November 2021 Shmup Club - R-Type III

[MetalFRO]

I played for around 2 hours last night on stream, and having no illusions that I'm going to have any shred of a chance to 1CC the game this month, I just credit spammed to try and get through as many checkpoints as I could. The stage 2 boss is still a sticking point, and a difficult fight, mostly because of the need to properly time hyper charge shots at the eye when it's open, and though it only takes 5 or 6 (I think a direct hit does more damage than hitting it with the hyper charge shot's periphery) to take it down, weaving between the flying eyeballs and the yellow orbs can be tricky, while also paying attention to what the main eye itself is doing.

I just wanted to ask a dumb question to make sure I'm on the same page. When you say "hyper charge", what does it say at the bottom of the screen? There are two types of second-tier charges. One is a big blast all at once (I think this says "BEAM"), and the other is a shotgun followed by machine gun (this one says "HYPER"). For default controls, the R button swaps between the two.

And hey, so far as I'm concerned, credit spamming is the first step to a 1CC!

Thanks for asking the question - it is most certainly not dumb! I didn't realize there was second tier of charge shots. I guess I'm talking about the BEAM then. I need to look into the other tier, apparently

[Golem]

The stage 4 boss is pretty rough, but I'm getting slightly more consistent with practice. The best strategy I can figure so far is to hit it as consistently as I can muster with the hyper charge: https://clips.twitch.tv/W...tOhMyDog-hIVVBNBKDRiNSLXW The gist is that I want the fast portion of the boss fight to be over as quick as possible.

[EZ Racer]

Playing this game has got me thinking about what the best shmups on the SNES are, because this definitely ranks among them. Great music, great controls, very difficult but at least in the early stages seems fair. It's a tough call between this and Gradius III, although it doesn't quite get into the level of enjoyment that U.N. Squadron and Space Megaforce bring.

[MetalFRO]

I managed to get the farthest in R-Type III I've ever been this evening. Mind you, I'm still credit feeding, but I had my best run up until part way through stage 2, and I had my best run through stage 4, and managed to finally beat that boss. I also got through stage 5 and its boss, and made it part way through stage 6!

@EZ Racer - I know what you mean. R-Type III is impressive, and is a strong game, from what I'm seeing so far. But I'm not sure it tops UN Squadron or Space Megaforce.

[FauxMacho]

I got a late start but I've been plugging though for the last week. On my first ever run I cleared the first stage perfectly. Ever since it has been giving me trouble. It is too long and I think I just get bored and lazy. There's a few instant death spots in the first stage which is surprising, like the platform that speeds in from the right to destroy the 3rd Mech.

In general this game is beating me up. I used save states to push my way through the whole game, so now I'll start doing some official runs. I got to stage 3 on a credit and 116,060 points. Not sure if we are as interested scores this month since even an infinity CC is an accomplishment.

One nice thing about this game is the enemy variety. Even late game new designs appear. Shikhondo was way light on that.

And what Force Device is everyone selecting at the start? I like the Type 1 Round Force since I'm familiar with it. Type 2 Shadow Force doesn't seem to fit my style. And Type 3 Cyclone Force with the blue powerup seems pretty perfect for much of the game.

[Golem]

I beat the game with states a few nights ago, and just last night I cleared stage 6 alone on one credit. My next step is to get a clear on stages 5 and 6 together in a single credit. Watching a GBG stream helped me on stage 5 boss strategies in particular.

And what Force Device is everyone selecting at the start? I like the Type 1 Round Force since I'm familiar with it. Type 2 Shadow Force doesn't seem to fit my style. And Type 3 Cyclone Force with the blue powerup seems pretty perfect for much of the game.

I've been using round force. It says it's for "ACE PILOTS," but it's not that big a difference. The shadow force seems bad, I would like to see someone make good use of it.

The stage 4 boss and the final boss are the most distinct moments in the game. The stage 4 boss is tantamount to random because there are no safe spots to exploit, and it moves so quickly. The final boss' "call to arms" is literally random. Because there's very limited knowledge you can leverage, they seem to rely more on reflexes. On the other hand, I got better at them just by replaying them over and over. I am wondering to what extent muscle memory plays a role here, if there is some kind of non-conscious memory that I'm not appreciating.

[EZ Racer]

Sat down, and credit fed my way to some real progress tonight. Made it to Stage 5. I know everyone has complained about the Stage 4 boss, but I found it to be a lot of fun, reminding me a bit of bosses in action platformers where you're constantly moving and reacting.

I hope that when R-Type III is covered on the podcast, plenty is said about the creative design to this game. It's really hard for me to think of games of the same era that use as much creativity in the use of elements, and still pays close attention to detail. I mean, it's still a treat to me every time I see the red robot blow up in stage 1, partly because right before it explodes it looks behind itself. These types of small details are littered throughout the game, but add a ton of character and make the game that much more distinct. Level 2's acid changing the stage, level 4's routing of a maze both forward and reverse, backgrounds that continuously affect the level design, and all kinds of others.

[MetalFRO]

I got a late start but I've been plugging though for the last week. On my first ever run I cleared the first stage perfectly. Ever since it has been giving me trouble. It is too long and I think I just get bored and lazy. There's a few instant death spots in the first stage which is surprising, like the platform that speeds in from the right to destroy the 3rd Mech.

In general this game is beating me up. I used save states to push my way through the whole game, so now I'll start doing some official runs. I got to stage 3 on a credit and 116,060 points. Not sure if we are as interested scores this month since even an infinity CC is an accomplishment.

One nice thing about this game is the enemy variety. Even late game new designs appear. Shikhondo was way light on that.

And what Force Device is everyone selecting at the start? I like the Type 1 Round Force since I'm familiar with it. Type 2 Shadow Force doesn't seem to fit my style. And Type 3 Cyclone Force with the blue powerup seems pretty perfect for much of the game.

