R-TYPE / MSX emulator
0R-Type[a] is a horizontal-scrolling shooter arcade game developed and released by Irem in 1987. The player controls a star ship, the R-9 "Arrowhead", in its efforts to destroy the Bydo, a powerful alien race bent on wiping out all of mankind. The R-9 can acquire a glowing orb-like device called a "Force", protecting it from enemy fire and providing additional firepower. In North America, it was distributed by Nintendo.
R-Type was the first game to run on Irem's 16-bit M72 arcade system. Initially a joke among staff, the Force was based on dung beetles. The development team drew inspiration from Gradius, Aliens and works by H.R. Giger. Music was composed by Masato Ishizaki, while character design was done by "AKIO". The game's title stems from the word "ray", as in a ray of light, in reference to the player's ray-like weapons used throughout the game.
R-Type was celebrated by critics for its graphics and addictive gameplay, although would receive criticism for its high difficulty level. It is commonly cited as one of the best shoot-em-up video games, as well as one of the greatest video games of all time. Its success would prompt the creation of several sequel and spin-off games, alongside home ports and releases for digital distribution services. A remake of the game was released as R-Type DX for the Game Boy Color in 2000, while a 3D remake, R-Type Dimensions, was released for the Xbox 360 in 2009 and later to the Nintendo Switch in 2018.