Strike at the heart of the Bydo Empire in R-Type DX!
One of the most popular arcade shoot ‘em ups, R-Type is a huge game with difficult stages and monstrous bosses. In the early 1990s, Irem brought the first two entries to the small, monochrome screen of the Game Boy, both technical marvels. With the Game Boy Color, Irem combined those two games, along with color-enhanced versions, into an action-packed cartridge in R-Type DX in 1999. Now, we are bringing this classic back, along with music releases on vinyl and CD. Prepare to blast through waves of aliens to protect Earth from the Bydo Empire!
R-Type DX - Collector's Edition
Save the Earth from the Bydo Empire!
A deep-space probe has discovered a massive invasion force from the Bydo Empire heading straight for Earth. A full-scale assault would doom the planet, so our only chance is for a single pilot to take the latest R-Type fighter to penetrate their defenses and destroy the empire's forces with precision before they can strike. Now you can own five games in one! R-Type and R-Type II in classic and color-enhanced versions, plus a new R-Type DX mode that combines both games into a single continuous playthrough.
A deep-space probe has discovered a massive invasion force from the Bydo Empire heading straight for Earth. A full-scale assault would doom the planet, so our only chance is for a single pilot to take the latest R-Type fighter to penetrate their defenses and destroy the empire's forces with precision before they can strike. Now you can own five games in one! R-Type and R-Type II in classic and color-enhanced versions, plus a new R-Type DX mode that combines both games into a single continuous playthrough.
OPEN PRE-ORDERS ARE AVAILABLE THROUGH NOVEMBER 1, 2026!
Quantities will be available through independent game shops once it is released.
MSRP $44.99 USD | $64.99 CAD | €69,99 EUR
R-Type DX - Limited Run Games Edition
Save the Earth from the Bydo Empire!
A deep-space probe has discovered a massive invasion force from the Bydo Empire heading straight for Earth. A full-scale assault would doom the planet, so our only chance is for a single pilot to take the latest R-Type fighter to penetrate their defenses and destroy the empire's forces with precision before they can strike. Now you can own five games in one! R-Type and R-Type II in classic and color-enhanced versions, plus a new R-Type DX mode that combines both games into a single continuous playthrough.
A deep-space probe has discovered a massive invasion force from the Bydo Empire heading straight for Earth. A full-scale assault would doom the planet, so our only chance is for a single pilot to take the latest R-Type fighter to penetrate their defenses and destroy the empire's forces with precision before they can strike. Now you can own five games in one! R-Type and R-Type II in classic and color-enhanced versions, plus a new R-Type DX mode that combines both games into a single continuous playthrough.
OPEN PRE-ORDERS ARE AVAILABLE THROUGH NOVEMBER 1, 2026!
MSRP $44.99 USD
May 1987
The original R-Type arcade game was a massive success and topped many critics' lists across Japan, North America, and Europe that year. The evil cyber-organic Bydo Empire has Earth in its sights, and it is up to the pilot of the space fighter R-9A Arrowhead to strike at the enemy's heart before it takes over. The visuals were vibrant and detailed, featuring H.R. Giger-inspired enemies in various sizes. The Force Pod mechanic created innovative gameplay scenarios, and the Wave Cannon required players to be skillful rather than just spamming attacks. All that created an atmosphere where it didn't matter that the game was already very difficult (even by Japanese standards); players were happy to pump more coins into the arcade.
It was ported onto just about every console, PC, pocket device, and smartphone throughout the years. It has also had a fair number of remakes and remasters. Most retro fans will highlight the PC Engine/Turbografx-16 port as the most arcade-accurate of them all.
It was ported onto just about every console, PC, pocket device, and smartphone throughout the years. It has also had a fair number of remakes and remasters. Most retro fans will highlight the PC Engine/Turbografx-16 port as the most arcade-accurate of them all.
November 1989
The anticipated release of R-Type II came a couple of years later, becoming another success. The Bydo Empire left behind a secret base during its initial invasion, and now they threaten Earth once again, but with increased ferocity. Now you're piloting the R-9C War-Head with a new Wave Cannon. Once again, the graphics were praised for even more detail and environmental effects to soften the blow of the brutal difficulty. Once again, the CD-quality audio and visuals allowed the PC Engine/Turbografx-16 port to capture most of that arcade magic.
In 1991, Super R-Type was released on the Super Famicom and SNES. This was a mashup of R-Type II that had the second half of the first game's stages and new stages utilizing the second game's visuals.
In 1991, Super R-Type was released on the Super Famicom and SNES. This was a mashup of R-Type II that had the second half of the first game's stages and new stages utilizing the second game's visuals.
March 1991
Bits Studios and Irem released R-Type for the Game Boy, which was widely seen as a technical marvel. The portable console was not known to have many shoot 'em ups. It provided smooth scrolling and sprite animation despite the hardware limitations. Even as a portable game, it was just as difficult as the original, especially with the limited field of view.
December 1992
Once again, Irem tasked Bits Studios with porting R-Type II to the Game Boy. Once again, this was a technical marvel, putting the action on the small screen. It was released only in Europe and Japan.
June 1999
Over six years later, Bits Studios was brought back to work on a new R-Type. This time, Irem decided to release the original two Game Boy titles with new Color Enhanced versions, along with a DX Mode that lets players run through both games back-to-back on a single cartridge. This time, it got a worldwide release. Just like its predecessors, reviewers lauded the incredible details and action ported onto the small screen with color-enhanced versions.
April 2026
R-TYPE DX: Music Encore was released by City Connection for the Switch, PS4, Xbox Series S|X, and PC. It includes all the original features while also adding rewind functionality, quick save/load, rapid fire, and full power-ups. The major feature is the addition of several new music tracks for stages that had normally used the same music as other stages. This was done with music producer Tetsuro Sato, aka WASi303, using special techniques and hardware.
September 2026
Retro-Bit Publishing launched open pre-orders for R-Type DX Collector's Edition as well as a Limited Run Games Exclusive Edition. Paired with this release is the R-Type DX Soundtrack on both vinyl and music CD. Open pre-orders launched September 15, 2026 with an estimated delivery by early 2027.
©IREM SOFTWARE ENGINEERING, INC.
©CITY CONNECTION CO., LTD.