I had the same thing happen, where I cleared stage 1 w/o issue the 1st 2 times, then I struggled with it some, and kept getting caught by the red mech, or something else late stage. Even the other night on stream, I got distracted, and took a stage 1 death.

I'm using the Cyclone Force (3rd one). And yes, that with the blue laser power-up is fairly OP, which makes it ideal for most of the game, particularly because of how much ground you cover, and the AOE you get when it impacts stuff.

I've been using round force. It says it's for "ACE PILOTS," but it's not that big a difference. The shadow force seems bad, I would like to see someone make good use of it.

The stage 4 boss and the final boss are the most distinct moments in the game. The stage 4 boss is tantamount to random because there are no safe spots to exploit, and it moves so quickly. The final boss' "call to arms" is literally random. Because there's very limited knowledge you can leverage, they seem to rely more on reflexes. On the other hand, I got better at them just by replaying them over and over. I am wondering to what extent muscle memory plays a role here, if there is some kind of non-conscious memory that I'm not appreciating.

The Shadow Force is interesting, but I think it might be one of those things you use when you've beat the game and want to go through it again and give yourself a challenge. I couldn't quite get the hang of it. Stage 4 boss I will agree - no real safe spots, and it's a lot of reading the orbs and their position while the background is rotating. The only way I could see to find some consistency is to determine which weapon to use, and trigger each phase very specifically at certain points, so you can make it more predictable. Without save states, it seems like that would be maddening.

Sat down, and credit fed my way to some real progress tonight. Made it to Stage 5. I know everyone has complained about the Stage 4 boss, but I found it to be a lot of fun, reminding me a bit of bosses in action platformers where you're constantly moving and reacting.

I hope that when R-Type III is covered on the podcast, plenty is said about the creative design to this game. It's really hard for me to think of games of the same era that use as much creativity in the use of elements, and still pays close attention to detail. I mean, it's still a treat to me every time I see the red robot blow up in stage 1, partly because right before it explodes it looks behind itself. These types of small details are littered throughout the game, but add a ton of character and make the game that much more distinct. Level 2's acid changing the stage, level 4's routing of a maze both forward and reverse, backgrounds that continuously affect the level design, and all kinds of others.

We'll have to make sure to read your post on the podcast, so that we can have you make those points for us

You're right, though. It does make the world of the game feel a bit more alive, because you're interacting with the scenery, and it's interacting with itself, in more ways than just crashing into walls. It gives a certain weight to each environment, because they're a vital part of the overall experience, and not just set dressing for the action. They become a crucial part of the level design, and change the nature of the challenge presented.

[BlurSTG]

Well I def came in super late to the party this month. I fell into a deep hole of playing Cave and Bullet Hells and had to pull myself out before November was over lmao. I've spent 3 days with R-Type III so far, getting better each day. Today I made it to stage 5 on one credit, so hoping to at least grab the 1CC before the month ends! Hope everyone else is enjoying this badass game!

[MetalFRO]

You're killing it, dude! As you saw on my stream last night, I was toiling on some of the worst checkpoints in the game, and still having difficulty with the stage 4 boss. I know the route through stage 4, I just have trouble executing it flawlessly. If I could do that, and reach the boss with powerups, I might stand a slightly better chance, though the constant threat of running into the purple orbs is still an issue.

[FauxMacho]

Absolutely that Stage 4 boss is ROUGH. I've completed another run, this time using just continues and not states. Dying is so punishing. Most checkpoints give you 2, not the full 3, powerups before bosses. I'm hoping this clear is a breakthrough and I can get another run done faster. Might take a tally of the # of continues I used, this run was easily a 100+ credit clear, I left the game on for days.

[FauxMacho]

Oh wow. Okay quick pro tip if you haven't found it already. If you have the Type 3 Cyclone Force, on the 4th stage boss, release the force. It will (sloppily) target the boss and end the fight WAY quicker.

[Golem]

Regarding the third phase of the stage 4 boss, I think it takes eight chirps/four direct hits with the second tier BEAM charge. I kept moving from one strategy to another. I settled on this:
-Open the fight with a hyper charge
-Hyper charge clears the first two phases
-Hyper charge does about half the health of the third phase
-Ride out the cooldown
-Make sure to stay in the horizontal middle of the screen
-Finish it off with second tier beam (NOT hyper)

It did take a lot of grinding in muscle memory, though.

It really is a shame about stage 4. The stage is shallow memorization, and the boss is a test of reflex that doesn't really fit the game. It's a shame because so much of the game stresses analysis in a way that fits the R-Type name.

I like the stage 6 beetles most of all. They have a lot of health, so it takes a good deal of time to kill them (whether that's charge time beforehand or time spent shooting directly). That's a big commitment, so you don't get many opportunities to kill them. So, it's important to know (analysis) exactly when it's best to take them out. However, they move slowly and predictably, so they don't pose any challenge to reflexes. This slow, unflinching threat characterizes R-Type, I think.

Something unusual for R-Type is that the beetles track your position. You can kite them into walls to kill them. This indirect layer of interplay is super cool!

I also got a clear!

[MetalFRO]

I saw your clear video pop up in my feed, Golem, so I started watching it, but haven't finished quite yet. I want to see your strategy for the final boss, but it looks like you have a pretty solid route through the final stage, something I struggle with.

@FauxMacho - a 100+ credit clear is still a win, in my book. I haven't managed to get that far yet

[MetalFRO]

Anyone have final thoughts on the game for the month? Did anyone try the GBA version? I haven't booted it up yet, but plan to, prior to the podcast recording. I've heard it's kind of an abomination, so it will be interesting to compare.