R-TYPE 128K

Author: Easter Egg Released: 2012

It’s often said in gaming circles Irem’s 1987 R-Type was one of the games which changed the shoot ‘em up genre forever. A traditional single ship mission in the vain of Scramble, but with a massive arsenal of weapons, complex levels, oodles of alien fodder to dispose of, a memorable soundtrack and a storyline that could make George Lucas blush. R-Type had a massive impact on the ‘shmups’, and many attempts to copy the format have been made since. An enormous hit in the arcades, the game was ported to every home computer of the day. At the skilled hands of Bob Pape, the ZX Spectrum conversion was a triumph, the C64 version ran into difficulties and the CPC… well, it was okay. Released in 1988, the original Amstrad version of R-Type was a sluggish and silent Spectrum port, quickly rushed to market, and it showed. However, given that the coder Keith A Goodyer had less than a month to finish it, he did a pretty tidy, if an underwhelming job, of

Above & Below: Move over lame Speccy port! The difference between the original and remake is astounding! converting Bob Pape’s fantastic original.

I and others had always wondered if R-Type could’ve been done better on the Amstrad. Shoot ‘em ups can be pretty outstanding on the platform when you look at the likes of Out of This World and Relentless. My musings were answered with aplomb in 2012 when an ensemble of coders came together as the group Easter Egg. They remade R-Type from the ground up—promising everything in full colour, a complete soundtrack and more importantly, the fast and high-intensity gameplay the game should demand from the player. And, of course, the maddening difficulty.

PRESENTATION 92%

Simply stunning! Presented to a high standard that closely mimics the arcade original.

GRAPHICS 93%

Well drawn, vibrant and colourful levels and sprites. Bye, bye Speccy port! Hello to what CPC owners deserve!

SOUND 96%

An absolute triumph! Faithfully recreated to sound just like the arcade.

ADDICTIVENESS 83%

You’ll be addicted, simple as that!

LASTABILITY 90%

A tough challenge that will keep you hooked and entertained for ages.

OVERALL 92%