Fanmade R-Type Genesis/Mega-Drive port demo out now

You know what the Sega Genesis/Mega-Drive needed? A port of Irem’s 1987 arcade shooter R-Type. The Master System and NES had one. Even the Turbografx-16 had one. Well, one fan developer, TheRoboZ, decided to rectify that and develop their own brand-new R-Type conversion for the Genesis, and they currently have a demo available for the general public to test out.

This new fan port, titled Mega R-Type, will be a full conversion of the arcade game with all-new features, such as the exclusive stage from the Master System version and a few customization choices from the Turbografx-16 port and even the recent R-Type Dimensions remake. The music has also been remixed, although the original arcade game’s music has also been adapted for the Genesis FM sound chip, and both options are available in-game. This demo is limited to three levels to play, but you can still see the music player and all of the customization choices. The demo also adapts for 60hz and 50hz, so PAL Mega-Drive fans can play without concern.

Download the demo from the Mega R-Type page on itch.io, then open it with your preferred Genesis emulator or flash cartridge—such as the Mega Everdrive series—in your original Genesis/Mega-Drive console. After that, be sure to leave some feedback for TheRoboZ to consider by joining the Mega R-Type community on itch.io by clicking the “Join the community” button at the bottom of the page. You can also follow TheRoboZ on Twitter and provide feedback there. Be sure to also tell us what you think of the demo in the comments and check out a few choice screenshots beyond the break.

Special thanks goes out to TheRoboZ for clarifying a few details for me on Twitter in preparation for writing this article. On behalf of SegaBits, I wish them the best of luck with development.

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