6 Degrees of Manic But Padded Bullet Hell
Throughout my early gaming years, Shoot ‘em ups were up there with JRPGs as my favorite and most frequented genre. I owe this affinity to my brother’s copy of Super R-Type, a side-scrolling space shooter that insulted my hand-eye coordination and working memory with swarms of positionally patterned enemies and their respective barrage of blinking bullets. Infuriatingly difficult at all moments and forgiving only when the game’s cartridge was lunatically removed from the SNES, Super R-Type introduced a 7-year-old me to a universe of space battles that required reflexes, patience, and a reluctant acceptance of momentary failure.















