Play R-Type Online

Summary

The Game Boy version of R-Type squeezes the classic horizontal shooter into a handheld format without losing the series’ signature mechanics. You pilot the sleek R‑9 "Arrowhead" starship, hunting the alien Bydo while juggling a rapid‑fire main gun and the charge‑up Wave Cannon. The real star of the show is the orange Force orb – it can latch to the front or rear of your ship to grant extra firepower, or break free to act as an indestructible shield that blocks enemy shots and smashes foes on contact. Levels unfold at a deliberately slower tempo compared to other shooters, forcing you to memorize enemy patterns across eight distinct stages, each capped by a towering boss. The title’s “R‑” actually stands for “ray,” a nod to the beam‑based weapons that define the franchise, and the game later received a color‑enhanced remake, R‑Type DX, on the Game Boy Color in 2000.

Storyline

In R-Type for Game Boy, the cosmos is under siege by the alien Bydo and its legion of mutants. They’re wreaking havoc across the galaxy and have set their sights on Earth.

The only hope lies with the player, who pilots the R‑9 “Arrowhead” starship – the iconic R‑TYPE vessel. Armed with its powerful weapons, you must cut through swarms of enemies.

Your mission is to destroy the Bydo threat and prevent the catastrophic calamity that would wipe out humanity, saving the Blue Planet from annihilation.