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R-Type Tactics II: Operation Bitter Chocolate

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R-Type Tactics II: Operation Bitter Chocolate (アール・タイプタクティクスツー -オペレーションビターチョコレート-  Āru taiputakutikusutsū - operēshonbitāchokorēto -), is a tactical role-playing game developed and released by Irem in 2009 for the PlayStation Portable. It serves as the sequel to R-Type Tactics, known outside Japan as R-Type Command. The player controls three different factions, two of which being human and the other being the Bydo Empire. The game was planned for release outside Japan as R-Type Command II, however this version was never released.

Gameplay[]

Bitter Chocolate features the player as he navigates a fleet of space fighters and support units, as one of three factions - the Earth Allied Armed Forces (EAAF; an evolution of the Earth Space Corps in the first game), the Bydo Empire, and a new human faction called the Granzella Revolutionary Army (GZRA). The side-scrolling nature of R-Type Command's gameplay is retained in the sequel. Most levels are structured as in a side-scrolling shooter, with the player's units and the objective on opposite sides of the field. Units cannot change the direction they are facing, which has an important impact on gameplay, as certain attacks can only be performed in one direction. Although certain missions have the player's units facing right, there are missions in both Human and Bydo campaigns where they will face left. Players can also earn veterancy levels, which improve their units' hit points or evasion levels.

Like other turn-based strategy games, the playing field is also divided into hexagons with varying effects. The game maps are also larger than those found in the first game, with some levels encompassing behemoth space facilities. Some stages are also vertically scrolling.

Players can also customize their avatars under a new profiling system and can also interlink with their old profiles from the first game. The profile from the first game represents the Bydo commander who was forced to leave Earth for good at the end of Tactics. The player will assume this profile when the Bydo campaign is unlocked. However, this feature is only present in the Japanese release. The game also features branching mission paths that can be unlocked based on choices listed in the player's journal. The missions on the other path would be available when the player completes a campaign chapter.

Units[]

R-Type Tactics II offers more than 200 different units, including many of the R-series fighters from the other R-Type games such as R-Type Final, plus units from other Irem games such as the Granvia-F submarine from In The Hunt. Each fighter has unique abilities such as sub-space movement (called "desynching") and a distinct set of attacks. During the game, the player acquires abilities enabling new units and upgrades to existing units to be purchased for his army. Furthermore, new units can be acquired by capturing certain objectives in levels, such as derelict space stations and starbases. The unit's development can also be tracked through a special technology tree. More powerful versions of unlockable units in the game are also available as downloadable content from the Playstation Network, but unlike the other units, the player can only acquire one of each.

Support units range from large carrier ships to maintenance units as well as the Force pods.

Force units can either be controlled separately or they can be attached to fighter craft. Attached Forces function as a unidirectional shield while providing the fighter with stronger attacks. When not attached, a Force is an independent unit that can be used as a tank.

Aside from mining Solomonadium, Etherium, and Bydolgen, the Rr2o-3 is also capable of building a space station on certain stages featuring core blocks, though at a cost in Solomonadium mined on the spot. The kinds of modules that can be assembled include expansion conduits, docking bays, missile and laser turrets, fixed Wave Cannon turrets, and radar stations. The player can assemble up to 30 modules per stage. Once a core block has been destroyed, the entire station complex is destroyed as well.

The EAAF's arsenal comprises most of the Force-capable R-series fighters seen in the history of the franchise. The Granzella Revolutionary Army (GZRA) has only one fighter with a Force system (the R-9A Ragnarok and the non-Bydo based Shadow Force, respectively), but have jamming support, which can mask units under a fog of war. Sonar can also be used to uncover "desynched" units without having to bump into them during a turn. Regardless of what faction the player starts with, most of the other faction's units can be unlocked later in the game. The player can also exit the mission without having finished it and retain whatever bonus boxes recovered in the level.

The Bydo feature evolved versions of previous units seen in Tactics, such as the Boldo cruiser.

Enemy units that are close to being defeated can be converted to fight for the player for one mission; units that are captured are recycled for resources at the end of the mission.

Plot[]

Characters[]

For the first time in the franchise, human characters with dubbed voices are introduced in the game, with both the EAAF and the GZRA having male and female characters that act as the player's in-game assistants.

