R-Type Dimensions III review: the SNES shooter classic reborn in 3D, for better and worse

As retro games go, R-Type Dimensions III is a novel take as it’s both a remaster and something new all at once. It’s a 3D remaster of the classic SNES shooter R-Type III: The Third Lightning, which always felt like Irem looking back at itself, pulling bits from older games and throwing Mode 7 effects over the top to make the SNES sweat a little. That feeling remains, but the Dimensions series name means you can hot-swap between those new 3D visuals and the original but remastered pixels, along with some quality-of-life options, making this version of R-Type III a better game than I remember… just.

Sometimes the 3D works brilliantly too, such as in the hard surfaces of Level 3, Heavy Metal Corridor, which is the standout example because, in pixels, it already looked busy, if a little flat, but in 3D, it becomes this horrible spinning knot of shiny industrial tubing. Backgrounds through fair well too, with the 3D enabling a clean split between background detail and foreground motion. But there are issues: often, the clarity of the pixel art is lost in 3D, shots become harder to see in motion, and, fundamentally, the safe spaces you need to find to avoid environmental deaths can be harder to judge.

That’s the thing about R-Type Dimensions III: it constantly flips between brilliance and absolute cruelty, which is also in keeping with the SNES original, but here it's often compounded by the 3D design. Compared to earlier R-Type games, this one feels much more technical, almost puzzle-like at times, something enhanced by the new Force modules that dictate power-ups. Before each run, you pick from three different Force pods, and they really do change how you approach stages. I ended up sticking with the Shadow Force most of the time because its rear shots and 360-degree attacks feel almost mandatory once the game starts rotating the screen and throwing enemies at you from every possible direction.

Puts you in a spin

This game loves spinning the screen and showcasing that old Mode 7 history too. Large chunks of R-Type Dimensions III feel like memory tests where the walls themselves are trying to kill you, the backgrounds twist around the ship, tunnels rotate, scenery closes in unexpectedly, and the safe route through a stage often comes down to pure memorisation. There are moments when survival depends less on shooting and more on already knowing where you need to be standing two seconds in advance.

Sometimes that’s exhilarating, especially when you finally clear a section that’s destroyed you ten times in a row, but sometimes it’s exhausting too. The final stage, in particular, becomes a kaleidoscope of colour, effects, patterns and enemy fire, where everything sort of melts into visual noise. In pixel mode, it’s hard enough, but in 3D mode, it can become outright messy.

That’s where this remake trips over itself, because R-Type is all about positioning, judgment, and tiny, precise movements, so the extra visual detail occasionally works against the game. Enemy bullets can blend into effects, backgrounds become distracting, and depth perception gets a bit muddled when everything is spinning around you. More than once, I switched back to the original pixel visuals purely because it was easier to judge where the little ship needed to sit on screen. The old sprites are cleaner, sharper and easier to read at speed.

Going for 3D or 2D?

Still, when the 3D remake works, it looks lovely, and the weapons, especially, look fantastic. The Cyclone Force becomes a glowing orb that wobbles and shoots glowing energy across the screen, and the alien environments have a wet, horrible texture that feels very 90s sci-fi. There are lots of nice little visual touches, too, such as reflective surfaces, shimmering lighting, weird, fleshy details in the Bydo stages, and the game leans heavily into the series’ feel for arcade-horror.

Bosses are more uneven, though. Some are brilliant, such as the Course Crab, which is one of the better fights because its attacks feel readable and there’s an actual rhythm to learning it. Phantom Cell is fantastic too, basically a weird greatest hits remix of classic R-Type boss designs to battle through. But then there’s Necrosaur, which has a clever gimmick involving its hidden eye and the Wave laser, but just goes on forever, repeating the same attacks – it’s more of an endurance than a skill test.

The good news is that Dimensions III gives you loads of ways to soften the punishment. Infinite Mode is the obvious lifesaver because it respawns you instantly where you died instead of kicking you back to a checkpoint. (I genuinely can’t imagine most people finishing this game without it.) There’s also Advanced mode if you somehow think this all sounds too relaxing already, alongside some nice visual filters, HUD tweaks and different retro display effects – Retro 2.0 ended up being my favourite because it keeps the 3D depth but adds a softer pixel-style look over everything, which helps readability.

In the end, R-Type Dimensions III feels exactly like the SNES original did, which is both a compliment and a warning. It’s both inventive and infuriating in equal measure. Still, when you finally squeeze through one of its horrible rotating death tunnels with a fully powered Force pod and half the screen exploding around you, there’s really nothing else quite like it.