R-Type Final 2 (XB1 - X|S - PS4|5 - SW - PC) UPDATE II

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Sturmvogel Prime
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R-Type Final 2 (XB1 - X|S - PS4|5 - SW - PC) UPDATE II

Post by Sturmvogel Prime »

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Born as a joke, and Back in style for real.

After all the indie shmups we've finally have a classic title making a comeback. This time is no other than R-Type Final 2.

Announced on April 1st of 2019, most people thought the Granzella-supported return of Innovations in Recreational Electronic Media, better known as IREM was another addition to the list of April Fools jokes that plague the net like the Bydo Empire itself, and its not the first time shmups make pranks around them. I remember when Warashi announced "Triggerheart Exelica: The Animation" and it turned out to be a sick, cruel(tear'ed) joke that no one should play to the fans. Back to R-Type Final 2, while many people thought they're joking for the occasion, Granzella threw a very real revelation: They weren't kidding with R-Type Final 2, its return was for real, and there we have it.



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Into these worlds of unknown danger they ride.
They're the Galaxy Rangers, heroes in the sky!


INTRODUCTION: Welcome to a world of machines and monsters.

If you're new into R-Type, I'll give you a quick rundown on the series before you take "A step forward into terror". The R-Type series were an innovation on shmup as they involved the use of a support weapon called Force which acted as a shield and firing support for the ship. As a shield, it absorbed the enemy fire and it could be attached on the back and front of the ship for provisional back fire. Another twist was the Beam which can be charged for a more powerful shot. R-Type made emphasis on that as some enemies and all bosses had to be destroyed with charged shots since regular bullets caused little damages to them. R-Type was the shmup where charged fire "does the talk" at the moment of truth.



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WELCOME THRILLHO

YOUR GAME, YOUR NAME: The first thing to do is to give your pilot profile a personal touch, starting with the name, I'm sure you're not gonna be Jade Ross when you can be yourself or came up with a random character name from a movie or game.

MAN OR WOMAN?: Girls can join the fight against the Bydo Empire. You can also select if you want a female pilot instead of a male.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY (YOUR NAME HERE): For a final touch of identity, you are allowed to type your birthday date for your R-Aircraft pilot.



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R-Unit "A la mode".

YOUR VERY OWN SHIP: Before starting your mission, you can select not just your default ship, but also the option of customize it. If you were expecting a Forza Motorsport-like heavy color customization, you'll be in for a letdown since the game allows you to use 8 color combinations for your ship. You can also select Bits and Missiles based on which ones are available for your R-Aircraft.



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This is your 2021 Granzella Team Famitsu R-9A Arrowhead.

STICK ME A LABEL: As if you're adding sponsor logos to a NASCAR stock car, you can select from generic stickers to logos from previous R-Type games (except Super R-Type), and in a twist of a self-advertising stunt, a Famitsu logo.



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¿Paragon or Renegade?

SELECT YOUR ANSWER: If you didn't disabled the demo, you'll be in the opening cutscene that will require you to select the pilot's answer to the salute. Regardless of which option you choose, it won't affect the game.



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Scramble! Get Airborne! Revenge in the sky!

CLASSIC, YET POWERED GAMEPLAY: While any R-Typer is familiar with the game's mechanics, the game mechanics of R-Type adapt to more modern times as it still utilize the classic challenge by enemy placement rather than bullet spamming. The game gradually increases the difficulty in the stage based on how powered up is your ship as soon as you get the first Force upgrade combined with how close you're to the boss. Think of it as small view to the Ins-and-outs of R-Type's difficulty mechanics. Being tactical is mostly required since some enemies doesn't rely on the old "Charge Shot does the Talk" like the big plants on Stage 2.0, sometimes you'll have to detach the Force and use its individual fire along with the R-Aircraft's standard bullets, and if the Force has auto-targeting capabilities like the R-9AF Andromalius' Rodless Force, you'd might consider to have the Force detached from the ship more time, making things much more easier.

TWO RAPID FIRES FOR YOUR SHOOTING NEEDS: Unlike most games that have one rapid fire configuration, this game offers you two variable rapid fires with their own rate of fire. So you have your regular fire, rapid fire and "Rapid Fire x2", solving the problem of button tapping and keeping sore thumbs away.

