Video Game Review: R-Type Final 2

Developer: Granzella Inc

Publisher: NIS America

Genre: Shooter

Nintendo Switch

My first R-Type video game was R-Type DX on the Gameboy Color. The box art of a spaceship shooting at an alien monstrosity caught my eye, and it quickly became one of my favorite games as a child. I would imagine scenarios with my pilots inside the cockpit, with each life I had being a different pilot. It was all really dramatic now that I think about it, but it was a special game.

Now, R-Type Final 2 is out and does plenty to bring the space dramas I had in my head to life. It opens with a cutscene of your pilot (Who you name) getting ready for take-off. It’s nothing special, but it’s a nice little touch. Outside of that brief scene, the rest of R-Type Final 2 is standard-fare.

Players will control their ship, scrolling from left to right and shooting bad guys. Of course, the bad guys shoot back, and there are a lot of bullets to navigate through as players work their way to the boss. The power-ups are all familiar, giving players shields, missiles, and fancy lasers. Powering up through a stage is insanely satisfying. Eventually, players will encounter bosses, who are usually giant monstrosities that are pretty intimidating.

It’s all a familiar game, and fans of the old-school R-Type games will feel right at home. I found myself enjoying R-Type Final 2, but it isn’t a flawless experience. This is a game that clearly leans on the elements that made R-Type stand out in the 90s. A lot of mechanics that worked during the series’ prime just don’t hold up anymore.

For starters, R-Type Final 2 moves along painfully slow, especially if players are used to modern-day shoot-’em ups. The movement speed of the ships and the stages can drag on sometimes, even with the excitement of bullets and enemies everywhere. It doesn’t always hurt the experience, but it’s noticeable during the early sections of each stage. Dying in R-Type Final 2 is frustrating due to long load times between deaths. Sometimes I found myself dreading an intense scene not because I didn’t want to die, but because I didn’t want to sit through a long loading screen.

The game also relies on some bland level design too. Anyone who has played previous R-Type games might find themselves bored of the levels in this one, which doesn’t really offer too much creativity. The levels are full of color and certainly look cool, but the actual structure and waves of enemies aren’t anything to write home about.

If you can get past the slow movement and level design, this is a fun shoot ’em up. There s plenty of content, especially when you consider all of the difficulty levels. There is also a lot of customization available for your ships, which can all be purchased with in-game currencies. It can take a while to save enough to get the ship or part you want, but it all feels worth it and is good for mixing the game up. A lot of the fun in R-Type Final 2 is in the post-game where players can experiment with builds and try to do better runs.

Despite how slow it is, R-Type Final 2 is an enjoyable experience, especially for fans of the franchise. It’s not the leader in the genre anymore, but shooting aliens and upgrading your ship is still a good time.