by Filippo DinolfoThe R-Type series has been a long-time favorite of mine. I’ve played them all, except for the handheld releases. Being visually impaired, that was unpassable ground for me. So I missed out on the Game Boy ports and on the Tactics games released for the PSP. Since then, emulation has helped in filling in the titles I missed, but R-Type Tactics II has been mostly impenetrable, unless you wanted to delve into the world of patching PSP ISOs. With this collection, though, we get a complete, official translation that brings everything up to par with the recent games Granzella has been releasing.
Along with the first two games, there is also a twelve level Epilogue that opens up after completing R-Type Tactics II. This game is not light in content. In fact for some, it may be downright daunting.
The first thing to bear in mind when picking up R-Type Tactics I+II Cosmos is the fact that the game does absolutely no handholding. You will begin the game, be given mission objectives, and a list of units, and you have to figure it out. There is a comprehensive manual and an Archives section, which are indispensable for getting anywhere in this game. This is the type of game that asks a lot of a player up front, but rewards them for making the time investment with a very rich, very intricate tactical RPG.
Exploring The Darkness
The older R-Type games always had this undercurrent of something nasty going on behind the scenes, but it was easy to miss when you were busy dodging bullets or navigating tight spaces. Tactics doesn’t let you ignore it. The story starts out looking like another “humanity versus the alien horde” deal, but it doesn’t stay that simple for long.
As things get more perilous, you start having to scavenge and adapt Bydo tech just to keep up. The game doesn’t treat this like a free power-up. There’s a real cost to it—one that shows up in how your forces change and in the bigger picture the story is painting. It’s one of the few times the series has made the lore feel like it actually matters to what you’re doing on the field.
R-Type Meets Tactical Grid
The main gameplay loop is similar to what you find in most tactical RPGs. You’ll assign your units, assess their capabilities, then deploy them on the grid. Unlike the typical overhead grid from most games in this genre, R-Type Tactics I+II Cosmos flips things on their side, resembling a very slow, very methodical shmup.
Some concepts from the shooters, like the player and enemies only ever facing one direction, are strictly retained here, and they’re worked into the tactical mechanics. This manifests as attacks mimicking those of the shooters. Some attacks have a cone-shaped range; others can arc around behind a ship; others, like the Wave Cannon, target whatever is in front of them and pierce through to hit units behind the initial target.
The Force units are also translated quite well here. Unlike the shooters, where Forces are invincible, here they are units that must be managed and protected, since they are not invincible. They can be docked to a fighter, either in front or behind, and will upgrade the fighter’s attacks to Force lasers. Forces can also be controlled as independent units, though they move pretty slow and initially aren’t very strong on their own.
Battles are turn-based, as you might expect. You move each unit in turn, and then the opposing forces take their turn. When one unit attacks another, a cinematic battle scene plays, showing the attacks. Then the standard attack animation happens on the game grid. If you don’t like the animation sequences, you can turn them off, but they do add a nice sense of drama to the tactical battles.
Terrain also matters in the game. Some terrain can hinder movement, some can contain resources, and some, like the Black Hole, is outright dangerous to be near. The way the shooter mechanics translates over to a tactical game is very well done, but it is something that takes a few rounds to fully get used to.
Resource systems play a critical role in how you approach each mission. You’ll often need to mine asteroids or secure points mid-stage to gather the materials needed for new units and upgrades, with Bydogen being the most tempting of the resources. Using it lets you field stronger Forces and more advanced ships, but the game never lets you forget that there’s a price attached. It creates an interesting push-and-pull between playing it safe and pushing for more resources, and those decisions carry over into future missions both tactically and narratively.
The game has a lot to juggle mechanically. Between three different resources, fuel and ammo management, a wide variety of unit types, terrain effects, and capturable facilities, it can feel pretty dense at first. The early missions introduce things gradually, but once everything starts overlapping it takes some time before it all fits into place mentally.
The Accessibility Sitrep
With a game like R-Type Tactics I+II Cosmos, accessibility is more about being able to read what is happening than about mitigating reflex-based challenges. While the game currently offers a handful of text sizes, there is room for improvement.
First, given we have the option to play in 4K, having the option to make the text even bigger would go a long way to reducing eye strain. The “Large” setting the game currently has is almost there, so maybe an “Extra Large” that bumps it up one more notch would help.
The rest is all about battlefield contrast. While on some of the battlefields this is not much of a problem, on others things can get very difficult to see. A setting to dim the background so the units stand out more would be very welcome, and would probably also help with the next note, too.
It is hard to tell when a unit has already taken its turn. In the PSP version of the game, a unit that has performed its actions that turn would darken, making it easy to tell at a glance which units you still have to move. In this game, the change is too subtle, and I end up hovering over each unit and clicking it to ensure no action menu pops up.
Intermission screens that explore the narrative are difficult to read, but this is mitigated by the voiceover present in this new version of the game, which was nice to see.
Docking Sequence Initiated
If you are a fan of tactical RPGs, there is an absolute ton of content to dig into here. R-Type Tactics I+II Cosmos gives you two full games and an Epilogue to sink your teeth into. It presents a narrative that, at first, may seem like a simple “Repel the Alien Threat”- style story, but quickly turns into something far darker and much more poignant. The game doesn’t hold your hand; it expects you to learn from both reference material and trial and error. But it will reward you with an excellent tactical experience, and one hell of a gut-punch.
