Which R-Type?

Japan’s PC Engine release split the arcade game across cards labelled R-Type I and R-Type II, a naming trap, since the second card is not the arcade sequel R-Type II. The 1989 North American TurboGrafx-16 card, the version chosen here, holds all eight stages of the 1987 arcade original.

Finding a safe position

You learn a passage before you cross it cleanly. The Force can shield the front or back of the ship or be sent ahead on its own, and charging a shot means choosing a moment when ordinary fire can stop. As the corridors narrow, the scrolling scenery becomes a moving trap.

Losing your weapons makes recovery hard, so judge an attempt by what it taught you about a section, and use save states to practise it.

Release record

  • PC Engine1989 · North America · complete eight-stage card
    HuCard
    TurboGrafx-16 and the North American TurboChip edition. No CD expansion.

First released worldwide in 1987. The records above list the console editions this feature covers.

Sources and further reading4 references
  1. R-Type sales flyer ↗Irem / Nintendo of America; preserved by the International Arcade Museum · Accessed 2026-10-27

    1987 arcade promotional record, separate from the 1989 North American home edition covered here.

  2. R-Type Releases ↗MobyGames · Accessed 2026-10-27

    Secondary release and port-credit catalogue. Used for Irem original / Hudson conversion attribution, not disputed exact release days.

  3. R-TYPE ↗Original publisher manual, preserved by Konami · Accessed 2026-10-27

    Original North American eight-stage TurboChip edition. The Japanese split release is a different packaging of the same game, not the arcade sequel.

  4. PC Engine mini: Game List ↗Konami · Accessed 2026-10-27

    Japanese and North American software editions and their respective years. Installed mini software is a documented playing route, not a claim about current hardware stock.