth's most advanced and deadly spaceship. It is equipped with a nuclear fusion reactor for unlimited propulsion and weapons fire. At the start of the game, you have three R-9's at your disposal. When all your ships are lost, the game is over.
When you reach a score of 50,000 points, and extra R-9 will be awarded. Other ships are awarded after reaching scores of 150,000, 250,000, 400,000, and 600,000 points.
R-9
SPEED: 208 km/sec.
WEIGHT: 31.0 t
SPAN: 10.8 m
LENGTH: 16.2 m
HEIGHT: 5.1 m
R-Type is played in eight different stages:
At the end of each stage is a tough boss alien protecting entry into the next level. You must defeat them to advance. By defeating the last creature at the end of level 8, you win the game and save the universe!
Your score and the number of remaining R-9 spaceships will be displayed at the clearing of each stage, but not during the battle scenes.
When Bydo POW Armor is destroyed, it releases Droid Units which look like metal spheres. To obtain Droids, fly through the blue force gem and the Droid will appear from the left side of the screen.
If you push Button 2, the Droid will advance toward R-9 and join with the ship. Droids shoot pulse beams in tandem with R-9 and cannot be destroyed. You can place the Droid in either the front or the rear of R-9 by steering your ship, wherever it will help you destroy the enemy best. Droids will absorb some types of enemy shots.
By pushing Button 2 again, you can separate R-9 from the Droid for an effective battle formation, depending on the enemy units attacking you. If the Droid gets a bit too far away, push Button 2 and bring it up close. The Droid will also fly on a diagonal line from you. You can use this ability to shoot a path of destruction through the enemy, or to concentrate fire on specfic targets!
Laser performance and destructive power of the Droid change depending on how many Droid gems units you obtain (one, two, or three), and whether or not the Droid is attached to the R-9.
After obtaining the second Droid gem, the Droid is able to shoot pulse beams diagonally up or down when separated from R-9. When the third Droid gem is obtained, it will shoot pulsed beams up/down and diagonally up/down when separated from R-9.
To have any chance at all of killing the Bydo Empire's nastier creatures, R-9 needs to "power up." Power Up parts also appear when you defeat Bydo POW Armor units. After shooting them, POW Armor units drop various "unit symbols," which you pick up by flying over them.
There are six different types of unit symbols.
1: Reflecting Laser Force Units (blue) - Rather than firing in a straight line, this powerful laser beam ricochets off objects.
2: Antiair Laser Force Units (red) - This ring-style laser shoots in a straight line, but has the strongest demolishing power, since the width of the ring is very wide, making it easy to hit the enemy.
3: Speed Units - Increase the speed of your R-9 ship each time it is obtained.
4: Antiland Laser Force Unit (yellow) - Shoots both top and bottom (up and down). When it hits an obstacle, it runs along the surface until it destroys an enemy in its path. This weapon excels during fights with the Mega Battleship and during cave fights.
5: Twin Missle Units - Homing radar automatically guides twin missiles to the nearest target. They can hit two targets at once.
6: Bit Units - Up to two "Bits" (round power spheres that float above and below your ship) can be added to the R-9. They can shoot pulse beams, and kill the enemy when touched.
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| Zipp 100 points. Superspeed, moves from right to left. |
Bagut 200 points. Attacks in formation. |
Manx 200 points. Will attack in groups. |
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| Skimmer 200 points. Slides on the surface. |
POW Armor 200 points. Carries Power and Droid Units. |
Gondolan 200 points. 15 Cannons that rotate. |
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| Fritz 200 points. Advances from right to left in a straight line. |
Mikkun 200 points. Appears from top and bottom of walls. |
Getrudo 200 points. Eats Mechanical Cells. |
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| Cancer 300 points. Matches the height of R-9 and attacks. |
Clinger 300 points. Moves in line with wall and shoots. |
Basua 300 points. Chases R-9. |
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| Suotron 400 points. Flies at high speeds while shooting Mechanical Cells. |
Middok 400 points. Shoots continuous stream of laser beams. |
Sonar 400 points. Appears from the center of the earth and shoots. |
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| Crabb 500 points. Appears from inside the ground and swims in the air. |
Zoid 500 points. Changes body appearance and attacks. |
Skianto 500 points. Shoots laser blasts. |
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| Rocker 500 points. Shoots missile barrages. |
Dauber 800 points. Shoots attacking missiles in large quantities. |
Barucca 800 points. Discharges Zoids. |
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| Jidak 800 points. Shoots continuous stream of laser beams. | ||
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| Dopu 1,000 points. The pink window is its weakness. |
Mura (head) 800 points. (body) 300 points. When hit on head, breaks into pieces and scatters. | |
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| Borudo 1,500 points. A moving obstacle that will not attack but is difficult to destroy. |
Vin Indestructible. Moves from end to end of the screen. Watch its movement and avoid it. |
You'll encounter these bad guys at the end of each round.
Krell (1st Stage)
5,000 points.
The middle face is its weakness. Beware of the tail and death rays.
Gomanda (2nd Stage)
8,000 points.
Guarded by a death snake. Shoot it in the eye when it opens.
Mega Battleship (3rd Stage)
10,000 points.
Equipped with many cannons. Circle from below and blast the upper piston.
Monpaira (4th Stage)
15,000 points.
Many ships pulled together into one. Its weakness is when it separates. Watch the green
windows.
Kraken (5th Stage)
2,000 points.
Guarded by numerous octopi. Center into the middle red shiny spots and shoot.
Buronku (7th Stage)
0 points.
The spot that shines bluish is its weakness. Beware of waste particles that fall from above.
Bydo (8th Stage)
15,000 points.
The rule of the Bydo Empire. No one knows its weakness, but a wise use of Droids may be the
key.
NOTE: In the 6th stage, there is no Boss Alien.
Try running your fingers clockwise or counterclockwise around your D-Button. If it's during the right time and place, there's no telling what might happen!
Watch the demonstration screens carefully to get a good understanding of the attack hints.
Learn how the game advances, and don't let needed Power Units get away.
Master the separation and coming together of Droids. In order to defeat the bosses, clever use of Droids is very important.