R-Type Command is a departure from the typical R-Type series of 2-D space shooters. This time the game is a focused turn-based strategy game that tries some interesting twists to the genre that don't quite work.
R-Type Command places you in the role of a commander named Atlus Armada who is given the mission to stop the Bydo infestation. The story is relayed through briefings and the commander's monologue style journal entries (the commander being you) as you progress through the game. The story is not incredibly deep, but there is a lot of R-Type background info and detail to read through if you so desire.
You start the game with a handful of ships and pilots and play by placing the units on a starting grid on a space or futuristic backdrop. The game progresses with you crossing the grid and battling enemy forces and bosses. There are a large amount of missions that generally have you trying to reach a certain point on the map or destroy the enemy flagship/boss.
The game utilizes a very methodical approach with you generally starting on the opposite side of the map from the enemy and meeting at the middle. This is where I had the biggest problem with the game. Yes I was able to research some cool units and my bombers were mini-gods but the gameplay is simply too shallow. This is a space themed strategy game and you have less movement options then in a standard land based tactical games (Jeanne D'arc or Final Fantasy Tactics). You can move up and down or left and right, and if enemies or debris are in your way, you have to get rid of them before moving forward (unless you have special units that can exit normal space). I found it really odd that the developer did not make this isometric or try to come up with a simple 4D grid. Plus the rounds take FAR too long, with each ship requiring you move them individually with far to many menu clicks to accomplish the task.
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