R-Type II 1989

Is it still worth playing?

Irem's 1989 horizontally scrolling arcade shooter, the sequel to R-Type. You fly the R-9C, an improved version of the first game's ship. It has a Wave Cannon with a new charge level, five weapon types and a new bomb for ground targets. It has six levels, fewer than before, but with many more enemies, tougher ones, more bullets and trickier movements and terrain. The levels run from a ruined Bydo base through a giant cave and a fight with several huge battleships to shifting terrain and the Bydo home planet. When your ship is destroyed you return to a checkpoint, and the true ending only shows after you finish the levels a second time at increased difficulty. Checkpoints and a charged cannon make each section something to learn and retry, and that rhythm is still how it plays.