A blast from the past.
R-Type Final 2 is in some ways, a time capsule of a genre that hasn’t been part of the mainstream video game conversation for some time. When I think back about the side-scrolling shooter genre, Einhänder is still the game that I feel was the best in its class, a damn near masterpiece of chaotic action. While R-Type Final 2 certainly looks the part of a new version of this type of game, to some extent, its gameplay roots sing softly of the era of when games like this flourished.
While the bullet-hell shooter hasn’t entirely gone away, with various games across all platforms at least seeing multiple titles released per year, often those that are retro-inspired, or the very classes themselves re-released, the bullet-hell aspects of those shooters still lives on in a lot of other genres, with games like Returnal and Nier: Automata/Replicant taking a lot of queues from the bullet-hell shooters of the past. R-Type Final 2 is technically the 6th main entry title in the series, with various spin-offs and platform differences among a catalog of others, but the same classic arcade gameplay present throughout its history is still very much here, for better and worse.
Crowdfunded and developed by Granzella, who as a studio has never attempted a game like this before, was done so under the supervision of Kazuma Kujo, who was responsible for R-Type Delta, R-Type Tactics, and R-Type Final. The game certainly invokes the gameplay of the past, with visuals that place it somewhere between the PS3/360 era and that of last gen. Considering that a large percentage of Japanese games tend to exist in that visual space, especially those aiming for an arcade feel, it’s not that surprising, but it is disappointing considering this is not a remake or a remaster. I wouldn’t say that the game is visually stunning, as it more than serves its purpose here, but there are countless moments where it’s difficult to tell what is a background or foreground element, often having you hesitate on what to attack and what to avoid, even when it’s not on the same plane as you. And, anything that has you hesitate or second guess yourself in a game of this intensity, can often lead to several accidental and confusing deaths.
Outfitted in one of many ships, you’ll collect various power upgrades and weapon types as you’ll blast through everything on its locked camera-tracked course until you get to that chapter’s end, or one of many branching paths the game throws at you. Each level has a set pattern to when enemies show up, depending on the difficulty, and for the most part, enemies fall into a particular movement set, with only a few exceptions. Identifying how to defeat certain types of enemies, when lasers will fill the screen, or the mostly safe spaces you can fly around in through each environment, comes with a lot of practice, and even more deaths. While your ship has a speed setting, you’ll want to play around with what speed works for what encounter as fast is not always better. While it is a staple of the genre, the directional movement still feels rather stiff here and not something I found as enjoyable as others may find.
Depending on the ship, you can charge your blast for a more impactful shot, or your simple spray of bullets that can often take out a ship or foe in a few hits. Your ship; however, is a glass cannon, only able to take a single shot until you’re dead. As you play and rack in more hours, you’ll unlock more credits, eventually making it a bit easier to continue when you often have to retry the bulk of the level because of one stray bullet. Bosses will also prove to be the ultimate test, at least from the third boss on, often raining down hell with huge screen-clearing attacks, often leaving you just a smidge of a space to retreat to, or often having you run the gauntlet of dodging a mass array of lasers that while existing in a pattern, can be a handful to deal with when additional enemies start to notice you. However; as intense as some of these patterns and attacks can get, the telegraphing is just not great here with some attacks simply coming out of nowhere.
Eventually, you'll recognize and remember the patterns and those out of nowhere blasts, keenly aware of when of where enemies will show up, the moves and motions they make, and while this may make the game easy in some ways, trying out other ships and weapon combo’s can often make stages feel entirely fresh again, creating a greater challenge, or one that you’ll find to be a cakewalk. The game feels very familiar in how it plays, but the combo’s that you pull together with your ships and weapons is where this latest entry can often feel at the top of its game. Again, I have issues with much of what this game does, but some loudouts and weapon combinations can make certain levels just sing.
Now, while your ship size will vary, but not to a great degree, I find the hitbox to be somewhat questionable, with some hits feeling like they missed, and some making me think I died, only to simply not hit me, but making me hesitate just long enough to get hit. This becomes a guessing game in how certain events will play out as some environments will cause your ship to explode should you hit an outer wall and many that don’t. But, it is the hitbox that can often be the most annoying aspect of a game like this that makes it feel like it requires far too much luck than in the skill needed to narrowly escape death.
Each ship has an attachment that can be positioned behind your ship, or out in front. It can also be left to its own devices and often, this is what you’ll want. As you collect additional weapon upgrades, its function will change, and depending on the circumstance you find yourself in, you’ll have a use for it attached to your ship. For example, if the screen is moving towards the back of your ship, you’ll need a way to fire backwards, this is where attaching it to your rear will aid in giving you a combative chance. I do wish the attachment didn’t automatically cling to you when you simply connect with it, as I often want it to be free, and dodging fire and attaching itself to me in a single motion, can often get me killed as I aim to shake it off and let it do its thing. Still, it serves a purpose that is often more reliable than a nuisance, I just feel there could have been a better system in play to have it attach when you mean for it too.
Each stage is short enough that dying doesn’t feel too painful, or that you’re retreading on too much ground all over again. Checkpoints are fairly generous, and as you gain more credits by sinking in a set amount of hours into the game, the end feels far more reachable than in the game’s early hours when you are struggling to gain an inch. The game is short depending on your level of skill and can be beaten in just a few hours if you are up to the task, that is. The game is certainly challenging, but a lot of that comes from learning the patterns and the hitbox of your ship. Once you have that mastered, then it becomes a game of fine-tuning your approach and maybe trying out a new ship, weapon combo, or seeing the changes made to the game through harder difficulty settings.
R-Type Final 2 comes loaded with ships that you’ll have access to, be able to craft using components you earn in-game, through progression, or through passwords as well. Similar to the Tactics entries, you’ll use Solonium, Bydogen, and Etherium to craft ships. You’ll do this in the Museum, a huge hanger bay where you’ll unlock ships using the above methods as they will be on display for you to add to your current roster of ships. It’s a very in-depth and historical way in how it is implemented here, with dozens upon dozens of ships, and more to be added in the future.
Granzella has crafted a sequel to a game that honors its legacy well enough but doesn’t feel as good as I think a modern R-Type game could feel. For those looking for something that plays like the previous games with a new coat of paint on it, then it does get the job done, but I’m not sure that they can get away with this again should the team be at work on R-Type Final 3. Despite the short length of content, the ways you can push through it, and the different ships to unlock, it can certainly add a lot of replay value for your money. but I don’t see many exhausting everything this game has to offer. I certainly do enjoy a lot of what this game does, despite my issues with it, but wrapping credits and trying out a few new ships that I’ve unlocked is likely where my time with the game will end.
Developer - Granzella Inc. Publisher - NIS America. Released - April 30th, 2021. Available On - Xbox One, Series X/S, PS4/5, Switch, Windows. (PS5 version available through backwards compatibility at time of review. Rated - (E 10+) Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence. Platform Reviewed - Xbox Series X Review Access - A review code was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.