R-Type Dimensions III PC Review

Gameplay

Graphics

Audio

Value

Summary: R-Type Dimension III, the classic but with modern polish... or all flash and no substance?

2.8

R-Type Redo

R-Type is one of those legendary games — even if you never played it, chances are you knew of it. With clear inspiration from Alien and Giger (that Dobkeratops certainly looks familiar), it was always a visual feast… but the gameplay was very much an acquired taste.

R-Type Dimensions III endeavours to bring the game to a modern audience with updated graphics and audio, whilst providing an option to play with the classic‑style graphics and sound for the retro fans. There are also a few bonus features to give things a bit of a new feel, such as infinite mode (respawn on death so you can keep playing from where you died), a 3D camera mode — “normal” and “crazy” — and you can also play local co‑op with enhanced new scoring and survival mechanics.

I’m clearly not very good at this sort of game. It has been said it’s more about memorising the enemy positions than anything else… I wasn’t expecting that to also extend to memorising the environment’s positions and movements. I died many, many times! Fortunately, the infinite mode allows you to keep playing (the only real drawback is you won’t be competing on any scoreboards… I’m fine with that). This has two benefits. If, like me, you just can’t get very far on the normal level, it allows you to play all the way through the game and enjoy the visuals and the overall “vibe”. It also means that if you want to have a serious go at it, you can play through a few times, learn the positions, and be better prepared for when you want to try and play through normally.

The ability to switch between classic and modern versions of the game is a fun idea and seems to work fine, but there are some quirks between the two. The sound levels and quality seem quite different from one to the other (yes, obviously the more modern version should sound clearer… but it doesn’t always sound “better”). I also got the feeling that the classic version was easier to navigate. I don’t know whether that’s because the visuals were less distracting or perhaps the hitboxes were slightly different, but it certainly felt easier to make progress on the classic mode.

I’m not entirely sure the modern audio is that well done either… now granted I’m somewhat between audio solutions at the moment so I’m limited to stereo… but the updated music and sound effects seemed to lack depth… there didn’t seem to be any real punch to them. The classic audio had that pleasingly retro sound to them… that low-fi charm of the classics… but the modern versions just didn’t really seem to land right. I’m not entirely sure what it was… but something seemed a bit off and made it all seem a bit less impactful.

Final Thoughts

I think there is a very select market for R-Type Dimensions III — fans of the original and gamers who love a very tough game that requires as much memorising of levels as it does twitchy finesse. For everyone else, I think this might be worth giving a miss. For the current price, it’s a steep ask for something that you might well either have a few attempts at before deciding it’s just too hard, or set to infinite and play through the whole thing and not see much point in going back (unless you love trying to beat high scores).

Perhaps give it a miss unless you are a hardcore fan and need to collect all versions.

About the Author

Chris O'Connor Father of four, husband of one and all round oddity. Gaming at home since about 1982 with a Sinclair ZX Spectrum. Moving on to the more traditional PC genre in the years that followed with the classic Jump Joe and Alley Cat. CGA, EGA, VGA and beyond PC's have been central to my gaming but I've also enjoyed consoles and hand helds along the way (who remembers the Atari Lynx?). Would have been actor/film maker, jack of many trades master of none.

R-Type Dimensions III PC Review