What can I say about R-Type III? ... It was R-Type III.

The Third Lightning seems designed to kill you, both in-the game and real life as it tries your nerves so hard you begin to question what the point is in even living. I'm terrible at shoot-em-ups, yet my need to play them is downright compulsive, and somehow I managed to push myself to the end of this game. It wasn't easy though, and in fact it might be the most difficult shoot-em-up (at least of the side-scrolling variety) on my retro bucket list.

Gameplay is fairly unremarkable. If you've played one R-Type, you've pretty much played them all. They're solid games, even if the sheer difficulty of III may get in the way of you having a good time. At least the graphics, art direction, and sound design are all good enough to carry the game even through its weakest moments. I've actually found myself throwing on the soundtrack while drawing or doing work, and I find it a whole lot more worthwhile to revisit than the game itself.

I wouldn't say The Third Lightning is bad. It's a perfectly fine game, just a bit too imbalanced and samey.