R-Type Delta
Game title screen
| Developer: | Irem |
|---|---|
| Director: | Hiroya Kita |
| Designer: | Koichi Kita |
| Release date: | PS1 Nov 19, 1998 NS, PS4, PS5, Series X/S, PC Nov 20, 2025 |
| Previous game: | Kaitei Daisensou |
| Next game: | R-Type Final |
R-Type Delta is a horizontal scrolling shoot 'em up developed by Irem and released on the PS1 in 1998. It was the fourth mainline R-Type game, and Irem's first 3D game.
For replay videos, visit the Video Index.
Contents
Gameplay Overview
R Type Delta plays similarly to prior entries in the series. It has a checkpoint system, a two-tiered charge shot, and the Force mechanic. Unlike in prior R-Type games, touching walls will not kill you. Delta also removes the infamous speed powerups of earlier R-Type titles in favor of a manual speed adjust, and also adds a bomb-like mechanic in the form of the Delta Weapon.
Controls
- ☐: Shoot / Charge Wave Cannon
- X: Force
- ◯/R2: Autofire
- △: Delta Weapon
- L1/L2 Change Speed
Ships
R-Type Delta includes 4 player ships. The three R-series ships are unlocked from the beginning, and the secret POW Armor ship is unlocked either by clearing the game on Human/Bydo difficulty or by playing any one stage 100 times.
| Ship | Beams | Wave Cannon |
|---|---|---|
R-9A2  The classic ship. Round Force - |
Red: Air-to-Air Laser  Blue: Reflective Laser  Yellow: Air-to-Ground Laser  |
Diffusion wave cannon |
RX-10  Tentacle Force - |
Red: Sting Ray  Blue: Hound Ray  Yellow: Snail Ray  |
Shock wave cannon |
R-13A  Anchor Force - |
Red: Shade Alpha  Blue: Search Beta  Yellow: Terminator Gamma  |
Lightning wave cannon |
System Mechanics
Force
Like in other R-Type games, the Force can block most, but not all, projectiles and deals contact damage when touching enemies. When a Lvl 2 or 3 Force is attached, either to the front or back of your ship, it will fire a special beam weapon.
Bits & Missiles
You can acquire a maximum of two Bits which float above and below your ship. These bits deal contact damage and also fire a basic projectile.
Picking up a missile item allows you to fire missiles, which supplement your damage.
Dose
Damage dealt and bullets blocked with the Force raise your Dose meter. The length of the Dose meter depends on the difficulty setting.
| Difficulty | Maxmimum Dose |
|---|---|
| Kids | 4000 |
| Human | 8000 |
| Bydo | 24000 |
When Dose is at 100%, you gain the following effects:
- Force does more contact damage
- Force has a bigger hitbox
- You get a score bonus when dealing damage with the Force
- You can activate the Delta Weapon
Activating the Delta Weapon unleashes a screen filling attack that cancels enemy bullets and depletes your Dose meter. Note that the Delta Weapon does not grant invulnerability, so lasers and enemy collisions can still kill you.
Scoring
In addition to killing enemies, the player also gains score bonuses for utilizing the Force in different ways:
| Force Action | Bonus | Bonus at Max Dose |
|---|---|---|
| Block an enemy projectile | +26 | +53 |
| Kill a zako | +16 | +33 |
| Contact an enemy | +1 per frame | +2 per frame |
It follows that optimal scoring involves using the Force as much as possible and avoiding use of the Delta Weapon.
Strategy
See (Template Page)/Strategy for stage maps, enemy and boss descriptions, walkthroughs, and advanced play strategies.
Version Differences
The HD Boosted version
Trivia
- The RX's tentacles are a reference to Irem's X-Multiply
- The R13 has a special ending. Unlike the other 2 ships, it fails to escape the Bydo homeworld and becomes assimilated. It is later encountered as a boss in R-Type Final
References & Contributors
1. Page text, info, and formatting by Reflector88