YOU CONTROL THE SPEED: Another feature changed from the previous game was how the speed is controlled. Unlike the old "Speed Up" items, R-Type Final 2 allows the player to switch speed back and forth like in the Thunder Force series, mostly from Thunder Force III as the ship has four speed levels that can be adjusted back and forth for your combat needs.

MORE THAN ONE CHARGE LEVEL: Like R-Type II and Super R-Type, even a basic ship like the Arrowhead has a two level charge gauge, implying more power 'cos most of the times, is a charged shot which does all the talk in the world of R-Type. There's also ships with three and even four charge levels like the R-9A4 Wave Master which can inflict serious damages to the enemies and it's max charge can pass through obstacles, being extremely useful on the Stage 2.0 bosses which require using the Force attached on the back of the ship or relying on the Auto-lock firing of the R-9AF Andromalius' Rodless Force, making a return to the strategic element of some of the boss fights in the game.

SAFER NAVIGATION: Remember all the times you've died because you touched a wall or a platform?, Even on R-Typer difficulty you don't crash by touching the ground, making this R-Type game much easier than its predecessors and more friendly with the newcomers who might be unexperienced with IREM's classic shmup.



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Ask your doctor if the Dose is good for your health.

DAILY DOSE: A feature originally introduced in R-Type Delta, the Dose is the Bomb/Special Attack of the game, everytime your Force hits a bullet or gets in physical contact with an enemy, it will slowly fill a gauge that once it's on 100.00%, it will unleash a devastating screen-wide attack that damages the boss and destroy small enemies and even bullets, making it a screen clearing weapon. Keep in mind, the Dose can only be used once and you'll have to recharge it again, so you might want to use it in desperate situations where it might be the saving throw of your playthrough.



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I swear I've killed it a few decades ago!

FAMILIAR FACES, NEW TRICKS: In this game, there'll be some returning bosses like the Dobkeratops who is much different on its attack patterns. If you play the game on Practice, Kids, Normal and Bydo, you'll find a frozen monster and you'll have to attack the green head on its belly while dodging flames that emerge from the ceiling and floor. But if you play on R-Typer difficulty, you'll find the monster free of ice and will fire wave "worms" that move erratically across the screen, making them very, very, VERY DIFFICULT to dodge, resulting in potential cheap deaths.



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R-Type Final 2: The Bydo Ship of Doom

THE TRADITIONAL BIG SHIP: Something that can't be omitted in the R-Type universe is to fight a battleship several screens large in size that acts as a boss, and that's what Stage 3.0 brings to the game after your assault on a space station.



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This is what you can call "Profitable Victories".

RESULTS AND REWARDS: Clearing a level is more than just getting bonus points and a "New Record" for your high score there. The game gives you R-Points which is the money of this game since it features a Shop and three types of resources: Solonium, Etherium and Bydogen which are used on another feature; the R-Museum.

SWITCHING IN-BETWEEN: After clearing a level, you are also given the option to select a different ship, making the game more strategic and sometimes much easier depending on which R-Aircraft you choose for the next level. Changing the Arrowhead for the Andromalius is a great idea since the Rodless Force comes really in handy when is detached due to its target locking vulcan.



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YOUR OWN DAMNED FAULT!!!

OUT OF CONTROL: Anyone who is familiar with R-Type will probably be familiarized with the difficulty spikes experienced throughout the series, being kicked back to a checkpoint like the old Gradius games is the most remembered of all. Despite that tendency began on Konami's classic shmup, it became the infamous trademark feature of IREM's shmups, making it "The R-Type Principle" of some sorts. But there's instances where things could simply go out of control and bring newcomers to their knees and that's stage 4.0 where if you lose your force there's almost nothing you can do than burn continues until you ran out of them or quit in disgust since the "Pause-Unpause-Move-Pause-Unpause-Move" trick doesn't help too much there, and don't get me started with the pupa creatures hanging and the shielded things that need to be destroyed with back shots or burning the Dose and clear the whole screen. Well, here's a hint, If you know how to use the R-9AF Andromalius' Rodless Force you are going to have a good chance, otherwise if your only faith is the Arrowhead, then it might be your playthrough that's laid to rest.



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You still have 30 chances left, so keep your failure quotes for later.