Main Character[]

The player's alter-ego is the main character, which can be designed according to gender, birthplace, and favorite food and color. The main character's voice can be heard in the journal entries, which also have choices that can affect the campaign and determine the player's rating in a special profile graph. The male character is voiced by Tetsu Inada while the female character is voiced by Yukie Maeda.[1][2] The assistants will still be available in the Bydo campaign, but no voice options are available for the main character in the journal.

Earth Allied Armed Forces[]

  • Gerald McKellen (voiced by Shinya Hamazoe)
  • Dietrich Atterberg (voiced by Kanehira Yamamoto)
  • Hiroko F. Gazarov (voiced by Ryōko Shintani)
  • Diana Verano (voiced by Junko Asami)

Granzella Revolutionary Army[]

Story[]

The game is set in MC 0074, nine years after the events of Tactics. The Space Corps have successfully fought off the invasion of the Bydo Empire and peace has reigned. However, tension rises when the EAAF resists calls to demobilize and scrap much of its Force-based arsenal as the Bydo no longer pose a threat. Fed up with the EAAF's defiance, a faction originally based on Mars called the Granzella Revolutionary Army declares war on Earth and attracts many people to their cause.

Chapter 1: EAAF/GZRA[]

The first section of the game deals with the war between the Earth Allied Armed Forces and the Granzella Revolutionary Army. While both paths have a similar structure, there are a few key differences in both missions and story.

While the EAAF path follows a normal commander plot, the GZRA version starts with your character and the men under their command being judged in a military tribunal for refusing to attack a Granzella fleet and being sentenced to execution. In either scenario, the game starts off near or on the Moon (EAAF at a ruined space station in orbit, GZRA on the Luna surface in an escape attempt). The next mission then takes you to Earth orbit where you fight craft belonging to your own side (EAAF is training mission, GZRA is the enemy mistaking you for a EAAF fleet) before descending to the Earth's ocean to investigate a crashed space colony and eliminate the Bydo infestation (an obvious nod to Final Stage 1.0). Mission 4 is either another training exercise on the moon or a battle against Earth troops in a forest. The GZRA one ends with you meeting Emma Crawford and officially joining the Revolutionary Army. After this the paths become more uniform. In both scenario's you head off for Mars but come across a debris field where the Base Construction System Shiva is being tested. Mission 6 has you reaching Mars, ending with the GZRA freeing their leader General Haruba from a POW Camp in Granzella City. Fighting then moves to Jupiter and Saturn with the goal being to reach Geirrod Fortress, a space station between the two planets that now serves as the Rebel Army's HQ. While moving between the moons of Io and Europa, a Bydo Herd is discovered hiding in Jupiter's Great Red Spot and is swiftly destroyed. In either version of Mission 12, the EAAF launch an attack on Geirrod and successfully recapture the station (although this is short lived in the GZRA path where your fleet removes the enemy occupation). But this attack forces the GZRA high command to flee to Pluto and take up residence in Glitnir Station with that being your next destination. During this journey you pass by Saturn and eliminate Bydo remnants in the rings and derelict space station Grid before moving onto Uranus, ending with you taking down haywire mining robots caused by a miner revolt on the moon of Oberon. After this, the stories (but not the missions) diverge again around Mission 18/19. While the EAAF path continues as normal (with you going through either Neptune or a comet field and then destroying Utgarda Loki), the GZRA path has the faction split in two thanks to the emergence of the Bydotech using Solar Liberation League lead by General Kisun who eventually sells out to the EAAF in order to take over the Solar System beyond Jupiter. The first chapter ends with an assault on the Plutosphere and the liberation of Glitnir (inferred to be joint operation between the EAAF and GZRA by the ending cutscene which shows both blue and green thrusters on the escaping craft), leading to peace after the perceived defeat of a common foe. Unfortunately, a section of the SLL escapes into the Tesseract during the battle...

