R-Type Delta

About R-Type Delta

R-Type Delta (1998) is Irem's first 3D R-Type, a PlayStation shoot 'em up with three distinct ships and a Dose System that powers devastating Delta Attacks.

R-Type Delta in Depth

Set in 2164, it is the fourth R-Type game and the first with 3D graphics. Players choose between fighters with different combinations of Force and Wave Cannon: the R-9 from the original R-Type, its updated version the R-X, with a tentacle-laced Force whose laser was revised several times, and the R-13, aimed at more hardcore, skilled players, its number chosen to feel sinister because of its link with superstition. Each ship was meant to feel like a different game while keeping the core R-Type play, and stages were designed around the R-9 before being adjusted for the other two.

The new Dose System lets the Force absorb energy as it collides with enemy projectiles and enemies, filling a Dose Gauge. At 100 per cent, the player can unleash the fighter's Delta Attack, a superweapon whose form depends on the ship. Programmer Takayasu Itou added the series' traditional Kid's Mode and Human Mode difficulty settings late in development, and the game was made much harder than earlier R-Types so that players would memorise stage patterns and learn from their mistakes. Critics highlighted the diversity, colour and detail of its graphics and complex polygon models, with unique explosions and attacks for each enemy, and its dynamic rock and techno soundtrack that changes with the surroundings.

Making R-Type Delta

Irem began work in early 1998, impressed by the fast action and polygon graphics of RayStorm's PlayStation conversion and hoping to rival it. It was the team's first 3D game, and early test versions were troublesome: many ideas did not work in 3D, terrain made the ship's hitbox hard to judge and caused unintended deaths, and Kita felt the polygonal Force looked "fake". Multiple ships were one of the team's most requested features, for replayability. It received favourable reviews: GameSpot said "If there's one PlayStation shooter to own, R-Type Delta is that shooter", GamePro called it "an excellent time-waster", and NextGen praised its looks but felt the genre's limits would soon relegate 2D shooters to classic collections.