GONE BUT NOT DONE (YET): Like in the Master System port of R-Type, you'll start off with limited continues. Although 3 are way too strict for a hard shooter like this one, you'll soon realize you can increase the granted credits as long as you keep playing. The initial 3 credits will increase from 10, to 30, to 99 and finally in Free Play like Super R-Type. There may be thousands of Bydo, but you're worth a million of them. Now you'll have all the chances in the world to stop them, even on R-Typer difficulty.



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Purple: 3 Week Vacation on the Alps
Yellow: 4 Week Tropical Vacation for you and 3 friends
Green: Win $150,000
Silver: Win 20 free pizza orders


MAKING DECISIONS: We know R-Type Final was complex in some aspects, but this time they've pulled something a little different this time. See those four crystals?, while they resemble a Power Up item, they actually decide to which level you'll go next.

Purple > 6.0 > 7.0
Orange > 6.1 > 7.1
Green > 6.2 > 7.2
Silver > Stage 6.1 > 7.1


WHAT IF I DON'T?: If you don't take any of the crystal orbs, the game will continue as normal, defeat the boss, but the game will take you a random stage, for instance 6.2.



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Welcome to the Jungle. We got fun and games.
We got everything you want, honey, we know the names.
We are the people that can find whatever you may need
If you got the money, honey, we got your disease.


IT'S GOOD TO BE BAD: With the stage routes, there's an instance where the game puts you in the role of the enemy. In stage 7.1 you'll become a Bydo System Alpha and you'll have to destroy your former allies like R-9A4 Wave Master and R-9DH3 Concertmaster squadrons and survive the merciless assault of an Earth battleship. ¿How can something this bad be so good for R-Type?



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Mom, I'm on the game's credits!

A HUMAN WORK: Like Mighty No.9, the game credits all the kickstarters who've contributed with the money they've donated to make Granzella/IREM's project possible, putting their names, either real or internet handles to the "Team R-Type Final 2" list. ¿Is your (nick)name among them? Well, that's good for you. Thank you for playing a vital role on the war against the Bydo Empire.

WHICH ENDING IS CANONICAL?: R-Type Final 2 shares the same problem as branched games such as the Darius series, Contra: Hard Corps and Sisters Royale; Which ending is the "canonical" one? My best theory is that Stage 7.0 is the true ending since it is the only one where you make it back alive, but its Granzella/IREM who have the last word about it.



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Looks like the old neighborhood suffered from decades of bad maintenance.

THE IDEA OF RETURNING TO THE "GOOD OL' DAYS" OF R-TYPE: The game features DLC content that includes three small additional small campaigns featuring classic levels from the whole series, like R-Type Delta, R-Type Final, R-Type Leo and of course the first R-Type, giving them a new look with new graphics. When I said small campaigns is because they're shorter than the "Main Course", for instance, DLC 3 is a three stages long covering a stage from Final, one from R-Type II and the first level of R-Type.

CRASH COURSE: Granzella took liberties not just on the level design, but also on some of its layout, but apparently without knowing the consecuences of doing that, being Stage X6.0 (R-Type II) the worst of all as the boss battle has an ever changing layout during a high speed pursuit, turning the whole thing into a nightmare of a crash course that will result in cheap crashes as it has electrified treads that kill you, along with the boss attacks. If you lose your Force and Bits, then abandon all hope, you'll probably end up throwing the controller on a window.

CROSSING OVER: One of the homage DLC stages is the Fortress stage from Image Fight. It makes some sense since the first R-Type Final used the OF series and are carried on here. Hope Granzella-IREM consider to bring a level from In The Hunt sometime.

GONE TACTICAL: Not just the classic R-Type stages are covered in the homage DLC's. Level Y6.0 is based on R-Type Tactics, altough it feels more like an experiment rather than a shmup level. It's like turning a Super Robot Wars level into a Super Mario level.

CRASH COURSE II: The stage Y7.0 Bio Cavity, is basically an exercise of how redesigning a stage turns for the worse, as we have tadpoles that attack from any position, the Gowpers striking you diagonally and the Gomander is more difficult to defeat.



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Sorry, the Dobkeratops you're looking for is taking a vacation on Marina d'or, and I'm taking his place.

