ThunderCross

R-Type

Level 1 - Space Station Alpha

R-Type Level 1
Dobkeratops

Yet again, the evil aliens have invaded and the powers that be decide the best course of action is to send a single spacecraft to combat them. So, best kill them all and pick up the handy powerups they leave behind.
Places of interest on level one include the Ring of Death (shoot the blue segment to destroy it). At the end comes the oddly-named Dobkeratops, yet another Giger-influenced end-of-level boss. Shoot the Force into his stomach (the little green head is his weak spot), then hide near the top of the screen and he'll soon die.

Level 2 - Biohazard

R-Type Level 2
Orgasmatron

Irem's artists took Konami's organic concept a step further on this level. It has been described as looking like the contents of a stomach, possibly after eating genetically modified food. The floor and ceiling hide flying monster things, try and destroy them before they take flight.
The large snake that appears as you approach the end is indestructible, but you can destroy the 'turrets' along its back. The boss for this level is this snake's pulsating lair. It probably has a bizarre Japanese name, but I have christened it the Orgasmatron. Each time the snake enters its lair, the turrets along its back will regenerate. The weak spot is the blue jewel, hidden behind folds of flesh at the top of the structure. Shoot this, or alternatively take up position as illustrated and destroy the snake's turrets for extra points. If you position yourself correctly, you are completely safe and can sit back and show off your misspent youth.

Level 3 - Dreadnaught

R-Type Level 3
Reactor Core

Much copied since, this level involves an attack on a large battlecruiser which you blow apart bit by bit. Watch out for the white blobs fired from the main engine, as these can penetrate your Force module. When you get to the vessel's bow, stick the Force onto your back to destroy the gun turrets behind you.
To finally destroy this ship, you must take out the purple Reactor Core. This isn't very hard - after it spits out a load of blobs it will open its 'eye', and a few shots will kill it.

Level 4 - Green Death

R-Type Level 4
Triple X

Now it starts getting nasty. Heavily armoured red craft fly about, leaving trails of green dots behind them. These dots can be shot away, or just erased with the Force or any Bits you may have. Try and pick up Curly-Wurly (red) as this is easily the best weapon for this level. About half way through, you will need to attach the Force to your rear to deal with some rear-entry bad guys.
This level's boss is a 3-part battleship, in a rather fetching shade of pink. As the parts separate, they reveal the green jewels that you must hit in order to destroy them. The section with the front-facing jewel fires unblockable lasers, so try and take it out first. Once one section bites the dust, you have more room to manoeuvre and should have no trouble destroying the other two.

Level 5 - Solid Snake

R-Type Level 5
Mr Blobby

This level consists mainly of segmented snakes which you must shoot in the head. Be sure to avoid their fragmenting segments when they explode. The twiglets at the top and bottom of the screen do not harm your craft, but they can hide lurking bad things. Also, they do not reflect Bouncy Laser or support Squirly, so you really must try to hang on to Curly-Wurly from the previous level. At about the halfway stage, a number of larger laser-armed craft appear. You must dodge their beams, as the Force cannot protect against them.
The end of the level sees the arrival of Mr Blobby, a spacecraft surrounded by a large number of green blobs. It will launch these blobs at you, and they take many hits to destroy. Either shoot the Force into the centre of the blobs, or keep firing maximum power plasma bolts at them. As the blobs explode, the central ship is revealed. You might like to blow this up.

Level 6 - Hardware

R-Type Level 6
The Swarm

An extremely nasty level, you will die time and time again until you have memorized a safe route. The crawling silicon chips can be killed relatively easily, but the large green block things can only be harmed from the rear. Attach the Force to your rear and destroy them all.
Instead of a boss, this level ends with an attack by swarms of the block things. They descend from the top of the screen and move either left or right around the maze. Stay at the bottom and use your rear-firing Force to kill them. Occasionally, a 'reversed' block will appear and you must attack this from the front.

Level 7 - Dead Cities

R-Type Level 7
Scrapyard

In this stage, you cruise through a derelict area. Parts of the landscape explode unexpectedly, and you are constantly harassed by the usual suspects. At one point, a large red craft approaches from behind. You must stay out of it's way until it stops against a wall. Another hazard is a near-unending stream of flying aliens. You can use your upper Bit (if you have one) to kill them as they appear.
At the end of this level is the Scrapyard, home of the boss. Large yellow hatches above you open and drop assorted junk, whilst a periscope-thing rises from the floor and shoots at you. The boss himself lives in the alcove at the right, and makes occasional appearances. If you stay at the lower left of the screen you are reasonably safe, and can just wait for the level to time out. You only need to move to avoid the largest pieces of junk. Alternatively, hang around the right of the screen and hammer the boss whenever he appears.

Level 8 - Domain of Chaos

R-Type Level 8
Bydo Emperor

The final level, and it's pretty empty to begin with. You are attacked by flying green babies and the mysterious indestructible Spinning Thing. If you have both Bits you should have little trouble reaching the end.
Your final foe is, presumably, the Bydo Emperor and he lives in a strange organic fortress. He actually resembles the aliens you shoot for your power ups, perhaps that's why he's so annoyed with you. After a while, the tentacles covering the entrance to his lair will open and he will spit another Spinning Thing at you. This is your chance and you must shoot your Force inside his hidey-hole before it closes again. Now keep hammering the fire button and dodge the babies and Spinning Things. When he shoots a third Spinning Thing, he is close to death.

Enjoy the Bonus Game

R-Type Ending
R-Type Ending

After flying out of the destroyed Bydo Emperor's lair, you are met by a fleet of R-9s. Where were they when you needed them? Then it starts all over again. You lose your Force, but you keep your Bits and other stuff. And on and on!

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