R-Type III: the Third Lightning

Developer: Irem    Publisher: Jaleco    Released: 1994     Genre: Shooter

I love R-Type III!  R-Type has been one of the best series of shooters for almost three decades and R-Type III continues that fine tradition.  But the series did not have a good start on the SNES.  As much as I liked Super R-Type its technical issues were flat out embarrassing.  I don’t think it’s a stretch to say it contributed to the system’s bad rep when it comes to the genre.  It’s natural to expect a sequel to be better in every way but not to this extent.  R-Type III is not only one of the Super Nintendo’s best shooters, it is also one of the best in the genre from that generation.

And to think we almost missed it!  By 1994 Irem had ceased publishing games in the US and so the game’s fate was unknown.  Luckily Jaleco came through at the last moment and picked up a real gem.  While similar to the previous titles in many ways R-Type III reinvents itself through smart design and excellent level design.  Many of the ideas presented here would carry on in future titles too.

The largest change comes in the weapon system.  The charge beam has an additional mode, the hyper wave cannon which can be switched on the fly.  With it you fire multiple smaller blasts rather than one powerful burst.  The only drawback is its lengthy recharge time.  More importantly you have three force options at the start.  The Round Force, Cyclone Force and Shadow Force each feature their own individual weapons and pod behavior.  Each option dramatically changes your play style and gives the game some replay value.  For those that are traditional the round force features the same weapons as the original.  But that would be boring; everyone wants to play with the new toys.

The Shadow Force is my personal favorite.  This force pod can be shot out and pulled back faster than the others.  However its weapons mostly focus on covering multiple angles and require some finesse to use properly.  The reverse laser fires laser bolts backwards; to fire forward you have to attach the force to the back of your ship!  The All range laser fires bolts from the top and bottom while the guided laser adds two more, covering all sides of your ship.  What really makes the shadow force unique is its shadow satellites.  At max power you gain two additional shadow satellites that fire the opposite direction of your movement.  It’s tricky but you can hit near impossible angles with these.  Not only that but these are on top of the two bits you can also gain, making this truly powerful.

The Cyclone force works differently.  The force becomes a weapon itself to make up for its lack of projectile attacks.  When released it damages enemies heavily and level 2 and above spins, gaining energy and increasing its radius.  Its beam weapons are no slouch either.  The through laser pierces enemies and walls.  The splash laser is a spread gun that all explode on contact, inflicting further damage.  The capsule creates a short lived drone in front of you that adds to your fire.  The cyclone force features the most powerful weapons in the game but it requires nuance to use properly.  With skill you can use the force pod to entirely wipe out bosses in seconds.  All of the different weapon options  and their versatility are a large reason why R-Type III is so great.

All of this meaty firepower is necessary as R-Type III does not go down without a fight.  The series is notable for its brutal difficulty but I found this fair in that regard.  The game does not rely on the gotcha style cheap tactics of its predecessor and is more measured in its design.  Enemy spawns and waves are usually telegraphed giving you time to react.  It still tends to herd you into tight corners and such but it still comes across as fair.  The levels still get chaotic which is where most of your deaths will occur.  Luckily there are multiple checkpoints per level so it isn’t as cruel.  Striking a balance between challenging and cheap is hard and I think Irem have done so extremely well here.

R-Type III is an exceptionally beautiful game and wouldn’t look out of place in the arcade.  The environments are flush with detail and are all distinct.  After the initial space level you travel through the insides of a monster, a junkyard, and a machine factory with massive pistons and gears that combine to crush you unexpectedly.  Special effects are frequent with Mode 7 used to varying degrees.  Enemies scale in from the background, the levels rotate, and there are even a few polygonal effects.  The bosses are all creepy monstrosities with stage five’s mayor deserving a mention.  This innocuous blob takes the form of multiple bosses from R-Types past with a makeover.  My only gripe is that the game is only six levels long; with one or two more it would have been perfect.

In Closing

R-Type III truly has it all.  Great graphics, a difficult but fair challenge, and a unique weapon system that makes it a joy to revisit.  This is easily one of the best games in the series.  Whether it is the original SNES version or the excellent Gameboy Advance port don’t pass this up.