UNEXPECTED BOSS CHANGES: One thing is to change the layout of the classic stages, and another (and very different) is to swap bosses for no discernible reason. Stage Y5.0 "Abandoned Lab" (Deserted Lab from R-Type Final) changed the Dobkeratops Mattuchius with a boss from R-Type II/Super R-Type: Subtom Nonosis. Despite being an R-Type II boss, it combines the attack patterns of both bosses and with a faster falling head since the water levels on his container were dropped.


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I don't want to die out, I'm a Type's R Us kid.
They got a million ships at Type's R Us that I can play with.


MORE THAN A MUSEUM: The R Museum is more than just a database for the ships. This is where you can unlock new ships and register them for selection in game.



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Your newely developed Delta comes with Force, Bits and missiles.
10-Year Warranty from Granzella Laboratory is also included.


RESOURCES AND PASSWORDS REQUIRED: However, there's ways to unlock a new ship, from the basic buy with enough resources like specific amounts of Solonium, Etherium and Bydogen to clear specific stages and even with a more cryptic method: Passwords. For instance, to unlock the R-9B Strider you'll have to find slot 24, type "granzella" as password and there's your brand new ship, but sometimes you're gonna need more than just a password. For unlock the R-9A3 Ladylove, you have to develop R-9A2 Delta first, then the slot for the third ship will unlock, type "loveandpeace" as password and you'll get the R-9A3 for free.

WAIT FOR THE NEXT UPDATE: Although some ships require Resources or passwords, clearing a specific stage or all at the same time, there's ships that are "Under development at Granzella Laboratory" and they'll be available when the next update is released, implying once the game gets an update it'll be available for you to unlock.



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He surely has troubles getting his driver's license with such name.

GOTTA CATCH'EM ALL: Bydo lab is basically like the Librarian "Enemy List" from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Although you've might unlock their character description rather than its name, and only one of them requires to play the game in certain difficulties and taking different stage routes and defeat them multiple times to complete their data profile.



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Welcome to IREM-Shack.
For any purchase above 3500RP you'll get 5 free cards of GunForce and Undercover Cops.


MY FAVORITE STORE ON THE CITADEL: This is a new feature for this game. The Shop allows you to buy decorative labels for your R-Aircraft like numbers, japanese symbols and artistic graphics, You can also buy poses for your pilot like in No Man's Sky, suits and helmets with different colors and even stocks of Solonium, Etherium and Bydogen, but these ones can only be purchased once, so don't think about "I can buy those again and again" to develop ships faster. Once you buy a stock of resources, it is sold out permanently.



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Looks like a Jeff Gordon fan with those colors.

FASHIONISTA: The Pilot & Record screen allows you to make a portrait for your pilot with the suit, helmet and even the fighter of your choice. You can also select the pose you want for him and even rename it if you want to use a different name.



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Straight Outta Springfield: R-Simpson.

D'OH!: You can turn your male pilot into a Homer Simpson look-alike with the yellow Pilot Helmet and the White Shirt and Jeans equipped. Fits quite well on those instances that make you say "D'oh!"



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The classic R-Type logo font and the "Final" font from the previous game are timeless.

FREEDOM OF CHOICE: Does anyone hate the new R-Type Final 2 logo?, Change it! After clearing the game on whichever route you've chose, the game will give you the option of changing the title screen with a preset selection of words, the classic R-Type logo and even roman or arabic numbers for the sequel. Want to name it "R-Type Burst" for the sake of throwing a jab at Taito's Dariusburst?, Do it. Want this to be your personal sequel of R-Type Tactics or just call it R-Type Delta II?, It's your call.



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R-Type looks much brighter right now.

UNLOCKABLE STUFF: The game adds an image gallery that unlocks based on what requirements you've attain throughout your gameplay, from buying a specific group of R-Aircrafts to reaching a certain stage and even finishing the game, but there's a little more functionality in the gallery than just pick and view the images.

CHANGE THE WALLPAPER: The title screen looks boring for you? Change it with the images available in the gallery, the same goes for the Now Loading screen. These changeable features gives the player a "You've bought this game and even helped us to make this game possible, Do as you feel" impression as they allow him/her to give the game the personal look they're looking for.

THERE'S MORE THINGS TO DO: Despite the game is complete, Granzella/IREM still have more plans for the game right now, being the inclusion of more stage DLC's, an R-Aircraft album, improving the R-Museum's functionality and new aircraft like the Bydo fighters and ultimate R-Fighters.

