R-Type

R-Type is the horizontal shooter that invented the modern shoot-'em-up structure: a single ship, a single mechanic that you build your whole run around, and level design that asks you to use it in a new way every stage.

That mechanic is the Force. It is a detachable pod that docks to your ship and doubles your firepower, and it can be launched forward as a separate projectile that damages everything it touches and acts as a shield. When it is docked it absorbs enemy fire; when it is free it kills things; when it is docked to the back of your ship it protects your rear. The entire game is built around deciding where the Force is, and the level design punishes you for getting it wrong. Add to that the Wave Cannon - a chargeable beam that clears a screen-width line of enemies - and a genuinely nasty set of enemies that include Dobkeratops, the biomechanical boss that introduced the whole series' signature grotesque alien art direction. It is a hard game, and it is also the most influential shooter on the system.

• ▸The Force pod - a detachable weapon, shield and rear defence in one
• ▸Wave Cannon charge beam that clears a screen-width line
• ▸Level design built around Force placement decisions
• ▸Dobkeratops and the biomechanical art direction the series kept