One of the classics from the 1980s is making a comeback, and fans of the shooter have plenty to be excited about. These days, shooters are most often third- or first-person affairs, which is great, but back in the ‘80s, most shooters were side-scrolling. There were tons of them, and while many were good, only a handful were truly great. One of the best, known for its excellent graphics, dynamic sound, challenging gameplay, and killer vibes, is making a comeback on modern systems, and it’s something that fans of the franchise have been asking for for a long time.
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After years of sitting on the bench, R-Type is making a comeback, and it’s happening on April 30, 2026. We previously reported on the return of R-Type in September 2025, but at the time, no release date was available. Now, we finally have an update: R-Type DX, originally published in 1999 for the Game Boy Color, is coming back to modern systems as R-Type DX: Music Encore. The new game is developed and published by City Connection, and it’s not just a re-release of an old game, as there’s plenty of new content added onto the old stuff to make it worth your while.
R-Type DX: Music Encore Releases on April 30, 2026
For those who didn’t grow up playing it, the first R-Type was released in 1987 in arcades, where it was incredibly successful, establishing a franchise. Nintendo distributed the game in the States, and it was addictive, all but requiring players to feed quarters into it until their allowances ran dry. The scrolling shooter was actually Nintendo’s last arcade game, as it shifted all of its releases to its home consoles. The first R-Type was ported to numerous systems, including the TurboGrafx-16, Sega Master System, and many others, including the Game Boy Color, where a ton of players enjoyed it.
R-Type DX: Music Encore is a compilation game that combines the Game Boy Color ports of the arcade games R-Type and R-Type II, but it also adds an entirely new mode that lets you play the two games back-to-back as if they’re one continuous game. City Connection has added brand new tracks that completely elevate the gaming experience. “The music is composed by WASi303, a specialist in retro game sound. By harnessing authentic sound chips from portable hardware, he delivers an experience that preserves the original feel of the era while offering something fresh and new.”
Some of the new content includes new scoring metrics that will allow players to achieve new high scores to chase like arcade games of old. On top of that, you get all the classic additions found in modern upgrades, like rewind, full-power-up start, quick save and load, rapid-fire toggle shorts, and more. The game is sure to encourage fans of the original to jump on board when it’s released on April 30, 2026. Fortunately, there are a few options for those looking to play it, as R-Type DX: Music Encore will be released on Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, and Steam.
Are you looking forward to diving back into R-Type when R-Type DX: Music Encore releases on April 30, 2026? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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