YOU ARE NO LONGER TWO, YOU ARE THREE: But the most curious aspect of the list of updates from the company is the change to R-Type Final 3. Sounds quite unusual, the sequel becomes a sequel of itself.



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Revvin'up your engine, listen to her howlin' roar.
Metal under tension, begging you to touch and go.
HIGHWAY TO THE DANGER ZONE!
RIDE INTO THE DANGER ZONE!


REAL GRAPHICS, ALL ACTION: Being on next generations consoles like the XBOX One and the PS4 really helps the game on the graphic aspect, despite being slightly dark as the previous game, but it is suprisingly realistic and overdetailed like the space station entrance in Stage 1.0 or the lining detailings in Stages 3.0 and 6.1, In a spectacular display of visual effects, the screen distorts with the R-9A's fully charged shot impacts and everytime a Dose attack is unleashed. However, the graphic display of details seems to work well on those stages, while the rest of the game feels like an XBOX360 game, the most notorious part is in Stage 7.2, where the texture of the "ice" surfaces look from simple to average and the same goes for the Trans-dimensional Fighter graveyard.

VIBRANT MUSIC FOR A DARK WORLD: One of things that I didn't like of the previous R-Type Final was the way too obscure and dark music almost making it unenjoyable. There's still some darkness in the game's music score but there's some pretty damn good tunes like the first part of Stage 1.0 that feels like a spiritual successor of Harumi Fujita's works (Pulstar and Blazing Star) as it relies on fast upbeat electronic paces blended with piano keys, although it lasts for two minutes or so, and not to mention Stage 6.1 and its dance-rhythmic beat as you descend into the ruins.



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¿So that screech means the Dobkeratops are "Bird-brains"?

LIKE VAST PREDATORY BIRDS: Apparently, Granzella and IREM have a thing for the Red-Tailed Hawk screech. After its use for the Dobkeratops on R-Type Final (blended with a growl), it is used once again for the Dobkeratops in both Stages 1.0 and X7.0, the Yorkmingos from Stage X5.0, and the Subtom Nonosis from Y7.0, but it was pitched up and down to make it sound more alien-ish, but they end up sounding more like stock sound effects for a Pteranodon from a dinosaur documentary since it doesn't fit on either Giger-esque and alien bird-like creatures unless you want to think of the Dobkeratops as if it was an Antediluvian creature from prehistoric times, or think Dobkeratops are just a bunch of "Bird-brained" freaks.

JAPANESE OR INSTRUMENTAL?: Japanese themes are no longer a Japan exclusive anymore, this game allows you to select if you want to hear the ending themes in Japanese or have an instrumental-humming combination. The same thing goes for the English or Japanese selection for the narrations and the "Start sequence" prior to starting the game. The only downside is that the ending themes doesn't display the lyrics or have a translation of them.



R-CURIOSITIES

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A lovely bonus pic for those who're reading this review.

- This game marks the return of R-Type to the shmup genre after the R-Type Tactics series.
- First time in the main R-Type series where a shop is introduced.
- The pilot suit's design is the same of the Space Fighter Pilot Suit DLC from Disaster Report 4.
- This is the final entry of the R-Type series.




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There's a party going on right here, a celebration to last throughout the years.
So bring your good times and your laughter too. We gonna celebrate your party with you, come on now.

CEEEEEELEBRAAAAATIOOOOON!!


If overwhelming challenges, unexpected increases in difficulty and stage branching mechanics are your "Cup of tea", then R-Type Final 2 (soon to be R-Type Final 3) will be an instant favorite for you.
Despite I'm not too much of an R-Typer, I'm still glad R-Type did made a comeback when other veterans like Gradius, Raiden, Thunder Force and Triggerheart Exelica died out. Because in this dog-eats-dog gaming world of Fortnite, Kantai Collection, and Genshin Impact, most people thinks the end is inevitable for shmups and the genre is headed to extinction. So, it's more than obvious that shmup needs a champion to survive and whether we like it or not, R-Type responded and is perhaps the last bastion we have.



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Even Lea is glad to see R-Type back.
Now tell your folks "Buy me R-Type Final 2, or go to Bydo Hell!"
Fan of Transformers, Shmups and Anime-styled Girls. You're teamed up with the right pilot!
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STG Wikias: Thunder Force Wiki - Wikiheart Exelica - Ginga Force Wiki
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