Game review: R-Type Delta: HD Boosted (Xbox Series X)
The R-Type series has been going on for nearly 40 years now, with the first game in the franchise releasing way back in 1987. Over the years, newer games have been released, as well as a lot of remasters and ports.
This year, another remaster has been released as the 1998 version of R-Type Delta is finally available for modern systems. R-Type Delta was originally only available for the PSOne, but the new version called R-Type Delta: HD Boosted is now available for PC, PlayStation, Xbox and the Nintendo Switch.
R-Type started out as a 2D-only series, but this PSOne version introduced 3D models and environments. The game is still a 2D side-scrolling shoot-em-up, but it has that classic PSOne-style look from the late '90s.
R-Type Delta: HD Boosted, on the other hand, finally makes the game's leap to the HD era. The low resolution graphics and jagged edges of the original have now been smoothed out for this modern release. The game looks better to play if you own an HD or 4K display.
Another new feature of this release is that you have the choice between two soundtracks. You can listen to a new, revamped version of the soundtrack, or you can just opt to play the original PSOne score instead.
The last new feature to come to the game is some much-needed quality-of-life tools. The most helpful new feature is the Practise Mode. If you have unlocked the necessary levels in the game, you can practice with infinite lives to memorise the position of enemies and their firepower.
As for the gameplay, R-Type Delta: HD Boosted is fairly simple to play, but hard to master. You pilot a ship travelling from left to right, and your goal is to pretty much shoot everything in sight. You are up against an invading enemy army with lots of ships and mechs of their own. Not to mention, you will also have to kill a number of mutated wildlife, too.
Control-wise, there aren't too many buttons to remember while playing this game. I usually love to hold the right trigger so I can kill lots of enemies using the game's Rapid Shot. You can also use a Force by pressing A and shoot a different weapon by pressing Y on Xbox consoles.
Lastly, you can speed up or slow down by pressing LB or the left trigger. Moving around constantly is a big must in this game because a combination of debris and firepower from enemies can destroy your ship in one collision!
Overall, the game is very fun because there is a lot of action and unique bosses to fight at the end of levels. You can also collect tons of power-ups that can increase your firepower against enemies. Some of the upgrades include missiles, lasers, and other types of unique weaponry.
The only thing that might dampen your experience with this game is its difficulty. Even though this game has three difficulty settings, the annoying part about the game is that you have to start the game from the beginning if you lose all of your lives!
There is no option to save the game at any time, nor is there a rewind option in this remaster, either. The developers sure wanted to keep the original game's difficulty, which might be hard for newer players in this genre.
Another thing I didn't like about the gameplay is that your spaceship cannot shoot backwards. Sometimes enemies like to creep up from behind, but you don't have the ability to shoot in other directions apart from forward. Only some power-ups shoot in other directions, but they never shoot from the rear.
R-Type Delta should have allowed you to shoot 360 degrees in all directions so that you can prevent enemies from getting cheap shots in your blind spots. Alas, you just have to have a twitchy finger and avoid any enemies from behind and hope for the best.
While R-Type Delta: HD Boosted is a good remaster, the difficulty of the game ruins the experience somewhat. The game should have allowed you to have more checkpoints and have the ability to shoot from behind. Without these features, it can be a frustrating experience.
Verdict: 7.0/10
