R-Type coming to mobile phones

Talk to gamers of a certain age for long enough, and they'll start getting misty-eyed about R-Type.

Originally released in 1987 for 8-bit computers, it was a horizontally-scrolling shoot-'em-up with bundles of power-ups, some truly inventive level design, and a host of big, bad bosses to blow up.

Anyway, it's coming to mobile, courtesy of retro specialists Elite Systems – the publisher previously responsible for mobile revamps of Chuckie Egg, Paperboy and Double Dragon EX.

The game is due out in late May; free demo versions will be available on Elite's website by the end of March.

Take a look at the screenshots, and you'll see it's an accurate updating of the original game, which saw you flying a futuristic fighter-craft in a mission to defeat the nefarious Bydo Empire. To be honest, the plot wasn't really the point.

"Put simply, R-Type is the definitive '80s shooter," says Elite boss Steve Wilcox. "No arcade game fan worthy of the name should be without it."