Kritzelkratz 3000, Irem, ININ, and Tozai Games have brought back a classic shoot ’em up with R-Type Dimensions III. The word “classic” gets thrown around a lot when covering games like this (even the official blurb below uses it)… but a classic is a classic, and R-Type has definitely earned that badge the hard way, through blistered thumbs, broken spirits, and decades of loyal fans who keep coming back for “one more go”.

“Building on the legacy of R-Type Dimensions and R-Type Dimensions EX, Dimensions III has been completely re-envisioned with cutting-edge visuals and sounds, expanded gameplay modes, and a range of new features designed to deliver the most definitive modern edition of R-Type’s classic era.”

I ’effing love R-Type. Going way back to the original, released almost forty years ago in 1987. Do you want to know something? I’ve never been particularly good at it, and back in the day, I struggled to get past stage three (I think it took me about twenty-five years to finally finish the game). But that never put me off, I played the hell out of R-Type and its many sequels. It’s one of those series where the difficulty is part of the charm. You don’t beat R-Type so much as you just about survive it, maybe. So I’m always up for playing and reviewing a new game in the long-running franchise.

Okay, before everyone jumps down my throat, R-Type Dimensions III isn’t a “new” game. It was originally released as R-Type III: The Third Lightning on the SNES in 1993. But this version takes the awesomeness of that SNES title and gives it a bit of a modern-day polish, the sort of polish that says: “We know you remember this fondly, but your TV is now the size of a small wall, so here’s something that won’t look like a melted Lego set.”

So, what do you get for your money? Well, you get to fly the iconic R-90 ship to fight against the Bydo Empire. Yeah, the R-Type games were never deep on story, you always fought against the Bydo Empire… and that was about it. But we never played these games for multi-layered storytelling, did we? We played them for heart-pumping, shoot ’em up, arcade action. R-Type is the gaming equivalent of a strong espresso: short, sharp, and guaranteed to put hairs on your chest whether you wanted them to or not.

With R-Type Dimensions III, you can play the original just as it was on the SNES. 16-bit graphics, music, the lot. Yes, this was the first R-Type with the three selectable Forces. And yes, as with pretty much all updated remakes like this, you can add scanlines to give your modern TV that CRT look. So if you loved the 1993 original, you’re going to be very happy. But… “What about the updates!”, I hear you cry. Well, I’m getting to those next.

R-Type Dimensions III gives R-Type III: The Third Lightning a modern graphical overhaul. With the simple tap of a button, you can go from 16-bit pixel classic to modern HD shiny 3D polygons. With a tap of a different button, you can make the screen angle about 25° and give the game a kind of 3D perspective (called “crazy” setting). Between you and me though, I didn’t much like it (you can see the edge of the screen and where enemies spawn in, etc) and stuck with the normal perspective. The “crazy” angle feels like someone tilted the screen while you were playing it, interesting, but not something you’d want to live with.

You also get modern remixes of the classic music, which sound great. There’s a two-player co-op mode (the SNES original was two-player, but not co-op). You can customise the controls. And there’s an Infinite Mode that gives you unlimited lives and lets you play directly from the point you died. No more going back to checkpoints or (sometimes) to the start of the level. It’s basically the “I’m too old for this” mode, and honestly, I appreciate it… because I am too old for this.

I have no problem admitting that playing on Infinite Mode was the only way I could get to the end credits on this. Because R-Type Dimensions III is difficult. Proper old-school, kick you hard in the nuts, and then the game sends you the cleaning bill for its shoes difficult. The kind of difficulty that’ll send Dark Souls players crying to their mom… and that’s on the normal setting, you can make the game even more difficult. I don’t know if this is a jaded memory, or just the fact that I turn fifty in a few weeks and the old reflexes aren’t as sharp as they used to be. I do remember finishing R-Type III: The Third Lightning on the SNES, I remember it being a massive achievement, and I’m sure it wasn’t this hard. But this is said to be a one-to-one, carbon copy. Maybe the SNES controller gave me superpowers. Maybe I was simply younger and angrier. Who knows.

Another confession I have to make… I really didn’t like the modern 3D graphics. I tried, I really tried, but they just didn’t work for me at all. The game just feels right in 16-bit mode, so I stuck with it. I did give the button a tap every level to see what the new visuals looked like, and they are nice and all… but for me, R-Type Dimensions III looked and played better with the original SNES aesthetics. I think it has something to do with all the Mode 7 work that the SNES was famous for. It’s nostalgic and still appealing today, and you don’t get that appeal when you have the modern graphics on. The 3D models are technically impressive, but they lack that gritty, biomechanical weirdness that pixel art somehow nails effortlessly.

Out now on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch. R-Type Dimensions III comes with a price tag of around £30… and I feel that’s a bit steep, if I’m being honest. As much as I do adore this game (and I do), you don’t get a huge amount of refinements, and if you’re like me, you’ll probably just stick with the original 16-bit graphics… so just play the original. Gamers just expect, and deserve, more for their money when they’re paying for a several-decade-old game.

If this came with more options, more refinements (you can’t even do the standard save states or rewind, etc), it might’ve been worth £30. If it had new levels made just for this version, new ships/Forces with different stats, and new weapons. If it had a readable history of the franchise, artwork, a dive into what R-Type was and its influence. It just needed more to warrant that £30 asking price. Even with the nice HD, 3D graphics, the updated music, etc, we are still talking about an arcade shooter that is over thirty years old. There’s not a great deal of longevity here. As great as R-Type is as a franchise, the games are not really known for their replay value… especially as they’re so damn difficult.

My advice? If you are a R-Type nut (like me) and really want this game, wait until it drops in price and pick it up for closer to £20. R-Type Dimensions III is good… it’s just not £30 good. While you wait for a price drop, see if you can seek out a copy of R-Type Final 2, because that is crammed with gameplay and variables… and it has been updated to now be R-Type Final 3.