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Friday 8 February, 2008
R TYPE FINAL
SESSION #2
GAMEPLAY:
As I progressed more throughout the game, I learned more of its mechanics. The orb absorbs enemy attacks, and fills a small meter at the bottom of the screen. When the meter is full, the orb's shield radius becomes bigger, and a super attack can be released. While this didn't really help me beat any bosses, this mechanic encouraged me to use the orb, and the super attacks were useful for destroying swarms of enemies. Going one step down from "Normal" mode, I played the game on the "Kids" difficulty level, which let me keep my powerups even after I died. Although this did subtract alot of challenge from the game (the powerups would never go away), it was necessary in order for me to progress. Oh I guess I didn't mention that if you run out of continues, you LOSE, and start from the VERY BEGINNING of the game.
One thing to know about R Type final is that it is relentless. Enemies will come from behind your ship when you least expect it, super lasers will go through your orb, and one hit kills combined with restarts will test your patience. You will run into walls. You will get killed by bosses seconds before defeating them. You will lose .... on "Kids" difficulty. Bitter and defeated, I swallowed my pride and played it on "Baby" difficulty, the easiest of them all. Even while bosses died within seconds, and enemies that should have been shooting remained idle, I still died. On one of the later levels, you had to shoot your way through a literal "sea" of anenome looking enemies, which was mentally overwhelming. One thing R Type does well is portray a sense of impossibly overwhelming obstacles, when in reality there is a legitimate way to get past them.
DESIGN: R-Type is well designed, as it has unique level design and gameplay mechanics that set it apart from other space shooters. The Orb is the most essential part of gameplay, as it can be used offensively or defensively. Attached to the front or back of your ship, it works as a shield that will absorb enemy fire and kill any enemies that come in contact. It also gives your ship an additional laser weapon. If you shoot the orb out, it will destroy anything it comes in contact with. For durable enemies and bosses, the orb is meant to be shot into these enemies for sustained damage. Attaching and detaching the orb is required to survive in R-Type, and this explains why you are always given an orb at the beginning of a checkpoint.
A bonus that keep people playing is the plethora of unlockable ships. There are over 100 ships in R-Type Final, and it is amazing how unique and different all of them are. As you playthrough the game, more and more ships are unlocked. Luckily, the ships that are unlocked don't seem to depend on how well you do, so losing over and over again will unlock you new ships. Overall, R Type provides a unique gameplay experience, but is simply to hardcore for most audiences.
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