Chapter 2: After Operation Glitnir... (Combined)[]

After several months, there is an uneasy peace in the Solar System. Recently, the SLL who are still at large and have stolen technology from both sides have been detected in Warpspace. Since their individual armies had been severely depleted during the war, the EAAF and GZRA choose to create a coalition fleet to hunt down and finally crush the League with you naturally as it's admiral. During the operation the fleet crosses paths with the infamous Green Inferno Bydonaught patrolling the Warpspace routes before locating and ultimately killing off Kisun and his forces. A disturbing development comes to light in the form of the Bydo Bind System which allows the SLL to control Bydo organisms, allowing them to bolster their forces and exit Warpspace without using fuel. The situation only gets worse when you try to return to the Solar System and discover that the Bydo Empire has once again invaded. Warping out, you encounter and defeat a Kombiler led herd before helping to clear out the Bydo infesting the planets. Along the way you come across SLL remnants who have occupied Utgarda Loki and Geirrod. This culminates in fending off two large enemy fleets above and on Earth, the 2nd commanded by a Kombilerbera which is attacking the Space Corps HQ in (what is hinted to be) Ishguard city. While the defence is a success, the flagship escapes and you give chase. While passing the Moon, you come into conflict with another SLL cell who offer to ally with you. Accepting their offer has them lead you to the Kombilerbera in the asteroid belt where they assist you in battle (this being the only 3 fleet mission in the game). Declining leads to fighting Corvette above Granzella city. Whatever route you take, you make it to a area of Bydofied space where the Kombilerbera is eventually corned. But they respond by transforming into the daunting Kombilerlilli living fortress. After a tough battle the flagship is finally annihilated, but before dying it opens a rift that takes you to the home of the Amber Pupil, a yellow illusionary plane filled with replicas of the planets and everything the Bydo can throw at you. Through much hardship the Core is finally slain, likely brining an end to the invasion. Unfortunately you never get to find out as the Amber Pupil collapses into a black hole, sucking the fleet and converting them into more Bydo. During the ending cutscene, swarms of strange wasp-like fighters seem to assist in the transformation...

Chapter 3: After defeating Bydo... (Bydo)[]

The Bydo campaign sees you taking on a so-called Unknown Civilization that has advanced technology. There are also skirmishes with other Bydo herds along the way. Around halfway through the campaign, you take the fight to the Unknown Civilization's star system and eventually their (assumed) Homeworld, but spare it from attack and fly back to Earth once more. After passing through more exoplanets home to Bydo, you reach the edge of the Solar System but your fleet views humanity as alien "Hostile Civilization" and attacks. Once the defenders have been wiped out the herd vists a decayed Bestra station and faces off against a bizzare cyborg Dobkeratops Reactor likely cultivated by humanity. Following this detour, you finally arrive back at Earth. There, you are met by a collection of prototype Ultimate Fighters and a powerful white dreadnought in a city reclaimed by nature and then a mixed fleet of human and Bydo craft (either assimilated R-Craft or a SLL squadron using the Bydo Bind System) among the rain swept trees that you might of once passed long ago. The story reaches a climax when you vist the Sun on what seems to be instinct and discover a mighty construct and its wasp-like protectors awaiting you. It is not an easy battle, but eventually the great being is overcome. But the fleet decide their existence is a living nightmare and fly into the Sun, bringing an end to the journey. But far away in a deteriorated station, a craft module watches. One that was seen at the very beginning...

Multiplayer[]

The game also supports multiplayer combat via Wi-Fi and also has a co-operative two-player mode available through ad hoc connection and game sharing modes.

Units[]

EAAF/GZRA[]

Battleships[]

Battleships consist of multiple components and use Hit Points as a damage meter. The ship can only be destroyed by directly damaging the body. The admiral must have at least one battleship in every skirmish.

Fighters[]

Most fighters group in squads in 5, except for the OF-1. As the squad's numbers dwindle, so does the overall effectiveness of the squad.

Support Craft[]

Support craft also use the Hit Point system. They are invaluable for repairing and resupplying the fleet in the middle of battle, and can also retrieve resources for use in constructing new ships.

Bipedal Craft[]

  1. These fighters use the Squad System (with the exception of the Hyllus) and are primarily melee attackers, with high damage and accuracy, but short range (again, with the exception of the Hyllus).
  2. The Patrocross Avian is also able to change into a Fighter Mode, in which it is equipped with the missiles and Wave Cannon of a standard fighter.
  3. The TL-2N Narcissus and its successor can transform into a squadron of R-9B Strider, R-9D Shooting Star, or act as a false immobile asteroid once per battle. The asteroid incognito acts as if a unit "bumps" into an enemy unit out of radar range, thus wasting the desired movement or attack. A decoy function is also available.
  4. The THw-01 Hector is equipped with 3 different Wave Cannons, all needing 4 turns to charge while in Humanoid mode. Only one wave cannon similar to the R-9D Shooting Star is available while in fighter mode, but the distance it can travel increases as a trade-off.

Space Station[]

The following are the various attachments players can use in assembling a space station.

Forces[]

R-Type Command's Forces differ in many ways from the other games in the series, but the most glaring change is that they are no longer invincible. They function as a separate unit when detached. An attached force does not get a turn, instead altering the weapons of its counterpart ship.

Other[]

Downloadable Content[]

Warships[]

  • UFDD-04 Nostrand (Red Hresvelgr with white stripes, photonpedos exchanged for Sleipnir's Balmung 2(?), carries 3 instead of 2, and better fuel)
  • UFWS-006 Himinguerva (Similar white paint to the Niflheim, mounts depth charges with higher accuracy but lower damage, better missiles, and carries 3 instead of 2)

Fighters[]

Forces[]

Support Craft[]

  • Rr2o-3-3 Craft Module 3 (Red Craft Module MK2 with 3 speed, lower evasion.)
  • Sm-Gr-M Granvia M (Blue Granvia F, more HP, worser evasion and fuel, more powerful SAM's and Torpedo wave cannon)
  • TP-02M2 Sea Tiger (Orange and black Frogman, better HP and evasion, mounts better anti-air missiles and added depth charges.)

Other[]

  • E-Tk02 Panzer General 2 (Red Panzer General mounted with longer range missiles)
  • E-Tk022 Cran Berry (Mounts Anti-Air missle Mk.2, identical to standard Kiwi Berry)
  • E-Tk023 Blue Berry (Equipped with Barrier like the Strider)
  • E-Tk024 Dark Berry (Equipped with Barrier 2, speed increased to 3)
  • E-Tk025 Berry Berry (Even more powerful, vulcan cannon instead of barrier and improved large cannon but keeps 3 speed)
  • TL2AT2 Patrocross 2 (Bright red in appearance, Vulcan Mk 2 in both modes, standard wave cannon 2 in fighter mode, 5 more fuel, trades Contact Missile for Depth Charge, bipedal mode same except ram attack like Gains 3 was added)

Bydo[]

Battleships[]

Only a few Bydo battleships are available to Bydo commanders, but humanity will encounter a greater variety during their campaign.

Fighters[]

The Bydo have an expanded force of fighter units.

Support Craft[]

The Infected Module is a great, all-in-one support craft.

Other[]

The Bydo army contains many monstrous craft, about half of which are only found in humanity's campaign.

Forces[]

The Bydo Forces are nearly identical to humanity's.

"Bosses"[]

Downloadable Content[]

Warships[]

Fighters[]

Support[]

Other[]

Other[]

Other Civilization[]

Battleships[]

Fighters[]

Other[]

Release[]

Demo[]

Irem released two demos of the game, with one demo sampling the EAF and the other for the GZRA. Both contain three stages each, with one of them a remake of a classic R-Type stage featuring the alien boss Dobkeratops.

Full Version[]

As a pre-order bonus, a soundtrack disc was included. No announcements have been made for a release outside of Japan.[3], although Irem considered releasing the title on their own after being disappointed with Atlus' translation of the first game.Template:Citation needed

In the PlayStation 3's community-based social gaming network, PlayStation Home, Irem has released a Game Space in the Japanese Home on December 3, 2009 to promote the release of R-Type Tactics II: Operation Bitter Chocolate on the PSP and PSPgo. This is the first PSP title to receive a Playstation Home Game Space.[4]

Gallery[]

Media[]

Links[]

References[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 R-Type Command II Tech Info at Gamespot.
  2. ↑ R-Type Tactics II: Operation Bitter Chocolate at Gamefaqs.com
  3. ↑ [1] at Engadget
  4. ↑ [2]at Playstationhome.jp
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